Teams that do not qualify for the High School National Championship Tournament (HS NCT) in a given year are given the chance to attend the event on standby status.

Teams on standby status agree to attend the NAQT HS NCT with at least three eligible players. In the event of a last-minute cancellation, the standby team will replace the cancelling team in the competition field (with no registration fee charged). NAQT may request evidence of travel plans--including airline or hotel receipts--to verify that standby teams are committed to making the trip.

If there are no last-minute cancellations, the members of the standby team may become alternates for other teams from the same school, may volunteer to assist with the running of the tournament as scorekeepers, or may explore Chicago during the event. If the standby team does not make it into the field, the team's school will receive free copies of the questions used at the tournament and an additional $250.00 worth of NAQT question sets or study guides. If the standby team does make it into the field, the team will not receive the extra questions (but no registration fee will be charged).

Teams that register for the standby list and later qualify for the HS NCT may be removed from the standby list with no penalty.

The standby list is not the same as the wait list: The wait list consists of teams that have qualified for the HS NCT but who could not be accommodated in the tournament because the field was already full. Waitlisted teams will be invited to replace withdrawing teams up until one or two days before the tournament begins regardless of the status of the standby list. The standby list will only be used at the tournament itself if a team doesn't show up.

Teams interested in being placed on the first-come, first-serve standby list should contact NAQT via e-mail at hsnct@naqt.com. Standby teams will be accepted starting on February 1.