Countdown: Test Yourself Answers

Round 1 - ACEFLONRY falconry - corneal - larceny – lancer
6 points needed.

Round 2 - STEUPEALC speculate - epaulets – capsule
7 points needed.

Round 3 - OOTHPASTE osteopath - potatoes - potshot – teapots
7 points needed.

Round 4 - 100 7 6 7 6 4 (248)
Within 1 of the target is the minumum needed here – any further away is considered a failure.

Round 5 - CNOCATUOP occupant - cocoanut - coconut - account – toucan
7 required here.

Round 6 - ADDEGINOS diagnosed - adenoids - agonised – sodding
7 required here.

Round 7 - EHIOPSURV pushover - previous - pervious - soupier - pushier – hovers
7 minimum here.

Round 8 - CEEEGINRT energetic - erecting – integer
7 minimum again

Round 9 - 25 50 75 3 4 7 (838)
Anything within 10 of the target here is considered a good enough attempt -but the nearer the better.

Round 10 - 100 3 2 2 1 4 (942)
Again, anything within 10 is great - this is quite a tricky one - so those who get it spot-on are flying high!
100+4, *3 =312+2=314 * (2+1) = 942

Conundrums
FINERBODY - BOYFRIEND
LACEDCONE - CONCEALED
TALLWAFER - WATERFALL

The conundrums are not too important to us as 8 rounds will have already have been played on the show by now, so it’s the letters and numbers that really count. Conundrums often decide the winner of the show, but that doesn't matter to us - what we try to achieve is a close game played to a decent standard.

How did you fare?

Letters Games
Considering the letters given to play with, we would generally be looking for people to score a minimum total of 47 on the letters games. Please note - this total is calculated on the basis of 9 points being awarded for a 9-letter word and not 18 as on the programme.

Numbers Games
We sometimes have applicants who are red-hot at letters and terrible at maths. The simple fact is - if you cannot score points on the maths rounds, you fail, regardless of how many big words you have found. With the numbers given here, we would be looking for a minimum of 12 points on the numbers.

Conundrum
People hoping to pass and do well on the show should get 2 of these. We wouldn't penalize anybody for not getting any of them, but the last one, WATERFALL, is one most people should get quite quickly.

Your Score
These points totals are based on letters games and numbers games only - no points are scored for conundrums, and 9-letter words count as 9 points.

0-35 Oh dear! - don't call us.
36-50 Average - if you feel you can do better on a different day then it might be worth applying.
51-58 So close - in football terms you have just hit the crossbar. Take the plunge and apply.
59-65 Congratulations! Repeat this form at an audition and the challenger's chair will be waiting for you.
66-80 A good bet for a champion's teapot.
81+ An Octochamp in the making! Have you got room for all those dictionaries?

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