these are located in special booths, labeled as 'julgadores' which are situated along the sambódromo, most of them in sector 2.

the judges score the various categories on a scale of 5 to 10, with the highest score being a 10, using fractional scores such as 9.5.

the order followed by the schools in the parades is determined via a raffle, with the first school typically entering the sambódromo at 9 pm.  

as well as gaining points in various categories, the samba schools may also lose points as penalties for breaking certain rules of the competition.