FAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is KenKen?

KenKen is a math grid-based puzzle that uses all 4 numerical operatives, namely addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. One can alter the size of the grid between 3×3 and 9×9 and create infinite number of puzzles with varied levels of difficulty. It is a unique combination of number dexterity and combinatory skills while applying logical reasoning to arrive at a solution.

Where does KenKen originate from?

The term originates from the Japanese word meaning cleverness. KenKen puzzle was created by a Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto, who aimed to develop an instruction- free training method for the brain, in the form of a simple puzzle. KenKen trains the mind to think on its feet.

What is KenKen International Championship (KIC)?

KIC is a multi-level championship for all age groups. The championship held in India specifically caters to school children. A student can advance to the next level by successfully solving KenKen puzzles of relevant difficulty within a stipulated time frame. The student competes with peers of the same age group at each level.

How is KenKen recognised worldwide?

KenKen is recognised by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, USA (NCTM) which is the World’s largest mathematics education organisation. This organisation has recognised KenKen as an instructive skill that stimulates the mind to explore parity, counting, subsets and various problem solving strategies.

Who is the official partner for KIC in India?

Omnisoft Technologies PVT.LTD is the exclusive and official partner for KenKen International Championship in India. With their head office in Vadodara Gujarat, they have branched out in all 15 states to conduct KenKen school level exams. To know more, you can visit their website:

What is the scale of the championship?

KIC is gearing up to host its Edition in India. KIC received tremendous response in its inaugural year with 100 unique participating schools and 7000 students. In 2017, there was a wondrous boost in these figures with 175+ schools and 15000 students participating in the championship. This year, with your support, we can put up an even bigger show.

Who can participate in the championship?

● A student can register as an individual candidate or a representative of his/her participating school.
● The student needs to be within the age group of 8-17 years which roughly includes all students from Grade 3- 12 or Year 4-13.

Why should my child participate in KIC? What are the benefits of KIC?

● KenKen combines plain mathematics with crucial skills like logical reasoning.
● Back in the classroom, it develops problem solving, reasoning and communication.
● Expose your child to a global platform where he/she interacts with peers from different schools and countries.
● It instills a sense of determination, confidence and resilience.
● Above all, KenKen is a fun way to do Math!

My child is not good at Math, should he/she participate in KIC?

First of all, quit worrying! KenKen focuses on development of Logical Reasoning and Problem Solving skills in a child. These skills can only be acquired through practice and more practice. By introducing your child to KenKen, he/she will not only cultivate this proficiency but also develop an increased liking toward Mathematics as a subject in school. His/her performance in school is sure to improve with daily practice of KenKen.

My child is already great at Math. How will KIC benefit him/her further?

Classroom mathematics can be limiting to your child’s abilities. KenKen further stimulates his/ her mind and develops Problem Solving and Logical Reasoning skills. These are beneficial soft skills that assist the child in other spheres of life as well.

How many countries participate in the International Championship?

9 countries, namely, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi, India, Pakistan, UAE, USA, Japan and Egypt.

How many exams are held?

There are 5 successive levels to the championship namely, School level,City level, State level, National level and International level. The child has to appear for 1 exam per level.

What are the dates of the competition?

● The School level exam is conducted from Feb to July as per the school’s convenience. For individual participants, the exam is held on the last Saturday of each month from March to July.
● City level: August**
● States level: September **
● National level: November **
● International level: December**
* All dates are subject to change because of some unavoidable circumstances. In that case new dates will be disclosed and communicated well in advance.

What is the venue for the exams?

KENKEN 2020 All Rounds will be Held Online till National Round

What is the duration of the exam?

Each exam is for 30 minutes.

Are the exams conducted online?

KENKEN 2020 will be Online

If a student can’t be physically present for the exam, can he/she attempt it online instead?

Yes.

Do all students appear for the same difficulty of puzzles?

No. The level of difficulty increases with each successive level of the championship. There will be 6 puzzles of different sizes and difficulty levels depending on the category participants belong to.

Do all students of the same level solve one puzzle?

Yes, all the students from same category solve same puzzles at the emirates and national level. For school level exams are different at each school.

How many puzzles does the student solve in each exam?

There will be 6 puzzles of different sizes and difficulty levels depending on the category participants belong to.

4 Puzzles in School Level

6 Puzzles in all other Level

What is the difficulty level at each stage of the competition?

Details can be downloaded from here:
● School/City Level Exam Details
● States Level Exam Details
● National Level Exam Details

What is the selection criteria at each level?

Puzzles of different sizes have different scores. If the score that the student accrues corresponds to the qualifying criteria of that level, then he/she advances to the level of the championship!

How many students are selected to advance to the next level?

● School Level: Top 80 % participants are selected for the State level competition.

● State Level: Top 50 % of the school winners are selected for the National level competition.
● National Level: Top 10-15 students from all categories are declared National Level winners. Top student from each of the 6 categories qualifies for the International Level in New York.
● International Level: Each of the 6 categories has 1 Champion. They then compete for the Champion of the Champions round to decide the overall winner.

On what basis are students selected for the next level?

Puzzles of different sizes have different scores. If the score that the student accrues corresponds to the qualifying criteria of that level, then he/she advances to the level of the championship!

How do I register for the competition?

We accept online registrations on our website: www.kenkenindia.in/registrations/new
You can also register by filling out the registration form at participating schools

Can I register individually and not as a representative of my school?

Yes. In this case, you will have to register online on www.kenkenuae.com/register

Is there any additional fee apart from registration?

No.
Bootcamp and practice books used to boost your child’s performance can be purchased at an additional cost.

What are the steps that follow registration? How will I be informed of them?

Once your child has registered for the championship, he/she will receive a Unique Registration ID via email. Following steps will be dictated as time proceeds and will be communicated via email regularly.

Are there any early bird offers or discounts?

No, sooner you register more time you get for practice.

How much practice is required to excel in KenKen?

Minimum 20 minutes a day worth practice is required 3- 4 days a week. Your child can opt for the following methods of practice:
● Free Study Material: Upon registration, we will ship one free practice book to you. Along with this, there are many free practice videos available on our YouTube channel.
● KenKen Boot camps: held in various venues in India. Proved to be extremely beneficial. Learn more at our page: *insert link here*.
● Practice books: Select from a host of practice books with different levels of difficulty. Learn more at our page: *insert link here*.
● YouTube channel: We have free youtube channel where you can learn good practices to solve kenken puzzles. Visit our channel: *insert link here*.

Can I excel without KenKen specific practice?

Unfortunately, there is no shortcut to success! We preach practice makes perfect!

How helpful are the bootcamps to excel in the competition?

In 2017, students have had tremendous luck with their exam after attending the bootcamps. The bootcamp is a short duration intensive training course where the child is exposed to a competitive environment that prepares him/her for the exam day. Children learn many strategies, tips and tricks to excel in KenKen puzzles.

Do you provide any discounts on study material?

Sometimes we do. The same will be informed through email.

Does the student receive a certificate of participation at the end of each level?

A student will receive a medal and certificate for the last level that he/she qualifies. Thus, he/she will receive only 1 medal and certificate in the Championship. There is recognition for every student who participates in the Championship.

At which stage does a student receive cash prize?

The top 3 rank holders from each category at the National level receive varied cash prizes.

What is the range of cash prize offered?

National Winners Cash Prize:

Three Champions: Rs. 50,000 each
Three 1st Runner Up: Rs. 15,000 each
Three 2nd Runner Up: Rs. 10,000 each

What are the rewards and recognition offered at each stage?

● School level: Certificate of recognition.
● City level: Certificate of recognition and bronze medal.
● State level: Certificate of achievement, silver medal and other prizes.
● National level: Certificate of excellence, gold medal and a school trophy. Top few students also win an all expense paid trip to New York.

Do I get a medal/ certificate for each level as I advance to the next?

A student will receive a medal and certificate for the last level that he/she qualifies. Thus, he/she will receive only 1 medal and certificate in the Championship.

How do I receive my medal and certificate?

● Your Certificate (Hard Copy) and Medal will be delivered at the school if your school is participating in the championship. Your school will issue the certificates and medal to you in a school assembly.
● For individual participants, your certificate and medal will be couriered to your address. Additional shipment charge will be applicable in this case.
● In case you have shifted to another country, the certificate and medal will be shipped to your new address and shipping charges will be applicable on actuals.

How do I attest the certificate I receive?

Please refer our Services page on our website india.kenkenuae.com/services

When is the trip to New York planned?

December.

How many days are spent on the trip, including days of travel?

Official trip is for 3- 4 days.

Who will bare the cost of the trip to New York?

Top four winners will represent India at KIC 2018 in New York. All the expenses will be borne by Omnisoft Technologies PVT.LTD.
Note: Visa and any other legal requirements for the Visa need to be provided by the parents.

Are any aspects of the trip not covered by your company?

Complete expenses for the student will be covered by Omnisoft Technologies PVT.LTD. We provide a lump sum amount to cover the cost of the trip which cover economy airfare, hotel and other expenses. Visa and any other legal requirements for the Visa need to be provided by the parents.

What is the criteria for selecting students for New York?

Top few students, 1 from each category, with the highest score in National level will be selected for the trip to New York.

Can parents of selected students travel with them to New York?

Yes, parents may travel with their child to New York however, Omnisoft Technologies PVT.LTD will not cover for their expense.

What are the accommodation arrangements for students in New York?

Usually Kenken USA team get a deal from one of the hotel near the venue and share the details with participants. It is up to parents if they want to book that hotel or any other.

Who all are felicitated at the ceremony?

Top 120 students from all levels of the Championship are felicitated at the ceremony.

When are the results for each level declared?

● Exam results are issued normally within 15 days of the exam day. The results are emailed at the registered email address along with the performance report.
● Students and parents can also check the results from our website at the student service section (insert URL here).
● We also send your result to your school if your school is participating in the championship.

Where are the results declared? Is it a common platform?

The results are declared on the website as well as communicated via email to every student.

Is any student allowed to retake the exam?

No.

What is a performance report? How is it helpful?

Performance report is given when a child reaches the National level. It shows the comparative national level rank, marks obtained in each puzzle and other performance related categories.
(Insert link to generate performance report)

What are the policies regarding these three scenarios?

● School level: Students/parents will have to inform us at least 2 days prior to the exam date (info@kenkenindia.in). If you postpone your exam then your exam will take place at a later date at a neutral place . We conduct this exam usually on the last Saturday of every alternate month.
● City level:

● States level: Students can request to change the exam dates between the two prescribed dates only. For this students/parents will have to send us an email within 7 days of receiving the admit card. Our team will try to accommodate the request if possible. If there is no seat on the desired date then we won’t be able to make the changes.

● National level: Students can request to change the exam timing only. For this students/parents will have to send us an email within 7 days of receiving the admit card. Our team will try to accommodate the request if possible. If there is no seat on the desired time then we won’t be able to make the changes.

● International level: No changes can be made.

How much advantage notice is required for these situations?

For complete please refer to Question 1 of this section.

In case I miss my paper due to an emergency, do you refund my registration fee?

No.

Is there an option to carry forward my registration fee to the next year, in case I miss my exam?

No.

Give Your Students the Gift of Kenken

Please fill out this form, and one of our representatives will soon contact you to arrange a meeting at a time that suits your convenience.

1. Friends referred by you will receive an email from Kenken UAE will a unique referral link.

2. Your friends need to use this unique referral link in the email to avail their 10% discount on the KIC 2018 registration fee. (Note: They will not receive the discount if they register from the Kenken website instead of clicking on the unique link.).

3. When the friend you refer has completed their registration, following your unique referral link you will receive an email containing your Kenken Cash Code and your Kenken Cash Wallet balance.

4. You will receive AED 10 for each successful referral registration.

5. Everytime a friend registers for KIC 2018 using your unique referral link, you will be sent and email with your updated KENKEN Cash Wallet balance.

6. These unique links are for one-time use only, and cannot be clicked on twice, even if it is forwarded to someone else’s email address..

7. You will not receive anything more than AED 10, even if your friend registers his or her sibling during their registration.

8. For sibling registration the same discount of 20% will apply to the registration fee of each additional sibling.

Using your Kenken Cash Wallet

9. You can use your Kenken Cash Code to redeem the balance that accumulates in your Kenken Cash Wallet, while purchasing items from the online Kenken Store.

10. Simply input your Kenken Cash Code before checking out, select the amount you would like to redeem and hit submit.

11. There is a limit to the maximum amount you can redeem while buying Kenken products. This limit is dictated by your total spend.

12. Here is how it works:

For a spend between AED 60 and AED 80 you can redeem upto AED 10 from your Kenken Cash Wallet.
For a spend upto AED 135 you can redeem upto AED 25 from your Kenken Cash Wallet.
For any spend above that your can redeem upto AED 50 from your Kenken Cask Wallet.

13. After you have redeemed any amount from your Kenken Cash Wallet, you will receive an email from Kenken UAE, informing you about the spend and the updated balance of your wallet.

KENKEN Cash Balance

KENKEN Cash Code :

Enter OTP :

You Have AED 0 in your Wallet.

How much you want to use ?

Satvik Verma (2nd Rank Winner Kenken International Competition)

"KenKen is a great way to spark an interest in math’s for anyone, while being fun at the same time. It has helped me improve my mental math’s abilities, and I feel very privileged and honored to have participated in KenKen and to reach the international round and make my country proud by securing the 2nd position in the Sigma category. The experience and competitiveness between all of the participants was very thrilling and KenKen is now a part of my daily routine."

Rekha Nair

"Well organised and systematic. ..the puzzles sent online were very useful, and I was overwhelmed to get a call from his mentor asking me about my sons' progress and encouraging me to motivate him...overall..great teamwork from you guys. "

Nancy Castelino

"My child really enjoyed the Emirates round. The mock puzzles provided by KenKen every week helped my ward to face the Emirates round without any nervousness, and the event was well organised. "