How it works

Last updated 2026-08-23

1. Choose your topic, in the language of your choice

Pick the subject you want to be tested on. There is a variety of topics like Geography, History, Economics, Physics, Movies, Music and many more.

2. Pay your entry

One entry fee, one attempt. The fee is shown before you commit and you agree to it before any payment is taken.

3. Sit the exam

A set of 20 questions comes your way, across four difficulty levels. Each question is timed. You cannot pause, and you cannot go back.

4. Scoring

Correct answers score. Faster correct answers score higher. A wrong answer costs you 20 points, and an unanswered question scores nothing — so skip rather than guess.

5. The reveal

Entries close at 9:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday and Friday nights. An hour later, at 10:00 p.m., scores are compared and the winners are announced.

At reveal time, the Brain Bounty team sends each winner a link by e-mail, to the address on their account. The link lets you claim your prize and purchase the gift card of your choice, right away.

6. Review and learn

After the reveal, your paper opens. Go back through every question you were asked, see what you answered and what the right answer was, and come to the next one better prepared than you were to this one.