Mind Competitions 2025 highlights cognitive excellence

This year’s edition drew an impressive turnout of over 1,160 participants, aged between four and 79, reflecting a vibrant mix of talent and enthusiasm for mental challenges. Contestants participated in three main categories: Memory Competition, Mind Mapping Competition, and Mental Calculation Competition.

The Memory Competition featured four segments: Random Words, Random Numbers, Dates & Events, and Random Letters of the Alphabet. Meanwhile, the Mind Mapping Competition included tasks such as developing a map based on provided text and creating a freestyle mind map. The Mental Calculation Competition challenged participants with rapid-fire addition and multiplication tasks, relying solely on mental arithmetic.

Open to all ages, from young children to working professionals and retirees, the event continued to promote mental agility and lifelong learning. It encouraged the development and application of memory techniques, logical thinking, and creativity.

Sheikh Muhammad Nauffal El Aziz bin Mohd Azuan, a 10-year-old participant at UTAR Kampar Campus, commented, “I enjoyed the competition because it helped boost my memory, made me more focused, and improved my mental calculation. My favourite part was memorising the numbers. I had to memorise 800 numbers in 15 minutes, and I loved the challenge!”

Ean Cheong E-Kang, a 15-year-old Kampar participant, enthused, “I wanted to test my limits and see how much I had improved since my last participation. It was once again a fulfilling experience, and it taught me to stay calm and be brave.”

Mr Son Kian Chee, a 44-year-old who participated in Kampar, shared, “I started memory training in 2018, and whenever time permits, I join the Mind Competitions as a way to challenge and practise my memory skills. It’s a great platform to train our minds, and I’m also happy to be interviewed.”

Dhaksha Prashanth, a seven-year-old participant in Kampar, commented, “I wanted to try out the mind mapping competition. My mother sourced some past questions for me to practise. I enjoyed the competition because drawing and colouring the mind map inspired me and gave me new ideas.”

Another Kampar participant, Isabel Liew Sze Ching, a 12-year-old student from SJKC Sri Botani, said, “I have always liked mind mapping, so I participated again to see how much I had improved since my last participation. It’s more memorable when I’m participating with my friends, and I enjoy challenging myself with the given title.”

At 68 years old, Ms Chin Kooi Lan’s journey into the Mind Competition began with a gentle push from her daughter and grandchildren, who had participated before her. Though she had left school decades ago after completing primary education, Ms Chin saw this opportunity as a meaningful way to reengage her mind. She reflected that staying mentally active is essential, especially with age, and believed the competition could help her sharpen her thinking and keep pace with a changing world. For her, it wasn’t just a contest, it was a chance to revisit the joy of learning and keep her brain energised in everyday life.

Puan Zauwiah binti Salhudin, a teacher from SMK Raja Muda Musa, said, “Our school has been sending students to this competition for several years now, and we truly appreciate it. It provides great exposure and valuable knowledge to our students, especially in learning how to train their memory effectively.” She added, “In fact, I found out from the participants themselves that there are even classes available to help with memory techniques. Besides that, students also receive a national-level certificate, which significantly contributes to their PAJSK (Penilaian Aktiviti Jasmani, Sukan dan Kokurikulum) scores.”

Puan Zawiya expressed that the competition is highly beneficial and encouraged students from all over Malaysia to participate in future editions if UTAR continues to organise it, adding that the experience offers numerous valuable benefits.

Eleven-year-old Shalinie Ganesan shared her excitement, saying, “It was my first time participating in the UTAR Mind Competition Challenge. I was a bit nervous at first because I didn’t know what to expect, but once the competition started, I found it very exciting.” She said the challenges required her to think and focus, especially during the memory activities. Although she found them difficult, she enjoyed pushing herself to try something new.

Arveen Sunthar, a student from SJKT Ladang Jugra, Selangor, shared that the mind competition had helped improve his memory power and general knowledge. He found the experience valuable and described the competition as a great opportunity for learning.

He explained that the event included three types of challenges. He participated in the random words, random numbers, and dates and events categories. While he found the random words relatively easy, the numbers and dates were more challenging. Despite the difficulty, Arveen said he gave his best effort in the competition.

One of the participants from SMJK Chung Ling joined the Mind Competition with the hope of making his parents and teachers proud while embracing the challenge. Another participant from Penang Chinese Girls' High School saw the Mind Competition as a valuable opportunity to train and improve herself.

The participants from SJK (C) Chung Hua Sg Jernang, Kota Samarahan, entered the Mind Competition with strong confidence and a determination to win. They underwent extensive training sessions and practiced various memory techniques to prepare themselves for the challenge. Through consistent exercises and disciplined practice, they were able to strengthen their memorisation skills and improve their overall performance. They also recommended others to join the competition, as it provides a great platform to enhance cognitive abilities, build confidence, and gain valuable experience.

A total prize pool of RM51,000 was offered this year. The top three winners in each main category will receive RM4,000, RM2,000, and RM1,000 respectively. Additionally, three special awards of RM500 will be given for the following categories: children (age 9 and under), senior citizens (age 60 and above), and best school participation (awarded to the school with the highest student turnout).

Winners will be announced on the official MMLM website (mmlm.utar.edu.my) on 25 August 2025 and the results will remain accessible online until 30 November 2025. Award recipients will also be invited via email to attend the prize-giving ceremony.