The Extemper’s Bible will again host a Nationals Points Race for the fourth year in a row. This point system will determine the country’s most consistent competitor across a series of nationally-recognized events. Following the model of the Extemp Central National Points Race, we will be using different tiers to determine the comparative difficulty of tournaments across the nation.
For the most part, the NPR will be the same as it was in the 2022-23 season. However, there are two changes to note this year:
- The Capital City Round Robin has returned. The placement of this tournament will be rewarding points for only a top 3 finish because of its limited regional attraction.
- The Florida Blue Key Round Robin was held last year, and will be held this year. That said, it did not draw much competition. For now, they are being removed as a considered round robin. If it attracts more competitors in the points race, it may receive recognition.
The NPR may possibly be subject to more changes throughout the season. However, we will always announce changes to points/tiering before an event begins, never afterwards.
You can find the tiering system that the Extemper’s Bible will be using below.
We would like to hear your thoughts on our list of tournaments recognized, our tournament tiering, and our points distribution! While we will not add/remove tournaments after the season begins, we are open to your feedback.
TIER 1 EVENTS: NSDA Nationals, Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin, Extemp Tournament of Champions
These are the most well-known tournaments for high-level Extemp competition – the NSDA National Tournament in terms of pure recognition, and the MBA Round Robin and the Extemp ToC in terms of judge pool and depth of competition.
| Placement | Points Earned |
| 1st | 1500 |
| 2nd | 1250 |
| 3rd | 1150 |
| 4th | 1000 |
| 5th | 900 |
| 6th | 800 |
| Semifinalist | 550 |
| Quarterfinalist | 400 |
| Octofinalist | 200 |
There will be no distinction made between IX and USX at NSDA Nationals in terms of points received. The final round winners in both categories will receive an additional 250 points as a bonus.
As the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin has a different format from traditional tournaments and is widely recognized as the most prestigious event on the national circuit, the point distribution for MBA competitors is different. Nonetheless, it is still considered a Tier 1 event.
| Placement | Points Earned |
| 1st | 1600 |
| 2nd | 1400 |
| 3rd | 1300 |
| 4th | 1200 |
| 5th | 1100 |
| 6th | 1000 |
| 7th | 750 |
| 8th | 700 |
| 9th | 650 |
| 10th | 600 |
| 11th | 550 |
| 12th | 500 |
| 13th | 450 |
| 14th | 400 |
| 15th | 350 |
| 16th | 300 |
TIER 2 EVENTS: NCFL Nationals, University of Kentucky Tournament of Champions, Harvard National Forensics Tournament
While not as prestigious as the Tier 1 tournaments, these events consistently attract top-level talent from across the nation.
| Placement | Points Earned |
| 1st | 1200 |
| 2nd | 1000 |
| 3rd | 900 |
| 4th | 800 |
| 5th | 700 |
| 6th | 600 |
| Semifinalist | 450 |
| Quarterfinalist | 250 |
| Octofinalist | 100 |
TIER 3 EVENTS: Yale Invitational, The Glenbrooks, Cal Invitational, National Individual Events Tournament of Champions
While not true “national” tournaments, these events attract extempers across several states and often serve as the premier tournament in their region of the country.
| Placement | Points Earned |
| 1st | 900 |
| 2nd | 750 |
| 3rd | 675 |
| 4th | 600 |
| 5th | 525 |
| 6th | 450 |
| Semifinalist | 250 |
| Quarterfinalist | 100 |
TIER 4 EVENTS: New York City Invitational, Barkley Forum, The Sunvitational, Florida Blue Key Tournament, University of Texas Longhorn Classic, GMU Patriot Games
These tournaments can be thought of as smaller versions of Tier 3 tournaments, with strong outrounds and competition pools. They may attract regional talent with some out-of-state competitors.
| Placement | Points Earned |
| 1st | 600 |
| 2nd | 500 |
| 3rd | 450 |
| 4th | 400 |
| 5th | 350 |
| 6th | 300 |
| Semifinalist | 125 |
TIER 5 EVENTS: James Logan MLK Invitational, Stanford Invitational, Villiger Tournament, Princeton Classic, UK Season Opener, Duke Invitational
Competitors must final at these tournaments in order to receive points in the National Points Race, as they are often much smaller tournaments for local schools.
| Placement | Points Earned |
| 1st | 400 |
| 2nd | 300 |
| 3rd | 250 |
| 4th | 200 |
| 5th | 150 |
| 6th | 100 |
For tournaments where entrants can compete in both USX and IX, competitors will be given points for their single best placement in either category; for example, if someone finishes 3rd in USX and semifinals in IX, they will be given third-place points. (This will lead to many more competitors gaining points, but will not allow any individual competitor to move ahead in the rankings massively from one tournament.)
Lastly, the Extemper’s Bible only recognizes four round robins – the MBA Extemp Round Robin, the GMU Patriot Games Round Robin, Capital City Round Robin, and the Durham Academy Cavalier Challenge. Except for the MBA Round Robin, whose point distribution has already been listed, only the top three finishers at Capital City, GMU, and the Cavalier Challenge will receive points for their Round Robin performance. Their point distributions can be found below.
| Placement | Points Earned |
| 1st | 250 |
| 2nd | 175 |
| 3rd | 100 |
Our first NPR tournament is the UK Season Opener hosted this weekend. You can expect an update to the table and a synopsis after every one.
Happy competing!