"participating in quizzes" - Commonapp Basic Essay

this is the 1st essay i have written for the commonapp...please tell me where i can improve it...n rate it..
Topic- Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (150 words or fewer).

Essay-

I love participating in quizzes. In order to perform well, I habitually watch the news and surf the Internet, keeping myself abreast with all the latest developments in the world.

I frequently participate in quizzes at school and have also represented my school at the national level. I find quizzes both interesting and challenging. A couple of my friends and I, all avid quizzers, keep testing each other's knowledge of events from a wide array of topics ranging from technology to sports.

Last year, I participated in "The Times of Oman Open Quiz", which is one of the most highly anticipated events each year. From over 170teams that participated, my team not only qualified for the finals but also finished 4th, which is the highest position ever achieved by a school team. That exhilarating experience has increased my passion for quizzing and made it my favourite pastime.

It's a nice short answer...I would give it a 4 out of 6.

It would be nice if you could elaborate more on the quizzing. Like;
Last year, I participated in "The Times of Oman Open Quiz" , which is one of the most highly anticipated events each year. (Is it a national/international competition?)

And what inspired this passionate interest of yours?

Nice work...It's a good essay...just needs a little tweaking.

I think it is a good topic but you need to write 'how the quizzes affected you'.

I mean, common app short essay should contain how the activities affected you; not jsut simply stating prize you got which the admission officers are not interested in.

I love participating in quizzes. ----You should check out Elance.com! It has a lot of quizzes to show your skill so people can hire you to help with their projects.

I think it is supposed to be "abreast of"----keeping myself abreast with of all the latest developments in the world.

Fix the spacing here: ... over 170teams

:-)