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Jeopardy. Everyone knows it. We’ve all tuned in at 7 PM to scream answers at the television and hum along to the catchy tunes. Alex Trebek’s mustache (or lack thereof) has become an institution in and of itself, and SNL has done Jeopardy skits, a sure sign that it’s become an American icon.

I’m sure you’ve all thought at one point, during an episode where you were just beating all the contestants and banging out correct answers from your couch, that you could be up there winning money. You could trade witty banter with the Sassy-pants Trebek and tell a background story that wasn’t dull. And you’d ALWAYS bet the max amount on the Daily Double, unlike those pansies on TV.

And why not you? You’re not saying you could make like Ken Jennings and connect for a string of 70-some wins in a row. No, that guy was otherworldly and kind of creepy. But those average Joe-schmoe Pepperdine grads and middle managers up there eking out wins and walking with barely $10k? You could do that. They have full time jobs and are probably no more than trivia hobbyists, just like you. But before you drive to Jeopardy studios and try to bargain your way in by shooting impossible full-court shots with street-ball hustlin’ security guards, read our How-To Study for Jeopardy guide. This isn’t “White Men Can’t Jump,” you’re no Rosie Perez and you’re not dating Billy Hoyle. Things don’t work like that in the real world. In the real world, you have to prepare.

Jeopardy is a game of categories. And though they may give unique names to each category ever featured on the show, there are certain trends that tend to repeat more often than others.

1. The Basics
- You simply must know all state and world capitals. Not only may “World Capitals” be an actual category, but it’s considered to be fairly common knowledge that could pop up as a part of other categories.
- Know everything about every US president, ever. That includes term orders, years of office, and basic biographies. You should be aware of any nicknames or controversies surrounding each man.
- State nicknames come up a lot in various categories. Definitely memorize these.
- Shakespeare. Old Willy has not only provided us with original words, phrases, and premises for terrible 90s teen movies, but he’s made a living for thousands of professors. It’s only natural that the producers of Jeopardy would turn to the Bard for tons of material for the show’s categories. Buy the collected works of Shakespeare and take the time to familiarize yourself with his works.

2. Trends
- Jeopardy seems to give certain countries more weight when picking categories and questions. In rough order of appearance, they are the United States, Canada, the UK, South Africa, Germany, France, Australia, Russia, Italy, Spain, India, Mexico, and China. Yeah, maybe Jeopardy is pushing a Western Imperialist agenda, but you wanna win, right?
- Don’t worry about knowing how to pronounce incredibly difficult names. That doesn’t mean you won’t have to know them. Just be able to recognize them on paper, and be prepared to respond quickly.
- Jeopardy tends to understand that any piece of info has two “relevant directions,” and they only expect contestants to know one direction. For example, Jeopardy won’t ask what Leonid Brezhnev studied in college, but they may say, “This former Soviet premier was a metallurgist.” They won’t ask you what distinguishes Virginia from the other states, but they may say, “This US state is actually a commonwealth.”

3. Watch the Show
- That’s pretty much it. Just watch as many episodes of the show as you can. Record them. On the first viewing, play along and keep track of your score, including response time. Then just watch the show objectively and try to get an idea of the trends and tendencies of the questions. Lighter pop culture and society questions usually come in the first round; the second round contains the heaviest material. Oh, and make sure that when you answer you do so by stating the phrase, “What is…” No “What is” in the second round means you don’t get credit for a right answer.

4. Extra Tips
- Bone up on opera trivia. Know opera inside and out, because I can’t recall the number of times some opera geek has come from nowhere to dominate an entire category, get the Daily Double, and walk away with the convincing win.
- The producers sure do love them some Dickens. Of course you know about “Tale of Two Cities,” but are you up on your “Nickolas Nickleby” trivia? Didn’t think so.
- A fairly safe answer if the category is “Victorian Poets” and you suspect it might be a female, but you’re utterly stumped, is always Elizabeth Barret Browning. I think Alex Trebek loves her more than even Robert Browning did. She pops up everywhere. Play the Elizabeth Barret Browning Jeopardy drinking game and I guarantee you’re sloshed by Double Jeopardy.
- Keep your pre-game witticisms short and sweet. Trebek has gotten a bit bolder after losing the ’stache and likes to sass the long-winded contestants, but he’s as dull and awkward as ever, so don’t give him a reason to subject the viewers to it. That’s just bad TV.

Jeopardy is a tricky game. You never know exactly what they’re gonna throw at you, but if you take our tips to heart, you should have a leg up on the competition.

***Picture Thanks to Chaparral [Kendra]***