Brain Bee FAQ 2023
EP is excited to be hosting Round 1 of the Brain Bee Challenge again in 2023! This article covers all you need to know about getting set up and taking part in the event.
In this article
What is this event?
The Australia and New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge is an annual competition for students in Year 10 (AUS) and Year 11 (NZ).
This event is free, and is funded by the Australiasian Neuroscience Society. Winners of Round 1 progress to further rounds of the Brain Bee Challenge, culminating in the International Brain Bee World Championships.
When is the event?
Round 1 of the Brain Bee Challenge takes place during the month of March. It is a 40 minute assessment that is completed on EP and can be completed at any time between 1 March - 31 March 2023 (no extensions).
Teachers will need to allocate an hour of time for students to sit the online assessment through EP during school hours, under exam supervision, within these dates.
Who can take part?
Students who are in Year 10 in Australia, or in Year 11 in New Zealand in the 2023 school year are invited to compete.
Students outside of these year levels are welcome to access practice material on EP, however, are unable to compete in the event. This includes students in accelerated or extension classes.
How do we sign up?
A teacher from your school should register here. Further correspondence will be communicated via email, including competition instructions and access codes.
How do I get my students set up?
Once registered, schools are invited to set up their students. Each student will need an individual EP account.
We encourage teachers to use our Class Join Code feature to enrol students. Teachers can easily hand out a unique class code so students can get themselves set up!
Alternatively, see our full enrolment guide for additional options.
How can students practice?
Practice material is available within the Brain Bee Challenge folder in the EP Content Library.
The folders contain:
- Smart Lessons: These contain content that students should learn for the Round 1 Quiz.
- Assessments: These are for students to explore the types of questions that will appear in the official Round 1 Quiz. These are hidden, and students cannot access the assessments without them being assigned by their teacher.
We recommend assigning content to students to complete, so that you can keep track of what’s being worked on and enable access to the assessments. Please see the steps below.
Assigning a Task
- Navigate to the Tasks tab on your dashboard.
- Click + Assign, and choose Smart Lesson.
- In the first section, tick the 2023 Brain Bee class.
- Have the Task open right away and close on 31 March.
- For the content section, navigate to the Brain Bee Challenge folder and select all of the Smart Lessons.
- All other settings are optional.
- Click Assign, and this work is now assigned to your students.
Full instructions can be found here.
Assigning an Assessment
- Navigate to the Assessments tab on your dashboard.
- Click + Assign and choose Assign an assessment.
- In the first section, tick the 2023 Brain Bee class.
- Have the assessment open straight away, and close on 1 March (or whichever day you are conducting the Quiz).
- For the content section, navigate to the Brain Bee Challenge folder and select one of the practice assessments.
- Assessment Conditions:
- Time Allowed: 40 minutes.
- Number of attempts: Decide whether you would like students to have a single or multiple attempts. Multiple attempts will allow them to redo the assessment and work towards improving their understanding.
- Security: Enable Full Screen Monitored Mode.
- All other settings are optional. Click Set Assessment.
- Repeat the above steps for each of the assessments you wish to assign.
Full instructions can be found here.
How do students compete?
Round 1 is conducted via a 40-minute online assessment that is hosted on the EP platform, and can be sat at any time between 1 - 31 March. The assessment will be set up for you by the EP Team and will be live on the platform from 1 March.
Teachers will be emailed the assessment Access Code in advance, however, this can also be located in-platform by following the steps here.
Students must sit the assessment at the same time and under exam conditions.
If the assessment is being run in multiple sessions, teachers should change the access code by clicking the three dots on the Assessment tile, and then Regenerate access code.
Students will need to:
- Log in to EP (here on desktop, or via the EP Student App).
- Click into the Brain Bee Round 1 Assessment.
- Enter the Assessment Access Code provided by their teacher and complete the assessment!
Teachers can monitor the live assessment by following our guide here.
Results
Education Perfect does not receive or release any information about Round 1 results. The Brain Bee Challenge organisation will contact schools directly with results, and notify those who have progressed to Round 2.
There are no prizes offered by EP for the Brain Bee Challenge, however, all students who sit the Round 1 assessment will receive a personalised certificate showing their participation.
FAQ/Troubleshooting
What if I don't know the names of my students who will be taking part?
You can still send through all of your students for enrolment. At the time of the test, only the students who want to compete should log in. There is no requirement for all students who are enrolled to complete the test.
What is the deadline for enrolling students for the competition?
We recommend enrolling all students by the end of February to ensure student participation, however, changes and additions can be made up until the event closes on 31 March.
Where can I find the access code for Round 1?
This will be emailed to registered teachers prior to the event beginning, otherwise, it can be found on the tile of the Assessment itself.
Can students complete the Challenge on an iPad or Android tablet?
Yes, students can download the EP Student App for their devices. More information is here.
Mobile devices cannot be used to sit EP Assessments at this time, only iPads and tablets.
Can students complete the Brain Bee Challenge from home?
Only registered homeschool students are able to complete the official Round 1 assessment from home. Please note that these students must be monitored under exam conditions.
Can a student complete the test late if they miss the session where the rest of my students sit it?
Yes, schools can run the assessment over multiple sessions if required. All students must sit the assessment before 31 March.
If the assessment is being run in multiple sessions, teachers should change the access code by clicking the three dots on the Assessment tile, and then Regenerate access code.
What happens if a student's device crashes or loses its internet connection?
Students should log back into the test on the same device, or move to a different computer as soon as they can.
They will pick up where they left off, and students have a 10 minute grace period to get back into the test before any time is lost. If there are any other issues, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
What about Round 2?
Students who receive a high score in Round 1 are invited to take part in Round 2 of the Brain Bee Challenge by their state/regional Brain Bee coordinator. This involves further study of additional material through the EP platform before students sit the Round 2 online assessment (date to be confirmed in 2023).
Students may then be invited to attend a full day of activities at a university campus/research institution in their capital city that includes further exploration of neuroscience topics. This is subject to the regional coordinators discretion.
EP does not receive nor release any results information about Round 1. Please get in touch with the Brain Bee Challenge organisation directly with any questions about results.
Where can I learn about further rounds of the Brain Bee Challenge?
Please visit the Brain Bee Challenge website.
Need help? Reach out to our team at any time.