Concrete suggestions for future SCTs

[theMoMA]

My general read of the SCT feedback is that a majority of people enjoyed the set, but that there are still some lingering frustrations. In this thread, I'm hoping that people will identify what they perceive as persistent issues with SCT, so we can hopefully do better in the future. I'm hoping that we can avoid "kill the clock" and "minimize trash" in this discussion, and instead focus on improving SCT within the current parameters. (I make no proclamations about whether the current parameters are good.)

Here are a few that I have already filed away for next year:

* Ensure that bonuses in trash, sports, current events, and other NAQT-emphasized categories have a truly easy part. I think we've gotten much better at this, but there are still bonuses like the Streisand one that are a little more unforgiving and could use easier clues in the easy parts.

* Ensure that all questions have references to the answer in every sentence (some of the music questions failed this test, and I'm annoyed that I didn't catch it), and that all references to the answer are as clear and unambiguous as possible (i.e. consistently call "clear and present danger" a "test" instead of a "concept"). (Note that we really do try hard on this front, but with over 350 tossups in the set, a few sometimes to slip through the cracks. Still, with even more of an emphasis on this, we can hopefully do better.)

* Clearer moderator instructions to read slowly on things like computational parts or rhythm clues (or minimizing such clues or parts).

[Adventure Temple Trail]

In this thread, I'm hoping that people will identify what they perceive as persistent issues with SCT, so we can hopefully do better in the future. I'm hoping that we can avoid "kill the clock" and "minimize trash" in this discussion, and instead focus on improving SCT within the current parameters. (I make no proclamations about whether the current parameters are good.)

If you are automatically taking the two largest sources of year-to-year frustration off the table for discussion, this thread is not going to be of maximum use to you or to NAQT. Given that there are existing threads on both those topics and the discussion in both has been productive, I have no problem with keeping those topics confined where they currently are rather than infecting this one too. But I just want to make sure those issues aren't being hand-waved away.

[theMoMA]

If you are automatically taking the two largest sources of year-to-year frustration off the table for discussion, this thread is not going to be of maximum use to you or to NAQT. Given that there are existing threads on both those topics and the discussion in both has been productive, I have no problem with keeping those topics confined where they currently are rather than infecting this one too. But I just want to make sure those issues aren't being hand-waved away.

As you said, we have a thread talking about the clock, and we have discussion about the distribution in every thread. People had, and continue to have, a place to discuss those issues, and I will continue to take that feedback seriously. My question is simply "within current parameters, what can we do better?" I think this is also a useful question, which is why I ask it.

[Adventure Temple Trail]

Fair enough.