Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert: How Difficulty Works in Our Quizzes

Every quiz on Trivia Gauntlet uses the same structure: 20 questions, split into four difficulty levels of five questions each. Questions appear in order, from easy to expert, so the quiz gets steadily harder as you go. This article explains what each level means, how the levels are chosen, and how to pick a quiz that suits how well you know a show.

Easy

Easy questions are about things most viewers remember: the big storylines, the main characters and famous moments. If you have watched a series, you should get most of them. Even so, we avoid the questions that every other quiz on a show asks, so "easy" here means "well known to fans", not "the first thing anyone would think of".

Medium

Medium questions ask for a little more: supporting characters, guest stars, turning points in the middle seasons, and the best-known facts about how the show was made, such as who created it or where it was filmed.

Hard

Hard questions go further into both the story and its production: specific episodes, smaller characters, casting decisions and the people behind the music or the look of the show. People who have rewatched a series, or read about it, will do well here.

Expert

Expert questions are mostly about the show's history rather than its plot: working titles, rejected ideas, records, awards and what happened after it ended. They are hard because few viewers ever come across these facts, not because they are trick questions. Each one has a clear answer, a few sentences on the background and a named source.

A Real Example: Friends

Here is how the levels look in the Friends quiz. An easy question asks what Rachel is wearing when she runs into Central Perk in the first episode (her wedding dress). A medium question asks which of the six main actors was cast first (David Schwimmer, because the part of Ross was written for him). A hard question asks which role the producers originally had in mind for Courteney Cox (Rachel, not Monica). An expert question asks which working title was dropped because it sounded too much like another sitcom (Friends Like Us). Each step asks you to know a little more about the show, and then about how it was made.

How a Question's Level Is Chosen

Three things decide it. The first is how many viewers would know the answer without stopping to think. The second is whether the fact comes from the show itself or from behind the scenes, because production facts are usually harder. The third is how believable the wrong options are. Where possible, the wrong options are real names from the same story, such as another actor who was considered for a role, so that a guess is less likely to work.

Levels are set by judgement, not by test data, so they are a guide and not a guarantee. Someone who has read a lot about a show's production may find the expert round easier than the hard one.

Choosing a Quiz

If you want a gentle start, try The Office, Friends or Stranger Things, where the first rounds stick closely to the story. If you are more interested in how things are made, Disney, Pokémon and Harry Potter are almost entirely about real-world history. For a tough test of both, try The Wire or The Sopranos.

What Your Score Means

Fifteen or more out of 20 means you know the show and its history very well. Ten to fourteen is a strong result for a regular viewer. Anything lower usually means you know the story but not the background, which is what the answer key is for.

Tips for a Better Score

Read the explanation after every answer, even when you are right. Explanations often mention the other options and why they are wrong, which helps later. If you keep missing the expert round, read the "by the numbers" box on the quiz page and the answer key, then play again after a few days to see what stuck.

Do the Levels Ever Change?

Yes. If a question turns out to be much easier or harder than its level suggests, or if it is unclear, it can be moved, reworded or replaced. If you notice one, please tell us on the contact page.