Pass a quiz, earn up to $172,000 a year: 'Jeopardy!' opens applications for question writers

One of America's most popular quiz shows is hiring question writers — and the pay is well into six figures. The catch: applicants have to prove their trivia chops just to get in the door.

Sony Pictures, the studio behind the long-running quiz show "Jeopardy!," recently posted an opening for a question writer, according to the New York Post and other outlets.

Whoever lands the job will earn between $138,000 and $172,000 a year. The New York Post described the position as about as hard to get as a spot on the New York Knicks roster or the editor-in-chief chair at Vogue.

The hiring process begins with applicants taking a quiz themselves. Candidates must first pass the same online test used to select contestants for the show — 50 questions spanning American geography, opera, science and superhero sidekick characters, with 15 seconds to answer each one verbally or in writing. Unlike on the actual show, answers do not need to be phrased as questions.

The difficulty is considerable. One sample question asks applicants to name the movement in Beethoven's Sixth Symphony known as "By the Brook."

Passing the quiz is only the beginning. Candidates must then write 12 categories of questions covering economics, food, history, pop culture and science, along with three final-round clues. Throughout the process, they must verify all facts using sources such as the Oxford English Dictionary and major newspapers — with no AI or Wikipedia allowed.

Applicants get only one shot at the entrance test.

The show currently employs about 10 writers, most of whom have held their positions for more than a decade, with some having joined in the 1990s. According to the New York Post, the writing staff includes a former cast member of the sitcom "Seinfeld," a former writer on the drama series "Star Trek," and a former New York City doorman.

The show, which first aired in 1984, begins filming its 43rd season in August. Host Ken Jennings is famous for his earlier run as a contestant, during which he won more than $4 million in prize money.