THE SHORT VERSION
Prepare a checked numerical answer and a backup question. Explain whether guesses may go over, collect one guess from every tied team, and compare distances. Equal distances stay tied.
Have the final question ready before the first round.
Prepare at least two tie-breaker questions with numerical answers. Use questions whose wording defines the unit and scope: a length needs a unit, a count needs a clear boundary, and a total tied to a date needs that date in the question.
Check the answer against a reliable original source and save the source with your host notes. For quantities that can change, specify the reference date. Avoid a tie-breaker where different sources count different things and you cannot explain the difference.
You can also use a question with an exact calculated answer. For example: “How many seconds are in two hours and seventeen minutes?” The answer is 8,220: two hours gives 7,200 seconds and seventeen minutes gives 1,020. This is a worked example, so choose a fresh question for a real game.
Closest and closest-without-going-over are different games.
With closest in either direction, compare the absolute distance between each guess and the correct answer. If the answer is 250, guesses of 240 and 260 are equally close: both are ten away.
With closest without going over, a guess above 250 is ineligible even if it is only one away. A guess of 240 beats 251 under that rule. An exact answer is eligible and has a distance of zero.
Say which rule applies before teams submit. If you use the no-going-over rule, explain what happens if everyone goes over. A second prepared question is a clear option. Do not switch rules after seeing which team would benefit.
Get one final guess from each tied team.
Read the question and unit twice, give every team the same thinking window, and collect answers together. Ask for one number per team. A range such as “between 200 and 300” cannot be ranked as a single numerical guess.
For paper answers, keep guesses face down until all teams have handed them in. For phone answers, make sure everyone has submitted before revealing any guess. Do not let a later team change its answer after hearing a rival’s number.
Keep team names attached to their guesses. Ask teams to remove commas or unit words before entering values in the calculator; write the unit in your host notes instead. The tool accepts negative values and up to six decimal places when the question requires them.
Show the small piece of arithmetic that settles it.
For an answer of 250, compare these three guesses. The calculation is the distance from the answer, not the size of the guess itself.
| Guess | Distance from 250 | Closest rule |
|---|---|---|
| 240 | 10 | Shared first |
| 260 | 10 | Shared first |
| 267 | 17 | Third |
Under the no-going-over rule, only 240 is eligible in this set. The calculator offers both rules, but it does not know whether the question’s answer is correct. Check the target value and selected rule before announcing the result.
Equal distances stay equal.
If two guesses are the same distance away, the tie is not broken. The earlier submission, first team in the list, or lower guess should not win unless that extra rule was explicitly part of the format beforehand.
Use the next prepared question with the teams that are still tied. Give them a fresh answer window and repeat the same collection process. If you prefer to share the prize, decide that possibility in advance and make the terms clear to the room.
Keep the tie-breaker separate from round points.
The main quiz totals can stay equal while a tie-breaker determines the prize or final place. Record the winning guess and rule alongside the scorecard instead of changing an earlier round’s points to manufacture a different total.
Copy the calculator’s results into your event notes and download your round scorecard. For the next quiz, keep an unused backup question with the host kit. Our scoring guide explains how to handle the rest of the final tally.