Salvete, and welcome to Certamen!

Certamen is the Latin version of Jeopardy - and like everything Latin, much better than its non-Latin counterpart.

In a typical Certamen round there are 20 toss-up questions, each followed by 2 bonus questions. Certamen questions range from the goofy ("Translate this hit song title into English") to the hard-core ("Who was the defendant in Cicero's famous oration given on April 4, 56 BC?"). The final rounds of Certamen are the highlights of State and National Conventions.

Not only does Certamen work your brains and thumb like no other sport, but it gives you a much deeper insight into both the Latin language and culture than you would ever get in a high school class. The skills and knowledge acquired from Certamen translate directly into your Latin class (obviously), and also into other high school classes and even into college - one can never have too much understanding of Latin derivatives or Roman culture!

(If you're interested in starting a Certamen team at your school, contact Elliot Goodman, CAJCL Academics Chair [egoodman@polytechnic.org] for details and help on how to get started. It's a decision you won't regret!)

Check out the important Certamen rules and some useful resources listed below. Happy Certamening!

Attending CARCER this year? Click here for the registration form!

Click here to check out the Certamen rules!

Click here for some Certamen sources to aid in your study.

Click here for the Epitoma Rei Certaminis 2012.