The Rules

1.  Teachers must click here to register their students. Students cannot register themselves.

2.  Once you have registered as a teacher and been activated by your state coordinator, you can begin to create student teams of 3-4 students.

3.  After creating the teams you will be given unique access codes for each student. Distribute these access codes to your students before they take their test.

4.  During the competition window, students can enter the Econ Challenge website and complete a 30 question economics test. Each student will be given 35 minutes. The challenge cannot be paused. Students cannot skip or go back to questions. Questions are randomly pulled from the Council for Economic Education’s database so each student will answer different questions.

5. Students are encouraged to take practice exams before taking their test.

6. Students cannot use outside assistance during the test. Students inside of one team complete the test individually. 

7.  Scoring: the sum of the top three individual scores on each team make up the team score. Scoring on individual tests are as follows:

• +10 points for each correct answer

• 0 points for each incorrect answer

8. Students should ensure a reliable internet connection before beginning the exam. Technical issues encountered by internet connectivity or user error cannot be remedied by the NJCEE.

9. In the event of a tie between teams, the duration of the mean quiz time of the top three individual scores will be used to break the tie. In other words, speed only counts as a tie breaker.

10.  The 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams of each division of the New Jersey Economics Challenge will be announced April 15, 2024. The 1st place team of each division will move on to Nationals.

Divisions

To ensure a fair and equitable competition, students must compete in the division that matches their level of economics experience. Teams need to be composed of 3-4 students that are all eligible for the same division. 

The two divisions are:

• Adam Smith: For returning competitors, AP, IB, or honors economics students (currently enrolled or previously taken).

• David Ricardo: For first-time competitors who have never taken an economics course or are currently enrolled or previously taken a college prep (or standard) economics course. Students enrolled or currently taking an advanced level economics class must compete in Adam Smith. Students cannot compete in the David Ricardo division more than once.

Team Composition

Teams must be between 3-4 members.

The competition is for grades 9th-12th.

Team members must all be enrolled at the same school. Teams cannot be made up across multiple high schools.

All team members must have a coach who is an employee of the team school. This person registers all team members and must be fit to accompany students if they advance to the national finals.