Economics Challenge

About the Challenge

The National Economics Challenge is a great opportunity for high school students to test their knowledge against other students of similar ability throughout Oregon. There are divisions for AP/IB students and divisions for introductory or general economics students. The contest is online. Students compete together as a team. This is an excellent tool to encourage interest in economics and play to students natural interest in competing. Teachers: To participate in the EconChallenge go to: https://econchallenge.unl.edu/Oregon/Welcome select your state and register as a teacher. Once you have registered as a teacher, you can begin to create student teams of 3 to 4 students in either of two divisions:

Adam Smith: students enrolled in any two semester economics macro and micro course sequence or any course labeled as AP, IB, honors, or differentiated. If you previously participated in the David Ricardo Division, you must register for the Adam Smith division in this year’s competition.
David Ricardo: any one semester, introductory or general combined, macro and micro economics course. Teams are encouraged to compete in the division that would challenge them the most. https://econchallenge.unl.edu/Oregon/Welcome

Helpful Resources

About the Challenge

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Economics Challenge Resources

Next Econ Challenge

About the Challenge

Teacher Testimonials

Our next Econ Challenge will take place in March 2025.

Teacher Testimonials

"I have been doing the Econ Challenge for over 17 years and my students have found it to be a great benefit.

- They get to compete in a national test to test their knowledge of economics prior to the AP exams. That means they get to review the microeconomics and macroeconomics materials and better prepare for the exams. Over the years every student who has completed has scored a 4 or 5 on both exams (passing scores for advance college placement).

- My students who competed last year enjoyed the experience so much that they are starting a club, specifically designed to prepare for the challenge. I was skeptical, however they have over 40 people signed up. This is a first for Westview".

Rick Bortnick, Westview High School, Hillsboro

“Participating in the Econ Challenge required me to understand how the economic principles I learned before apply to the real world and how real data can reflect them. I enjoyed the process of encountering a difficult problem and struggling with my teammates. Competing as a team gave me the opportunity to see how others interpret questions and learn from each other”.

Ella, A student at OR Episcopal School, Portland

Adam Smith Division 2024 - 2025 Winners

Econquistadors

Lake Oswego High School

Teacher; Daniel Eizyck

Adam Smith Division 2024 - 2025 Runners up

Drapers

Westview High School

Teacher; Thomas LeFor

David Ricardo Division 2024 - 2025 Winners

Sunset High School

Teacher; Rebecca Taylor

For more information

Please send email to; contact@econoregon.org

Personal Finance Challenge

The Personal Finance Challenge (PFC) is an Oregon competition and serves as the State qualifier for the nationwide competition, the National Personal Finance Challenge (NPFC).

The competition offers high school students the opportunity to build and demonstrate their knowledge in the concepts of good Personal Finance habits.

The first round is the local competition. Schools form student teams of 3 – 4 students to compete in a fun online 30-question challenge. There are two qualifying windows – teams may only compete in one of the qualifiers:
Fall Qualifier: January 2026

Spring Qualifier: March 2026

The four highest-scoring teams will be invited to the state finals in April. The state finals are in person and use a College Bowl format (oral contest). Teams should only attend the State Finals round if they are able to represent Oregon in the National Finals the last weekend of May.

OCEE will sponsor travel for the First Place team to and from the National competition. CEE sponsors all costs at the Finals competition.

The Oregon State Champions will proceed to the National competition (held in person), where teams use their knowledge to create a financial plan for a fictitious family scenario. The top 16 finishing teams in the National Finals will advance to compete for the national championship title in a Quiz Bowl.

Topics covered include;

Earning Income

How it’s generated and how factors such as taxes, interest rates, and inflation impact income.

Spending

Buying goods and services by examining personal budgets, expenses, and income.

Saving

Analyzing compound interest and financial institutions and services.

Managing Credit

Credit reports, credit scores, and decision-making through consumer credit.

Investing

Various investment instruments, including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Students will also understand the concepts of risk and return and time horizon.

Managing Risk

Different types of insurance and vigilance against common scams and identity theft.

How to prepare for the PFC;

We strongly suggest going to this website; https://www.councilforeconed.org/programs/for-students/national-personal-finance-challenge/to prepare for the PFC.

Registering for the PFC:

If you are interested in participating, registration opens January 1, 2026. Go to; https://www.councilforeconed.org/programs/for-students/national-personal-finance-challenge/to register (and scroll down).

For more information about Personal Finance Challenge contact OCEE at; contact@econoregon.org.