Coaches may explain how Odyssey of the Mind scoring works in general, including the normalization and combination of scores for long-term, Style, and Spontaneous. However, individual long-term problem scoring is a part of the rules of that problem and should be treated like any other rules. The coach may suggest that the team consider the point values of various parts of the solution and remind the team to keep the scoring rules in mind, but may not interpret those rules for the team.
Coaches can recommend that teams look at the scored elements again or ask where in the problem something is described or scored. One good approach is to work with the team to set up a checklist of things to be looked at repeatedly over the season. If the checklist is part of every team meeting, the team can remind themselves, without the coach needing to be involved.
Posted in: FAQs for Odyssey Team Members, FAQs for Outside Assistance