Congress Prelim Tie Breakers
Congress works a bit differently from IE and Debate — instead of comparing raw ranks, most tiebreakers below work off a points scale that ranks convert into (by default: 1st = 8 points, 2nd = 7, down to 0 for 9th place or worse), and most also factor in a separate rank from the chamber's Parliamentarian. Tournament directors pick up to five of these, in order — ties on the first are broken by the second, and so on.
| Tiebreaker | Brief Explanation | Better Score Is |
| Rank Points | Adds up the converted points from every judge and the Parliamentarian | Higher |
| Judge Rank Points | Adds up converted points from judges only, excluding the Parliamentarian | Higher |
| Parliamentarian Rank Points | Just the Parliamentarian's converted points | Higher |
| Speaker Points | Adds up the raw speaker points ("rate") from judges and the Parliamentarian | Higher |
| Firsts | Counts the number of 1st-place ranks from judges and the Parliamentarian | Higher |
| Decimal | Adds up 1 divided by the actual (uncoverted) rank received | Higher |
| Drop Worst Rank | Sets aside the entry's single worst placement, then adds up the points from everything else | Higher |
| Adjusted Rank Points (High-Low) | Drops both the single best and single worst rank, then adds up the converted points of what's left | Higher |
| Decimal From Adjusted High-Low | Drops both the single best and single worst rank; then uses Decimal | Higher |
| Random | A random number assigned to each entry at the start of the tournament, which can't be changed by tournament directors | Higher |
Imagine a competitor named Jordan competes in 3 prelim rounds, plus receives one rank from the chamber's Parliamentarian. Using the default converted points scale (1st = 8 points, 2nd = 7, 3rd = 6, and so on):
| Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Parliamentarian | |
| Rank (points) | 1st Place (8 points) | 3rd Place (6 points) | 2nd Place (7 points) | 4th Place (5 points) |
| Speaker Points | 24 | 21 | 23 | 22 |
Rank Points: Adds up the converted points from every rank Jordan received, judges and Parliamentarian included. Jordan would have 26 (8+6+7+5). Higher scores are better.
Judge Rank Points: Adds up converted points from judges only, excluding the Parliamentarian. Jordan would have 21 (8+6+7). Higher scores are better.
Parliamentarian Rank Points: Just the Parliamentarian's converted points. Jordan would have 5. Higher scores are better.
Speaker Points: Adds up the raw speaker points (rate) given by judges and the Parliamentarian — not converted to the points scale. Jordan would have 90 (24+21+23+22). Higher scores are better.
Firsts: Counts the number of 1st-place ranks Jordan received from judges and the Parliamentarian. Jordan would have 1 (Round 1 only). Higher scores are better.
Decimal: Adds up 1 divided by the rank received for all judges and parliamentarian. Jordan would have 2.08 (1/1 + 1/3 + 1/2 + 1/4 = 1 + .33 + .5 + .25). Higher scores are better.
Drop Worst Rank: Find the one placement where Jordan did worst, and don't count it. Everything other rank still counts. Jordan's worst placement was the Parliamentarian's 4th Place — set that aside, and the rest (1st place, 3rd place, and 2nd place) is worth 21 converted points (8+6+7). Higher scores are better.
Adjusted Rank Points (High-Low): Drops both the single best rank and the single worst rank, then adds up the converted points of what's left. Jordan's best rank is 1st Place (Round 1) and worst is the Parliamentarian's 4th Place; that leaves the 3rd Place and 2nd Place ranks, so Jordan would have 13 converted points (6+7). Higher scores are better.
Decimal From Adjusted High-Low: Drops both the single best rank and the single worst rank, then applies Decimal conversion. Jordan would have .83 (1/3 + 1/2 = .33 + .5). Higher scores are better.
Random: A random number assigned to each entry at the start of the tournament. This can't be changed by tournament directors or tab staff, to ensure fairness. Higher scores are better.
Which five prelim criteria apply, and in what order, is set under Setup → Tab Settings → Congress Settings → Prelim Rankings. You can set the converted points scale under the Points tab.
You can also set a specific event's settings by editing the event directly if you need more specific settings for a particular Congress event (such as novice).