Welcome to my journey towards qualifying for the television game show Jeopardy! I have always been a big fan of trivia. I have enjoyed watching Jeopardy since I was a kid. In the back of my mind, I have had the dream to be on the show someday. So what has sparked me to get serious about qualifying now? I recently read the book “Ultraleaning” by Scott H. Young. One of the examples in the book was about Roger Craig who won $77K on Jeopardy. This got me thinking about my lifelong desire to be on Jeopardy. At about this same time, my two youngest sons got interested in watching Jeopardy. Watching Jeopardy with my two youngest sons has become a cherished part of our nightly routine. I want to show them that with dedication and perseverance, dreams can become reality.
In my quest to qualify for Jeopardy, I found inspiration in the Ultralearning principles, which promote intense, self-directed learning. I still need to figure out how to apply these principles to develop a detailed plan. My initial thought is to give myself 90 days of studying before taking the Jeopardy! Anytime Test For starters, I will make sure I watch Jeopardy every day. Jeopardy can have quirky categories, so watching the show is a must. How else to figure out what to study? My first thought was to research how the G.O.A.T Jeopardy champion Ken Jennings studied. One suggestion of Jennings is to read the “The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy.”[1] I did not know a book for broad facts like this existed. I am pretty sure my two worst categories are religion and literature, which are included in this book. Reading this book will be my first studying task.
I have decided to blog about this experience for two reasons. One, I need something to hold myself accountable. Otherwise, 90 days will turn into a year. I am a perfectionist, so I would put off taking the test to do just a little more studying. I plan on taking the Jeopardy! Anytime Test on January 31st, 2024. Second, if I am successful, I hope this will help other future Jeopardy contestant wannabes.
References