Fast Facts is Science Olympiad’s general scientific knowledge and memorization test. It can be considered as two individuals combining their general knowledge and information, working together as a partnership. The majority of my memorization was done with the support of family and using flashcards, documents, and Google searches on scientific topics for more hours than I can remember.
The event is 3 rounds. Each round consists of a 5×5 grid paper, as shown below. We have to fill out the paper with words or sentences in each box that fit within the category at the top of the column and the starting letter on each row. Each round is 6 minutes. Correct spelling doesn’t count, but the judge must be able to comprehend your handwriting and the word.
Your score is determined based on how many grid spaces you fill with words or sentences that are deemed “accurate”. Multiple grid spaces in the same column or row give bonus points quadratically.
| One correct term in a row / column | 1 point |
| Two correct terms in a row / column | 2 points |
| Three correct terms in a row / column | 3 points |
| Four correct terms in a row / column | 4 points |
| Five correct terms in a row / column | 5 points |
At our first partner meetup, we were dumbfounded. Most Science Olympiad events come with a suggestions guide or examples of prior questions either from the Wiki or the Starter Pack. This event’s wiki literally stated, “There is no one exact way to prepare for this event, as each competition will be different from the last.”
There was no guidance given us on which categories of scientific topics we could field questions from. This made it extremely difficult to study, and very ambiguous whether the many hours we were putting into preparation would actually be meaningful for the test.
We would have to come up with a strategy that would give us the most amount of memorization in the least amount of time. After some research, we decided that we would both study a word that starts with every letter from a list of scientific categories that my partner and I would split up. This strategy worked, but it took a lot of time! We were each spending at least half an hour every school day staring at text and then taking our 5×5 tests created by our families.
Later on, we were able to find a list of common categories made by a past Fast Facts participant. It came in handy when we had run out of categories we could come up with, and this helped us continue our studying into the 2 weeks before March 18th.
Then came the competition. And the first unfortunate event was our realization that it wasn’t going to be quiet. The classroom that was holding Fast Facts was packed and already had another event going on. As the professor went over the rules, we frantically tried to remember everything we had been memorizing for the past 4 months. At that moment, we received the first paper, just as the 6-minute timer started. I stared at the categories in shock. “This is nothing like what I’ve studied!” I thought in a panic. The categories were so arbitrary and random that they didn’t even make sense. “Go Green” and “Water Fishes” are 2 that I can recall.
My partner’s composure was at odds with my initial shock. She quickly jotted down a few climate action words that fit the “Go Green” category. Once I got over my dismay, I focused on identifying current events that could suit any category. This approach proved to be a winning strategy as both of us efficiently filled out 80% of the sheet.
As the first round concluded, I felt better about our chances, having successfully recovered from the initial shock. However, we remained unsure of how other groups were faring. The subsequent two rounds followed a similar pattern, with abstract categories challenging us to think about ongoing world events.
During the award ceremony, the announcement of “Fast Facts” as the first event to have its awards announced immediately spiked our anxiety. Thankfully, the announcer said “Stoller Legends, 2nd place” loud and clearly, which was our guarantee of the first-place award. Despite the countless hours spent on memorization, our efforts proved to be anything but in vain. Harnessing the power of adaptability and quick thinking, we emerged victorious, claiming the coveted gold medal.