NAQT's standard official intercollegiate tournaments are its Sectional Championship Tournaments (both four-year and two-year), and the Intercollegiate Championship Tournament. These events are run according to the NAQT Collegiate Eligibility Rules and feature separate competition for Division I and Division II teams. Open and Undergraduate teams compete together in Division I, but separate titles are awarded.

Other intercollegiate events using NAQT questions may use the NAQT Collegiate Eligibility Rules or not, at the host institutions' discretion. Using the Collegiate Eligibility Rules is one of the requirements for a tournament to be billed as an Official NAQT event. Events not using the Collegiate Eligibility Rules may still qualify as Unofficial Events or NAQT-Style events.

The eligibility rules of non-intercollegiate events using NAQT questions (namely, Intramural tournaments) are entirely at the discretion of the host.

The High School National Championship Tournament (HS NCT) and NAQT State Championships will be run according to the NAQT High School Eligibility Rules. Note that some state tournaments run by state activities associations use NAQT questions but are not NAQT State Championships.

Other high school events, including district, state, and sectional championships, may use the NAQT High School Eligibility Rules or not at the host institutions' discretion. Using the NAQT High School Eligibility Rules is one of the requirements for a tournament to be billed as an Official Event. Events not using the High School Eligibility Rules may still qualify as Unofficial Events or NAQT-Style events.

NAQT has a collection of Frequently Asked Questions about Eligibility.

Other questions about NAQT's eligibility policies, or requests for exceptions, should be directed to eligibility@naqt.com. In particular, exception requests must be received 7 calendar days prior to the start of the competition in question in order for a ruling to be made; without this advance notice, requests will be denied.