The tournament resembles the Florida's own Commissioner's Academic Challenge, which is a type of quiz bowl format.
The written team question after each of the three periods is worth (respectively) a maximum of ten, twenty, and thirty points.
Foreign language is also utilized often, with teams usually choosing from amongst French or Spanish questions (in the past, German and Latin were options, but these have been discontinued).
The tournament is usually held during the second or third week of June, starting on a Sunday, and ending on a Tuesday.
The tournament is usually held at the convention center of the Contemporary Resort Hotel at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Teams not winning in the first round are randomly assigned to a consolation match, and compete on Monday.
The top two teams from each semifinal advance to the championship round, held on Tuesday afternoon.
The Board of Education (or equivalent body) of each U.S. state and territory is given the power to select a team in any way they see fit.
In other cases, the Board of Education gives selection power to a committee who chooses an all-star team from among that state's best players.
Another unique fixture of this tournament are the resources committed by corporate and government sponsorship.
An "all-tournament" team is selected based on geography and individual performance in the first round of competition.