How to Win on "Jeopardy"

If you know a little something about everything, you're likely to fare well on "Jeopardy" - champions regularly take home tens of thousands of dollars.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Luggage Sets
• Jeopardy Books
• Televisions
• TV Guide
• Airline Tickets
• Jeopardy Software

1. Audition to be a contestant on "Jeopardy" by logging on to the Official Jeopardy Home Page. (See jeopardy.com.)
2. Buy a book about the show and read up on insider tips, strategies and advice.
3. Log on to the Official Jeopardy! Home Page and choose the "Jeopardy Junction" option. Ask questions on the bulletin board or read responses from experienced contestants.
4. Watch "Jeopardy" religiously and get a feel for the categories and how to wager on Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy.
5. Learn how to use the buzzer. Watch the show and observe how long it takes the contestants to "ring in" (usually a half-second or slightly less from when Alex Trebek finishes reading the question). Practice ringing in with a mock buzzer at home until you have perfected your response time.
6. Keep score at home. Play along with the game as though you were a real contestant and chart the amount of money you are able to "win."
7. Brush up on these topics: state and world capitals, U.S. presidents, Shakespeare's plays, biographies of famous people, world religions, foreign currencies, world leaders, history, geography, literature, mythology, and artists and composers. Read the World Almanac for much of this information.

Tips & Warnings

• A former contestant advises that you consistently win $12,000 or more when keeping score at home before you audition for the show. If you can average around $18,000 per show, you will probably do well as a contestant.
• Knowing a lot about pop culture is not likely to help you much on "Jeopardy" - although you may run into such categories in early rounds of the game.
• Don't forget to phrase your answer in the form of a question.