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Quiz Show Study CourseByJeopardy! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire contestantBill O'Donnell |
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The Complete Idiot's Guide to British Royalty$13.26 |
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Movies, Flicks and Film |
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| I found the "Idiot's Guides" and "Dummies" books great resources. They are basic information, but cover all the fundamentals of their topics. They have one for just about every subject, and some are available on audio cassette. |
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Two books by two giants of Jeopardy! Ken Jennings did better of course, but Bob Harris is a lot funnier! If you are serious about becoming a contestant on Jeopardy or Millionaire, you need to read these books. Bob's is especially helpful for its tips on how to make facts "sticky" so you'll remember them. Sadly I am now doomed to always know that E.M. Forester wrote Howard's End. You will be too.
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Play our daily trivia game to practice your skills! Over 7000 questions, you'll get a new challenge every time! You can only play once a day, so don't forget to come back tomorrow! |
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My advice is to carefully evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. If you already know your history and geography, don't try to learn more, they will only ask you the more significant things. Brush up on subjects you don't know.These books are only suggested starting places in different areas. I intentionally chose general works, collections and anthologies that would give me an overview. Since I'd never listened to opera in my life, I only had the time (and mental ability) to learn the more famous works and composers, and that's all they are likely to ask. |
Meredith Vieria is very nice and personable. If you get there, tell her "Ranger Bill" said "Hi." |
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Only available used. Click to see if Amazon has any used copies today.
I found this very helpful in learning the basics of Classical music
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Eddie Tamanus, the scariest Jeopardy player of all time! Blind since age two, Eddie managed to wipe out all his competition, becoming a five time champion. (He gave the car to his parents!) Eddie entered his Final Jeopardy answers via a special keyboard, but it was his speed on the buzzer that made him indomitable. Eddie also appeared on the Regis Philbin version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. I'm glad I never had to play this most impressive of all Jeopardy contestants. Way to go Eddie! |
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World News. Here are today's World News headlines. Check back regularly to stay in the know. Read a newspaper everyday. Click the blue headline for the whole story from New York Times, Reuters, NPR and others! Courtesy of Free news feeds by Fresh Content.net |
| The "Don't Know Much About" series by Kenneth Davis provides good overviews of history, geography and the Bible. He also has titles on the Civil War, but I didn't use them - I already knew that topic. |
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Image courtesy Mike Dupee. Thanks Mike! |
Michael Dupee somehow obtained this photo of the podium. Mike is the author of How to Get on Jeopardy!... and Win! While Mike was on several years back, the podium still looks like this. In most cases all three contestants know the answer. Therefore, speed on the buzzer is vital. If you buzz in too soon, the system "locks you out" and you can't buzz in again for ten seconds, an eternity in Jeopardy time. You need to buzz the second Alex finishes reading, ignore the little running lights that the stage crew will tell you to look at to time your buzz. Oh, it's very hard to see the timer lights on the front of the podium. They'll just make you nervous, forget 'em! |
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Keep score on paper so you'll know your strengths and weaknesses. Make a grid with columns for the categories and spaces for the answers. Put a check when you get it right, an X when you get it wrong and a dash for questions you don't answer. Total up your score and watch for categories you consistently have trouble with. Also experiment a little: I learned that I seldom got it right if I guessed, so I had to train myself not to guess and keep my big mouth shut. It helped.A little "reality training" helps too. We made up a podium in the living room, equipped with a clicker made from a bicycle grip and a ballpoint pen. Then we shined a spotlight on it, to imitate studio conditions. It might have helped. (We didn't do this until I got the call from Jeopardy! I'm not that loony!) |
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 How to Get on Jeopardy!... and Win! I don't know why, but people keep returning this book. I found it useful, if dated. Caveat emptor, I don't want to rip anyone off! |
This book is out of print. Sometimes Amazon.com will have a used copy. To check that angle click below. You might also want to look for it on eBay. It's worth it. |
 Requires Windows 95 or better. Has sample contestant test, which may be more valuable than playing the game. I found the PC game best for practicing my wagering. |
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Check out these little flashcards on a variety of subjects. I carried them in my pocket and could study during odd idle moments, in the lunch room, on a plane, waiting for appointments, etc. They have a zillion topics, these are just a few: |
I'm not quite sure where to put this one. It's a great compendium of popular culture, everything from the names of the Banana Splits to the history of my favorite forbidden restaurant, White Castle. I found this very helpful for Millionaire, which is more pop culture oriented.
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The Reading List
The people at Jeopardy, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire or 1 vs 100 will not give you any clues about what to study. In fact, due to the systems in place to prevent cheating, even the producers of the show won't know the exact material until the day of the show. So you'll have to decide what to study.
These are books, tapes, videos and other resources I actually used. (I figure I spent about $3,000 on Jeopardy between travel and books. It was worth it.) Yes, I am trying to sell them to you, via a link with Amazon.com. The price is the same as if you went directly, but I get a small commission which I promise will only go into my ten year old son's college savings. You can, and should, study according to your identified weaknesses, but this list may save you some of the shopping around. A lot of them are audio books, because I used my commute time to study. (Audio books implies audio cassette unless CD is specified.)
A note on kids books. Non-fiction books for children, especially for teens, are great sources of information. They usually cover the topic in a very introductory way, but are usually thorough enough to hit all the important issues. You can't learn everything, so just learn the basics about as many different things as you can.
Literature You'll need to know major authors, works, and major characters.
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The Poetry of Walt Whitman, Audio Book with study guide Short cut to Art & Literature, Audio CD Book The History of English Literature, Audio CD Book |
Shakespeare You'll need to know the major plays, their plots and major characters. Shakespeare is really fun - one of the best things about Jeopardy was getting reacquainted with the Bard. If you can rent Mel Gibson's video version of Hamlet I highly recommend it, forsooth 'tis better than BraveHeart!
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Hamlet, Audio Book with study guide Macbeth, Audio Book with study guide King Lear, Audio Book with study guide A Midsummer Night's Dream, Audio Book with study guide The Merchant of Venice, Audio Book Essential Shakespeare, Audio Book Children's Shakespeare, Audio Book Shakespeare Stories (Kid's Book) Shakespeare Stories - Histories Hamlet, Starring Sir Laurence Olivier, Video An Introduction to Shakespeare |
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Mythology You'll need to know at least the Greek and Roman gods and their stories. Knowing a Norse tale or two may be helpful as well.
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D'aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, Audio Book Bullfinch's Mythology, Audio Book |
Great Books You Ought to Know at Least the Plots of:
I found the study guides that some of these audio books come with very helpful. (Yes, I know my grammar needs work)
Geography Know all the states and their capitals, the Canadian provinces (Alex Trebek is from Canada, there is always a "Canadian Question"), and all world capitals and major cities. Study a map, globe or atlas and make lists until you have them memorized. Also watch the news on CNN or listen to NPR on the radio to get in depth news. Jeopardy often asks about countries that have been in the news.
Don't Know Much About Geography, Audio Book
History Know the major wars, explorers, past and present leaders of important countries, major inventions, Presidents, Vice Presidents, English Royalty and big scandals.
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Time / CBS News People of the Century, Audio Book Lives of the Presidents, Audio Book The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England, Audio Book Instant Genius - The Constitution, Audio Book Instant Genius - US Wars Before 1900, Audio Book Instant Genius - US Wars After 1900, Audio Book The American Century I, 1889 - 1929, Audio Book The American Century II, 1929 - 1945, Audio Book The American Century III, 1945 - 1965, Audio Book The American Century IV, 1963 - 1989, Audio Book The Complete Idiot's Guide to British Royalty |
I can't recommend the "American Century" series enough! Even long after Jeopardy I still listen to these just for the joy of good storytelling and an interesting perspective on history. Buy one and you'll be buying the rest, trust me!
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Entertainment & Celebrities My "weakest link." Know who won the Oscars, film directors, movie stars, who's hot right now, musical groups, mixed drinks, fine foods, and popular television.
Art and Artists Know famous American painters and their works, Impressionist painters, major themes and movements, French artists, Leonardo and Rembrandt, major museums in New York and Europe. Sister Wendy is a great help! (She was a Final Jeopardy question once too!)
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Shortcut to Art & Literature, Audio CD Book Lives of the Artists, Audio Book Instant Genius - Modern Art, Audio Book Art for Dummies, by Thomas Hoving Sister Wendy's Story of Painting, Modernism, Video Sister Wendy's Story of Painting, Grand Tour, Video Sister Wendy's American Collection, boxed set Video |
Check Amazon for a used copy as this is expensive. A "buy used" link should appear when you click. |
Classical Music Know major composers in Europe, major works, types of instruments, American musical theater, major operas and their plots. I discovered I really like opera too, like Shakespeare it's full of blood, sex, intrigue and action!
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Lives of the Musicians, Audio Book Jazz, History of America's Music, by Ken Burns, Audio Book Classical Music for Dummies, Audio Book |
Philosophy and Religion Know major religions, religious holidays, religious leaders, philosophers and their ideas and books. Find an old high school philosophy textbook.
Instant Genius - Philosophy, Audio Book
Instant Genius - World Religions, Audio Book
Don't Know Much About the Bible, Audio Book
Sports Know major pro teams and stars, college teams, their mascots and cities, championships, Super Bowl and World Series winners, major scandals, basic history of major sports.
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Sports Illustrated Moments of Glory, Audio Book Sports Illustrated American Heroes, Audio Book Lives of the Athletes, Spills and Thrills (Kids book) |
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Thanks for visiting my site! Please tell your friends and feel free to link to us! If you get on a game show, let me know how you did!
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 I took this picture under a bridge in Miami. Help the Red Cross help your fellow Americans. Click and give. |
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The Red Cross does a world of good, we saw it first hand during Hurricane Andrew. They are helping in New Orleans right now. Donate, ease someone's pain. It's the right thing to do. |
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