How to ace a quiz: 5 beloved quizmasters share top tips, favourite questions

Good quizzing is about playing ‘connect the dots’ with trivia you already know (Source: Unsplash)

The second format, favoured by quizmasters and pro-quizzers alike, is where you have to make educated guesses from a sneakily clued question. It doesn’t test the depths of your knowledge, but your ability to work out a solution. This is where the true joy—and addiction—of quizzing comes in. It’s also the kind of format this article will help you tackle.

We asked five well-known quizmasters to share their best advice on how to become a good quizzer, and a great question they’d want you to try. Here are their answers, in a stepwise guide:

Step 1. Celebrate your ignorance

“All of us store information and know a lot. But many think they don’t know enough, and therefore do not quiz. We often keep quiet when we don’t know. Try the converse. Be happy to say ‘hey, I don’t know this’. It makes you a learner instead.”

— Giri ‘Pickbrain’ Balasubramaniam. Quizmaster (Tata Crucible),  founder of Greycaps (Asia’s largest onstage quizzing company). Try his question: 

Question #1 by Pickbrain. The answer is at the end of this article.

Step 2. Invest in the topics you truly care about

“You will be prepared for a quiz if you are a big sports fan, going beyond scores to read up on the history of your favourite team. You will be prepared if you have felt at home inside fictional worlds. You will be prepared if you fall in love with every new place you visit; with every new dish you eat; with every work of art that you come across. The reason for this is simple. The brain remembers information that it finds interesting (and not necessarily useful). And the only place where all this information does become useful is in a quiz.”

— Thejaswi Udupa. Bengaluru quizmaster and VP, Product Management, Monster India. Try his question:

Question #2 by Thejaswi Udupa. The answer is at the end of this article.

Step 3. Find connections and turn them into questions

“Keep your eyes and ears open while reading on a regular basis, watching films, or listening to music. Try and establish connections between all that you come across. There’s so much to learn if one really looks around. Next, share what you learned with your friends, family and acquaintances. Mold these learnings into questions and pose them to those around you. This will ensure you retain most of what you come across.”

— Major Chandrakant Nair. College-level quizmaster (IITs, IIMs, NLUs, MIT), retired Indian Army Officer. Try his question:

Question #3 by Major. The answer is at the end of this article.

Step 4. Get practice that motivates you

> Try low-stakes online quizzes: “These are usually shorter quizzes (than live events) that you can view as a spectator if you’re not confident about signing up. One example is the RQL series hosted by the Bombay Quiz Club every Sunday on Quizizz. You can also use a forum like wikiquiz.org/quizzes.php to join live quizzes.”

> Start with solo quizzes, not team events: “Many top quiz teams have been together for 15-20+ years and collectively are so strong that a newbie team has no chance against them. Try solo quizzes for a much more level playing area.”

— Debashree Mitra. Quizmaster, Karnataka Quiz Association and VP, Global Partnerships, HSBC. Try her question:

Question #4 by Debashree Mitra. The answer is at the end of this article.

Step 5: Sign up for a quiz league

“A lot of online leagues have come up during the pandemic. They take away the constraints of geography and accessibility, giving you high-quality questions in a short amount of time. You also get to connect with quizzers across the world. These leagues (Zephyr Quiz League, Fundaesliga Quiz League, Asian Quiz League, for example) can be a little expensive on a student budget, but they offset the cost if you read games. There are also discounts and sponsorships available.”

— Sania Narulkar. Member, Bombay Quiz Club; Setter, Mumbai Quiz Festival. Try her question:

Question #5 by Sania Narulkar. The answer is at the end of this article.

Step 6. Don’t keep winning as your goal

Most quizmasters agree: the true satisfaction of quizzing doesn’t come from bagging prizes. It comes from the bond you build with fellow quizzers, and the lifetime of learning you get by indulging your curiosities. And as a budding quizzer, you’re likely to face a high number of losses at first. This can be overcome only if ranking isn’t your primary goal. 

“There’s so much pleasure to be gained from ‘useless’ knowledge,” muses Major Nair. Narulkar agrees. “Show up and have fun. The camaraderie and the banter will make getting ‘better’ extremely enjoyable, or even better, irrelevant.”

Answers to the quiz questions:

Q1. The Wimbledon Centre Court
Q2. Vogue
Q3. Manmohan Singh wearing blue turbans to hint at Cambridge colours
Q4. Vindaloo, from the Portuguese vinha d’alhos for a marinade of garlic
Q5. The Lotus Temple, Delhi. These are the guidelines for Baháʼí houses of worship.