| ROUND | Dates | Description |
| Round 1 (All teams participate) | October 25-27, 2019Image download instructions and links are sent to Coaches at 5 PM Eastern, the Friday prior to competition round. The StartEx email with the password to the images is sent to teams at 9 AM Eastern the Friday of the competition round. | All teams may compete. Tests basic of cybersecurity skills. |
| Round 2 (All teams participate) | November 15-17, 2019 Image download instructions and links are sent to Coaches at 5 PM Eastern, the Friday prior to competition round. The StartEx email with the password to the images is sent to teams at 9 AM Eastern the Friday of the competition round. | All teams may compete even if they did not compete in Round 1 or had a low score. More difficult than Round 1, to allow teams to be divided into skill-level tiers for the State Round. |
| State Round (All teams participate / eliminations occur after State Round) | December 6-8, 2019 Image download instructions and links are sent to Coaches at 5 PM Eastern, the Friday prior to competition round. The StartEx email with the password to the images is sent to teams at 9 AM Eastern the Friday of the competition round. | All teams may compete with a clean slate. Past performance or participation in Rounds 1 and 2 do not count toward placement. Teams compete against other teams based on skill level for State Awards and Tier Awards. |
| Semifinals | January 24-25, 2020 Image download instructions and links are sent to Coaches at 5 PM Eastern, the Friday prior to competition round. The StartEx email with the password to the images is sent to teams at 9 AM Eastern the Friday of the competition round. | Top teams compete for Tier Awards. Platinum Tier and top Middle School Division teams compete for advancement to the National Finals Competition. |
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National Finals Competition (held in Bethesda, MD) | March 19-23, 2020 | National Finalist teams compete for National Championship in their respective divisions. |