Benelux

Organisation

Organise the Contest in your School

At any time
- You can request an information pack to be sent to your inbox.
- You can also consult the resources available on our website.
- You can also create your own account, which will enable you to easily manage the organisation of events throughout the year and track your students’ progress.

As soon as possible
- Designate a coordinating teacher at your school to act as your contact person wih us. They can handle communication within the school (informing students, parents and colleagues), registration, transferring entry fees, running the event and receiving prizes, or you can share that with several teachers internally.
- Choose the format that you want (Flexible or Online), or a split between the two formats.
- Register your students online (simply indicate the number of students per level). Register them by the 17th December 2024 to get an exclusive Teacher Pack as a present for you. The final deadline is the 22nd February 2025.
- Send us the corresponding payment (details will be provided in the registration confirmation sent to you).
- Invite your students to practice for the contest on The Big Challenge PLAY and by consulting the previous tests.

Before the contest :
- For the flexible format :
  - Generate the answer grids and print them out, along with the multiple-choice questions (or download the multiple-choice questions so you can project them in the classroom). Instructions will be sent to you a few days before the contest.
  - Organise The Big Challenge contest between 10 – 28 March 2025: prepare the classrooms for the event, ensure that all teachers involved are informed of the proceedings.
- For the Online format:
  - Please read the instructions for accessing the contest website, which will be sent to you a few days before the event.
  - Define a schedule of passing sessions between 10 – 28 March 2025. You can organise as many sessions as you like, and there’s no need to send us your schedule.
  - Make sure that each student has access to the contest web page on the day of their visit (they must have a device – computer, smartphone, tablet – connected to the Internet, they must be able to play audio, possibly with headphones, and the contest page must be accessible in the school – some schools set up restrictions and firewalls, so you need to make sure that the test page is accessible on each of your students’ devices).

After the contest :
- For the flexible format : scan and upload your students’ answer grids into your teacher account as soon as possible, and you’ll be able to consult their provisional results a few days later.
- For the Online format : check your students’ provisional results in your teacher account. If a student has had a technical problem, report it in your account and have them retake the test.

For the awards ceremony :
- At the end of April, we’ll email you the results and rankings of your students. They will be available in your account at all times, and you will be able to download their certificates.
- We’ll also send all the prizes to your school so you can organize the award ceremony.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I choose to take the test on paper or online ?

Yes, you can choose to take the test either on paper or online.

The test papers, audio files, and answer sheets can be accessed through your teacher account and printed for students to take the test on paper.
Alternatively, you can take the test online using a computer, tablet, or smartphone with an internet connection. The link to the online test and the access code for your school can also be found in your teacher account.

It is up to you to decide which format is best for you and your students.

Do I have to declare which format I choose?

No, it is not necessary to tell us which format you choose for the test.
Everything will be made available in your teacher account to allow you to take the test in either online or paper format.
You are free to have some of your students take one format and others the other.

Is it necessary to set a special date within the competition period and how can I let you know?

To give as much flexibility as possible, we have opened the competition for several weeks so that you can decide for yourself when to hold the competition.

Especially if the classes should be divided into smaller groups, you can plan as many rounds as you like. Our recommendation here is that you at least let the students from one level participate together or one after the other.

Within the contest period, you can determine the time frame completely independently. You do NOT have to inform us about it and it does not have to be activated separately anywhere.

What should students do if they don’t know the answer to a question?

If students can eliminate one or two answers, and are hesitating about the remaining two answers, it would be better to make an educated guess. If they have really no idea which of the four answers is correct, then it’s better not to answer at all. If students apply this method, it will give them an advantage in the end.

Students who answer randomly will have a final score close to zero. With one chance out of four of choosing the correct answer (and thus earning 5 points) and the risk of losing a quarter of the question’s value (1.25 points) with an incorrect answer, statistically they will end up with zero. On the contrary, a student who isn’t sure of the correct answer, but thinks carefully and is able to eliminate two answers out of the four, will have a distinct advantage.

Taking the time to think carefully before making a choice is clearly the best way to succeed. Of course, that is what we hope to teach our students in general: to think carefully before giving an answer!

You can find all the information about the grading process in our contest rules 'The Day of the contest' > 'Scores'.

How can I pay the participation fee?

The registration fees is paid by bank transfer. You will find all the necessary information in the confirmation e-mail we sent you after the registration online.

Please make sure to include your reference number of the participation in order for us to know to which school the fee belongs to. Otherwise we may not be able to identify the remittance.

Request your information kit

Receive your information pack and posters for your classroom.

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