hey everyone!
We have found lots of information about judging, however, we were curious what kinds of questions they judges ask. Any sample questions would be appreciated so we can start to practicing!
Thanks!
Tell me about your robot?
Tell me about your team?
How did you guys decide what to do?
How does your community know about your team?
How do your controls work?
What was your toughest challenge this year?
How does your team communicate?
And what did you do to deal with this tough challenge?
Have the students practice the “elevator pitch.” How to answer without rambling on. Smile. Offer to shake hands or bump elbows. Speak up (the pits are loud.) Thank the judges (they are also volunteers.)
Talking with the judges is the same skill set you will need to interview for internships and college.
NEMO (www.firstnemo.org) has some papers on the resource page. Also a link to a presentation on judging.
Have fun!
Judges are detectives trying to find information about your team. The questions they ask are intended to help you provide that information.
You can help them by taking a look at the descriptions of the awards and developing answers that will spotlight what your team has accomplished that is relevant to that award.
For example, if you think your team is a strong candidate for the Entrepreneurship award and a judge arrives Friday morning asking about how your team is organized, pull out your business plan and hand them a copy, tell them about your great team organization, etc…
The judges will be asking questions that are relevant to the awards, so study the award descriptions and be ready to describe how your team has achieved that criteria.
You will most likely be visited by two sets of judges, one set will be asking about team related awards and the other set will be asking about machine related awards. You can tell pretty quickly which set you are talking to by their opening questions. Focus your answers based on the information your particular set of judges is asking. No need to talk about community outreach when the judge is asking about how your robot is constructed.
Remember that this is an exchange of information. The judges are truly interested in what you are saying, but you have to convey that information as efficiently as possible. You may only have 5 minutes to relate your teams story. So be prepared, speak loudly and clearly, and most importantly, enjoy the experience.
Good luck!
I’ve found the best way to talk to judges is to just keep talking. When they ask you a question go into as many details as you can. As stated before, judges are just trying to get as much information as possible about your team. You can’t do this by picking out just the information that can be crammed into a 5 minute time period. Just remember to be polite and know when to stop talking…being able to ‘feel’ out the conversation and know when this point is can only be learned from experience.
You never know, the smallest detail you talk about might the biggest “Aha moment” for the judges. Something you might think is normal and not worth mentioning might be the biggest differentiation between you and fellow competitors.
The advice in this thread are all excellent responses. I’m just throwing out what worked for me and my team.
Good luck, and welcome to FIRST!
PS. I know this response isn’t that relavent the original question.
An FLL judge advises, “If the judge asks, ‘Is there anything else you want me to know about your robot?’ you never answer ‘No’. There is always something more for you to say.”
That would apply to FRC judges as well.
I once judged at an off-season competition. I asked someone to tell me about the robot, and she hemmed and hawed without giving me any useful information. I didn’t get an opportunity to revisit the team later, so the team wasn’t considered for a robot award by me. If a judge asks you a question that you don’t know, admit it, but then introduce the judge to someone who does know the answer.
Buttons are great bait for judges! Last year I stayed in the pit and, when I saw judges pass by, I asked if they wanted a button. After I gave them a button they ended up talked to me and my team for a while even though they didn’t seem like they were going to before.
This year we are assigning a person to be in the pits just to speak to judges so other team members can focus on the robot.
But don’t be too disappointed if the judges don’t stay. They are assigned to interview certain teams, with some pretty tight timelines.
I understand this and I am very grateful for the way they judges do their jobs!
The judges never stayed for long, just enough to ask how our robot was doing and when the regional was winding down I had some nice conversations with a few of them.
They are awesome people!
Make sure they understand to emphasize the strengths of your robots and the features that make it unique as well as start off with why you built what you built and your strategy before what you built.
How you analyzed the game is great way to start off when they ask, “So tell me about your robot and what can it do?”
Here are some questions that we were asked at the WPI regional in 2010.
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Tell us about your team.
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What was your biggest obstacle?
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Business Plan?
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Community Involvement?
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Favorite team other than yours?
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What makes your robot special?
Hope it helps!
For safety here’s a few
Tell me about your safety program.
How has your team improved you program this year?
What makes your team’s safety program stand out?
How have you promoted safety on your team and in the community?
Did you encounter any accidents and if so, how did you handle them?
After the quesiton you, you should ask them if they see any ways for you to improve. This shows that you really want to be safe and want to become even safer.
Some more info
If they ask you a technical question, they probably already know the answer. So don’t try to lie to them. If you don’t the answer, tell them. Than find someone who knows the answer. If you have time.
ALWAYS wear your safety glasses in the pits. The one time you don’t, a Safety Judge will see you and you are usually wearing your team shirt.
Good luck and have fun.