Two teams of up to four players face off answering questions on a wide variety of topics including literature, history, science, visual and auditory arts, philosophy, social science, geography, current events, and popular culture.
All players are provided with pens and a half sheet of paper for scratch work for computational math questions.
In 2023, MasterMinds gave individual leagues the choice between timed and set-question games, decided by consensus from constituent teams.
There is a certain point in each tossup question, typically just before an important clue, called the "power mark".
If a player rings in on a toss-up before the "power mark" and answers correctly, they earn 15 points instead of 10.
After ringing in to answer a question, players must wait for the adjudicator to verbally recognize them by saying their name and school.
The leagues are run with a double or triple round robin format, depending on the number of teams.
The top half of Varsity teams (rounded up) by win–loss record from each league advance to the regional playoffs.
The playoffs for Albany, Buffalo, and Rochester are spread across multiple days, beginning in mid-to-late April and ending in late May.
Individual stats are not kept in the playoffs, though an MVP and "All Tournament Team" are stated, presumably on the basis of total points obtained.
The State Championships are run in a round robin format: each team plays each other once, and a champion is decided based on win–loss record.