Be a Contestant — Jeopardy!

How to Become a Jeopardy! Contestant

Every Jeopardy! contestant starts with the same free online test. Everything below comes from the show’s own contestant FAQ. Jeopardy!’s contestant FAQ sets one basic rule: you “must be 18+ and a resident of the United States or Canada to apply.”

Step 1: The Anytime Test

Take it at jeopardy.com/be-on-j, whenever suits you.

• You need a free MyJeopardy! account with the extended contestant registration filled in, and you must be logged in before the test starts.
• The test has 50 categories and 50 clues, with 15 seconds to respond to each; it takes about 13 minutes, and you cannot restart it.
• You can submit one Anytime Test (plus one JeoparDAY! test) in any 12-month period, with a limited number of attempts. Closing the window part-way through does not count as a submission, but once the countdown starts it counts as an attempt.
• Jeopardy! never reveals scores; only passing scores are considered. A confirmation email arrives within 24 hours.

Step 2: The Audition

• Audition places are limited, and invitations go to a random selection of people who passed. If you pass and qualify, the contestant department may contact you any time within a year of your test.
• Auditions are held in two parts, both by video conference. First, a 50-question test in the same format as the Anytime Test. Then, if you pass and are again selected at random (again, any time within a year), a gameplay audition: a short tutorial, a mock game in groups of three, and a chance to tell the coordinators about yourself, as in the show’s interview. It lasts about an hour.
• For the gameplay audition you need reliable internet and a webcam or a phone or tablet camera; the Zoom link arrives about 30 minutes before. Your signed application must be in at least a day before.
• Invitations come by email from the “spe.sony.com” domain, not jeopardy.com. The FAQ asks you to add Jeopardy_contestants@spe.sony.com and Jeopardy_contestant_search@spe.sony.com to your contacts.

Step 3: The Contestant Pool

If you do well at the audition, you go into the contestant pool for 24 months from your audition date. Being in the pool does not guarantee an invitation; those who are chosen are usually told about a month before their tape date. Jeopardy! tapes at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.

ESPN Jeopardy! Is Casting Sports Fans

The sports spinoff ESPN Jeopardy! is casting everyday sports fans for its second season, announced September 28, 2026, and it has its own test and rules. You must be 18 or older and live in the U.S. or Canada, and a past appearance on, or application to, another version of Jeopardy! does not rule you out. The tournament plays for a $300,000 grand prize. Start with the separate ESPN Jeopardy! Anytime Test (50 clues, about 15 minutes); applying for one show does not enter you for the other. Our ESPN Jeopardy! Season 2 guide has the full process.

How to Prepare

The show’s site has an Anytime Test prep center and a practice test. Watching the show, and reading old games on fan archives such as J! Archive, helps with the speed the test asks for: 15 seconds a clue. Our how-to-play guide covers the rules.

Sources (checked October 2026): Jeopardy!, contestant FAQ; Jeopardy!, Be on J!; Jeopardy!, ESPN Jeopardy! test