Magin's tossup difficulty scale

For the 2007 Chicago Open Literature Tournament, Jonathan Magin developed a six-point scale to gauge tossup difficulty:

1. High school level (nearly everyone at the tournament can answer the tossup against empty chairs). Note that for the purposes of this scale, high school level is only used relative to college level difficulty.
2. ACF Fall level.
3. Regular collegiate difficulty; this is also the proposed difficulty level for ACF Regionals beginning in 2008.
4. ACF Nationals level.
5. Outer edges of the college canon.
6. Incredibly difficult; deep knowledge of the canon will not ensure knowledge of the answer.

This scale, or a modified version of it, was used for the 2007 Illinois Open Literature Tournament and 2008 William Gaddis Open as well.

It is not currently in use.