The Rules

1.  Register as a teacher by selecting "Teacher Registration" to your left.

2.  Once you have register as a teacher and are activated by your state coordinator, you can begin to create 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 you begin your scheduled Challenge. They will have 1 month to participate between March 6, 2026 - April 8, 2026.

4.  To see complete schedule information about the Washington State Econ Challenge ONLINE!, please click on the "Dates and Times" menu item to the left. Once your scheduled competition begins, students can enter the Econ Challenge ONLINE! website and complete a 30 question rapid fire exam consisting of macro, micro, and international questions. Each student will be given 35 minutes.

5. Students on the same team must take the challenge individually, but at the same time, while being proctured by the registered teacher.

6.  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
•     0 points for each unanswered question

In the event of a tie between teams, the mean quiz time of the top three individual scores will be used to break the tie.

7.  The winners of the Washington State Econ Challenge ONLINE! will be announced April 13, 2026.

 

Eligibility

Team Divisions: 

1) There will be two (2) divisions: David Ricardo and Adam Smith. 

2) The David Ricardo Division is open to teams of high school students who are currently enrolled or were previously enrolled in no more than one general economics course or in courses that include introductory economics concepts (social studies, business, personal finance, etc.).  Students who have never taken an economics course are eligible to compete. Students may only participate in the David Ricardo Division one time. 

3) The Adam Smith Division includes teams of students, currently or previously enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, or both), International Baccalaureate (pre-IB and IB), honors, or any other advanced courses in economics (including courses where students earn college credit).  Students may participate in the Adam Smith Division multiple times.  Students who are or have been enrolled in more than one general economics class must participate in the Adam Smith Division.

4) If a team has one or more students enrolled in a course listed for the Adam Smith Division above, that team must compete in the Adam Smith Division. 

5) Teams shall only compete against other teams in their own division.

6) Anyone who provides false information at any stage of the competition will be disqualified.

 

Team Composition:

1) Teams shall be comprised of three (3) or four (4) members.  One or two member teams are not eligible to complete, per national competition rules.

2) Competing with only three (3) members, if necessary, is possible and permissible. 

3) All members of a team must be from the same public school, private school, community organization or club, or afterschool program. This means that students from different schools are eligible to be on the same team if they are all part of one of the groups mentioned in this section.

• If students are competing as members of an organization, the organization must be an established organization that has an economics or personal finance focus.  The coach of the team must be an adult who is a member of the organization and who is responsible for organizing the team and proctoring the online test.  The coach will be contacted to confirm that the coach is able to carry out these responsibilities.
• Home-based high school students are encouraged to join teams from local high schools.  If this is not practical, they may join teams of any of the other groups mentioned in this section or they may start a team with other home-based high school students if the students reside either in the same county or within a twenty-mile radius of each other.  The coach of the home-based team must be an adult who is responsible for organizing the team and proctoring the online test. 

5) All teams must have a coach, who is an associate (e.g. employee or volunteer) of the team school, organization, or program, and who is fit to accompany students, should the team advance to the finals. 

 

Student Eligibility:

1) Students must be enrolled for credit in a qualifying public high school, private high school, or home-based high school course at some time during the current academic year. 

2) High school students who have taken or are taking economics courses for college credit from a post-secondary instructor are eligible to compete. 

3) Students who have taken more than one semester of economics at any time must compete in the Adam Smith Division. 

4) No student is permitted to compete in the David Ricardo Division for more than one year. Any returning student who has already participated in the National Economics Challenge (at the state level or higher) must compete in the Adam Smith Division in subsequent years, regardless of previous or current coursework. 

5) Home-schooled students must compete in the Adam Smith Division.