As part of Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations survey preparation, two prospective, interventional studies were conducted. The first study compared the hospital staff that participated in survey‐readiness rounds to staff that did not. The second study compared the scores before and after the educational in‐service of the group that had not participated in these rounds. The mean total score of the rounds group was 92 per cent and for the no‐rounds study group before in‐service education was 85 per cent. The difference was statistically significant. The no‐rounds group’s mean total score rose 14 per cent after in‐service education. In‐service education nearly doubled the likelihood of scoring 90 per cent or better. As part of a coordinated survey‐readiness program, a contest can be a useful and effective method to assess and improve staff knowledge.