Normaling Scoring System (NSS)

Overview

The Normalized Scoring System (NSS) is a scoring system developed by Ed Carnes and is designed for fiddle competitions but can be used for any type of contest. Its objective is to maintain a consistent point scale and eliminate point spread bias in scoring to ensure that all judges’ scores have equal weight in determining the contest results.

Goal of the System

In any competition fairness is the goal. Obtaining experienced people to serve as judges is one of the most important aspects of operating any competition. Judges have to be familiar with the styles of music they will be judging and they have to have experience and understanding in how to fairly compare and evaluate the performance based on the criteria established by the competition. Not all good musicians have the understanding to methodically evaluate and score what they hear and become good judges. Conversely, some of the most experienced, well-known, and respected fiddle judges are not necessarily the best players and may not even be capable of playing the latest competition styles but they have excellent skills in determining and evaluating the performances. Consistency across rounds of competition and various categories is one of the most important judging skills and the area where many judges fall short in ability.

The “WHY” of the System

Pen and paper, calculators, manual spreadsheets, calculation errors – the NSS replaces all of those with a real time method of tracking and calculations for different scenarios of judging. The results are tracked as you go; as soon as the last scores are entered you can have results printed out and ready to announce them in about 3 minutes! You can post scores, not post scores, post scores and hide judges name – there are many different options. You have a historical record of the scores for your contest and the judges individual scores - giving insight into how well your contest ran and how well you felt your judges did. The NSS helps streamline your competition in a more efficient manner so you can keep the event on track.

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Competition Scoring Issues