Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl is a national online quiz competition in the United States. It was started by Harvey Kimble and Shirley Kimble, former quiz bowl coaches and statewide contests organizers. After several years of participating in the Knowledge Master Open (KMO) at the high school level, they decided to construct their own electronic quiz bowl patterned after the KMO format. Despite its name, it bears little resemblance to most quiz bowl competitions.
The competition has four main divisions, corresponding to United States educational system 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Participation in the 5th/6th Branches is available in all 48 continental US states, but 7th/8th Division is open only to the 16 states who have expressed the most interest. A school has the power to choose the size and members of a team and can also divide prospective students into several teams.
The school is mailed several disks of practice questions to prep for the competition and one for the official quiz. The quiz has a variety of questions on a diverse range of topics including Math, Literature, Grammar, Writing, Sports, Science, History, and Current Events. After a telephone interview with the headmaster or teacher to confirm that the taking of the quiz was ethical and fair, the school reports the results to the state coordinator. After a few days or weeks, the state announces the final winners. The 16 teams with the highest scores nationally are eligible to take a final national quiz. These finalists are referred to as the "Sweet Sixteen". They then take a more difficult, challenging quiz to determine their ranking in the nation.