A buzzer system similar to those seen on popular television game shows is used to signal an answer.

The competition has been organized and sponsored by the United States Department of Energy since its inception in 1991.

Questions are asked in the categories of Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Energy (dealing with DOE research), Mathematics, and Physics.

These figures include the two "super regional" sites that are permitted to send two teams to the national competition.

Typically, any school that meets the eligibility requirements of the National Science Bowl is permitted to register for its regional competition according to its geographic location.

For high schools, all round robin and some double elimination matches consist of two 10-minute halves, with the final rounds consisting of two 12-minute halves to accommodate the longer visual bonus questions.

Once the moderator completes the reading of the question, students have 5 seconds to buzz in and give an answer.

Upon recognition, the student must give their response within a natural pause (up to 2 seconds); otherwise it is considered a stall and ruled incorrect.

Quiet nonverbal communication (e.g. in writing or by hand signals) among team members is allowed on toss-ups, but audible communication or mouthing words is not permitted and will disqualify the team from answering the toss-up.

Once the team's answer has been ruled right or wrong, the moderator proceeds to the next toss-up question.

If a student buzzes in on a toss-up question before the moderator has completely read the question (i.e., interrupts the moderator) and answers incorrectly (or a blurt or audible communication from the interrupting team occurs), then 4 points are awarded to the opposing team, and the question is re-read in its entirety so that the opposing team has an opportunity to buzz in.

However, beginning in 2020, anyone in the competition room can make the officials aware of scoring or clock management errors, these are known as corrections rather than challenges.

They may not be made to judgment calls by the officials, such as whether a buzz was an interrupt, whether 20 seconds have passed before beginning to answer a bonus, or whether a stall or blurt has happened.

Additionally, the DOE will host 4 virtual nationwide regionals for schools meeting certain criteria.

Communication of any kind (verbal, via the Zoom chat, or nonverbal) is allowed on both toss-ups and bonuses.

The rest of the rules, including the point values for toss-ups and bonuses, are the same as the in-person competitions.

Regionals typically use round robin, single-elimination, double-elimination, or any combination of these formats.

In previous years, the top two teams from each group advanced to the double-elimination stage.

Prior to 2020, approximately 16 teams advanced from the round-robin (depending on the number of round robin groups).

In 2006, the teams were seeded into a single-elimination tournament based on their preliminary round-robin results.

The top two high school teams receive trips to one of the National Parks, all-expenses paid.

The top three middle and high school teams receive a trophy, individual medals, and photographs with officials of the Department of Energy.

They are powered through alternative energy sources such as hydrogen fuel cells and solar panels.