Tonight’s the night, the last chance John McCain and Barack Obama will have to meet face-to-face before Election Day. Bob Schieffer of CBS News will moderate tonight’s debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. And unlike the first two encounters, the candidates will be seated across from one another. Showtime is 9 p.m. EDT.

If you’d like to play the part of political pundit and rate the candidates’ performance from the comfort of your own home, here’s our handy-dandy scorecard:

On a scale of one to five, rate each candidate’s performance in the following areas:

Appeal to undecided voters (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Appeal to party base (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Zingers and quips (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Poise (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Command of subject matter (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Appearing presidential (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Now deduct points for the following:

Gaffes/factual errors (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Bad jokes (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Failure to answer questions (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Needless attacks (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Losing his cool (McCain 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 ) (Obama 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 )

Get the popcorn popping, your pencils sharpened, print out this post, and play along at home. Total up your points for each candidate and be sure to post your results once the debate concludes.

Also watch for Emily’s posts during and after the debate.