National Political Science Bee

Varsity & JV Divisions Homepage

2023 National Champions:
Ian Lu, 12th grade, Hunter College High School, NY (Varsity)
Reed Bernstein, 10th grade, Buchholz High School, FL (Junior Varsity)

National Political Science Bee
National Political Science Bee

The National Political Science Bee Overview

National Political Science Bee

The National Political Science Bee is a quiz competition for individual students, testing knowledge of US & foreign politics, current events, political theory, political economy, and more. Students first take the National Qualifying Exam, and qualified students then compete at the National Championships, next held on April 24, 2024 in Arlington, VA. At Nationals, students also participate in dinner discussion groups with prominent figures in politics, government, the military, and related fields. Competitors can also opt to take part in a “Day at Presidential Classroom” which includes a Seminar with a U.S. Senator, a Briefing at an Embassy and a Cabinet Department Seminar.

  • Eligibility: Individual Primary and Secondary School Students. Students in grades 8 and younger may compete in the Junior Varsity Division.

  • Competitors: Individual Students

  • Competition Style: Multiple Choice Exam (Regionals), Buzzer Competition (Nationals)

  • Inquiries: Contact hs-info@iacompetitions.com

Jump To:

Students Participating in Our Events

Competition Format

The National Political Science Bee is a two-stage competition, consisting of a National Qualifying Exam, and then the National Championships in Arlington, VA on April 25, 2024.

Stage
1

National Qualifying Exam

The first stage of the National Political Science Bee is a 50 question multiple choice exam on all aspects of political science, current events, government, and related fields. Students must score high enough on any one of the three versions of the NPSB National Qualifying Exam that are offered each academic year.

There are three versions of this exam; students need to qualify for the National Championships through any one version of it. The three versions of the exam are the A Set, B Set, and C Set versions of the exam. Please note the following about each version of the exam:

Based on the distribution and format (with 4 answer choices per question) of the AP exam for US Government and Politics. Available from February 4, 2024. Offered during the lunch break at all A Set tournaments of the National History Bee and Bowl or available to take online.

Note: This version of the exam is provided free of charge to AP US Government and Politics teachers for use in their classes. If used in their class, students have 20 minutes to take the exam, and can still qualify for Nationals if their scores are at or above the Varsity A Set Exam National Median Score (if they are in 11th or 12th grade) or if their scores are at or above the Junior Varsity A Set Exam National Median Score (if they are in 10th grade or below).

Based on the National Political Science Bee Official Distribution. Available from December 2, 2023. Offered during the lunch break at all B Set tournaments of the National History Bee and Bowl or available to take online.

Based on the National Political Science Bee Official Distribution. Available now. Offered during the lunch break at all C Set tournaments of the National History Bee and Bowl or available to take online.

Students qualify for the National Championships by either finishing in the top half of students at a regional that they attend, by finishing above the National Median Score for their age division on any one of the three versions of the Exam, or by scoring 75 or higher. A lower score on any one version will not disqualify a student if they have a qualifying score on a separate version. To provide notification of Nationals qualification at as early a time as is possible, the official National Median Scores for both Varsity and Junior Varsity students are determined on December 3 for C Set, February 4 for B Set, and March 2 for A Set. After these dates, the National Median Scores do not change even though additional students can still take these exams up until the deadlines for taking them.

Register for the National Qualifying Exam:

Stage
2

National Championships

The 2024 Varsity & Junior Varsity National Political Science Bee National Championships will be held during the IAC Varsity/JV National Championships on Thursday, April 25, 2024 from 5pm-10pm in Arlington, Virginia.

The National Championships of the National Political Science Bee consist of two components. The first is the actual competition, which consists of three preliminary and two final rounds of buzzer-based quiz competition. Each round will have 35 questions.

The number of students who make the playoffs and who advance from the semifinals into the finals will be a function of the total number of registrants.

The second component of the National Championships of the National Political Science Bee is a dinner discussion group led by prominent figures in politics, the media, public service, and academia. These will take place at our National Championships (usually between the preliminary and playoff rounds). Participation is limited to National Political Science Bee players at Nationals, for whom it is also mandatory. A list of discussion group topics and leaders will be available in early 2024.

Day in DC

International Academic Competitions and Presidential Classroom are delighted to introduce a new component to the National Political Science Bee: a Day in DC! This will take place from 8am-4pm on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Participating students will have the opportunity to have a question-and-answer seminar with a US Senator on Capitol Hill, a briefing at an Embassy (the exact location is TBD), and with a Cabinet Department executive. The cost is $150 and includes transport to and from the host hotel (the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA). Students will return in time for the preliminary rounds of the Political Science Bee late that afternoon.

The Day in DC is a unique opportunity for participating students to see political life up close in the nation’s capital. Students will have a briefing at each location and a chance to ask questions about current issues plus the functions of Congress, Embassies, and the Executive Branch. The Day in DC is limited to the first 100 students who register, so sign up as soon as you can once Nationals registration opens! Further details (including the exact itinerary) will be posted as the dates approach. In the event of a crisis in government that precludes the scheduled meetings, we will have alternate briefings at think tanks, government offices, universities, and/or other sites of interest in the DC area.

Rules & FAQs

National Political Science Bee National Championships – Preliminary Rounds Scoring System and Rules Summary

National Political Science Bee National Championships – Playoff Rounds Scoring System and Rules Summary

National Political Science Bee Official Question Distribution

No, there is no younger age limit to compete, though you may wish to review the sample qualifying exam which is posted here to see if the difficulty level is appropriate. There is also no separate division for middle and elementary school students, so they would just compete in the Junior Varsity Division, with other students in 10th grade and younger. We anticipate introducing separate Middle School and Elementary Divisions to the National Political Science Bee in subsequent academic years.

Yes, homeschoolers are encouraged to compete! If homeschoolers do not have a formal grade level that they are in, then a birthdate cutoff is used to determine whether they are Varsity or Junior Varsity eligible. For the 2023-2024 academic year, the birthdate cutoff is September 1, 2007 – students born on or after this date are considered Junior Varsity eligible if they do not have a formal grade level.

All exams will be administered either in person at Regional Competitions or online. Pre-registration for in person exams is $15 per exam plus a processing fee if paid by credit card. For online exams, registration fees can be paid either by credit card for $15 plus a processing fee, or by check for $15. It is free of charge if taken with an AP US Government and Politics teacher to whom IAC has provided the A Set National Qualifying Exam and Answer Key.

The National Championships of the National Political Science Bee will cost $114 in 2024 if paid by December 29, 2023, or otherwise $119. The optional Day in DC costs $150 per student and includes transportation to and from the host hotel (Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA).

We recommend looking through past questions on www.quizbowlpackets.com as a free resource, though those questions are from all academic disciplines, so you will need to comb through the posted packets to find relevant political science questions.

Yes, and the questions in the finals will be harder than those in the semifinal round on average. Note that the Varsity and JV Divisions will use the same questions though.

Aside from reviewing past questions, taking AP Government courses, playing quiz bowl and National History Bee and Bowl tournaments, we highly recommend reading The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other reputable newspapers and political science-focused publications.

Political Science Bee Practice Resources

Past National Champions

On mobile, swipe right to view all columns

Year Division National Champion School City State
2023 Varsity Ian Lu Hunter College High School New York City NY  NY
2023 Junior Varsity Reed Bernstein Buchholz High School Gainesville FL  FL
2022 Varsity Steve Yang Horace Mann School Bronx NY  NY
2022 Junior Varsity Robert Wang Livingston High School Livingston NJ  NY
2021 Varsity Stevie Miller Winston Churchill High School Potomac MD  MD
2021 Junior Varsity Ian Lu Hunter College High School New York City NY  NY
2020 Varsity Arjun Nageswaran Adlai Stevenson High School Lincolnshire IL  IL
2020 Junior Varsity Kapil Nathan Hoover High School Hoover AL  AL