Rules
300 is a race through 300 arithmetic problems where accuracy matters more than speed. The catch is the feedback: when you check, you are only told how many answers are wrong, never which ones.
The sheet
There are 300 calculation problems, and the answer sheet is split into 10 pages of 30 answers each. Players work at their own pace. There is no overall time limit.
Checking
- You can only submit once every one of the 300 answers is filled in. One blank and you cannot check.
- When you submit, you are told the number of wrong answers, not where they are.
- After each check you must wait 10 seconds before submitting again.
- Fix answers and resubmit until the count reaches zero.
End of the game
Players are ranked by the order in which they reach zero wrong answers. On the show, the first three teams survived and the last two were sent to the death match. The team that won the ace match got to see 5 of the problems for 2 minutes before the start.
Our version
The exact problem set from the show is not published, so these are our choices:
- The sums: two-step mental arithmetic, such as
48 + 27 − 19,7 × 14 + 36,84 ÷ 7 + 25or(12 + 9) × 6. Normal order of operations applies. Numbers stay small enough to do in your head, and every answer is a whole number from 0 up, so you only ever type digits. - Sheet sizes: 300 is the full challenge. Sheets of 30, 60 and 150 fit a shorter session. The sheet is split into pages of 30, as on the show.
- Daily: a sheet of 60 sums, the same for everyone each day.
- Score: your time until zero answers are wrong. The number of checks you used is shown with it.
- The 10-second wait runs on the game clock, so it pauses when you pause.
- Online rooms: race friends on the same sheet. Everyone sees how much of each sheet is filled in, never how many answers are right.
- Giving up is allowed after your first check. Only then are the wrong answers shown.
- The ace-match bonus (a preview of 5 problems) is not included, as it needs a team match.
Strategy
Slow down the first time. Finding one mistake among 300 answers takes far longer than getting it right in the first place. A careful first pass is the fastest route to zero.
Check as you go. Read each answer back before moving on. Catching a slip while the sum is still in your head costs a second or two.
Use the count to narrow the search. If a check says one answer is wrong, change one suspect answer and resubmit. If the count drops, you found it. If it rises, you broke a correct one.
Know your weak spots. Most people make the same kind of slip again and again, such as carrying in long addition or a sign in subtraction. Recheck those problems first.
Work page by page. Thirty answers at a time is easier to review than one long list. Note which pages you rushed so you know where to look first.
Use the 10-second wait. The lockout after each check is a good moment to pick which answers to recheck next.