IE Prelim Tie Breakers
Here is quick break down of individual event preliminary tie breakers:
| Tiebreaker | Brief Explanation | |
| Ranks | Adds up the ranks in each preliminary round | |
| Points | Adds up the speaker points in each preliminary round | |
| Firsts | Counts the number of first place ranks in preliminary rounds | |
| Decimal | Calculates a decimal score for each competitor by dividing 1 by the rank in each preliminary round | |
| Drop High Rank | Adds up the ranks in each preliminary round then subtracts the highest rank | |
| Drop Low Rate | Adds up the points in each preliminary round and then subtracts the lowest rate | |
| Random | Random Number |
Imagine Speaker 1 has the following scores in an event:
| Prelim Round 1 (Rank-Points) | Prelim Round 2 | Prelim Round 3 | |
| Speaker 1 | 1-25 | 3-22 | 2-24 |
Ranks: Adds up the ranks given by judges in preliminary rounds. Speaker 1 would have 6 (1+3+2). Lower scores are better.
Points: Adds up the points (rates) given by judges in the preliminary rounds. Speaker 1 would have 71 (25+22+24). Higher scores are better.
Firsts: Adds up all the first place ranks given by judges in preliminary rounds. Speaker 1 would have 1. Higher numbers are better.
Decimal: This is calculated taking 1 divided by each rank in each preliminary round. Speaker 1 would have 1.8 (1/1 + 1/3 + 1/2). Higher scores are better.
Drop High Rank: All the ranks are added up and the highest rank dropped from the total. Speaker 1 would have 3 (1+3+2)-(3). Lower scores are better.
Drop Low Rate: All the points are added up and the lowest point total is subtracted from the total. Speaker 1 would have (25+24 - 22) = 37. High scores are better.
Random: Each entry is assigned a random number at the beginning of the tournament. Higher scores are better. These can not be changed by the tournament directors/tab directors to ensure fairness.