Competitions · Business and economics · EAC
EAC, the Economics Asia Convention.
Twenty places on the Chinese team, in four teams of five. Then seven days in Tokyo - an economics paper, a business case roadshow, and a course at the University of Tokyo.
At a glance
What the convention is.
EAC was founded jointly by the Japanese and Macau organising committees of the International Economics Olympiad and by the body that established IEO in China, together with academic specialists from the University of Tokyo, the University of Hong Kong and other institutions. The first international EAC was held in Tokyo in March 2024.
- Who can enter
- Students in grade 12 and below with a solid economics foundation and a real interest in economics, business or finance
- How you enter
- Individually, through a national team selection test
- National team
- Twenty places for China, formed into four teams of five
- The selection test
- An online written paper of 30 multiple-choice questions, four marks each, with no penalty for a wrong or blank answer - 120 marks in total
- Duration
- Given as 150 minutes in one place and 1.5 hours in another. Confirm before the day
- Language
- English
- Weighting
- Economics 70%, business 15%, finance 15%
- When
- Registration closes in late January, the selection test falls on a Saturday afternoon in February, and the international event runs for seven days in late April
- Where
- Tokyo. The first convention was held at the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center, the site of the 1964 Games
- What is supplied
- An academic syllabus, sample questions, online tutorial courses and extended reading
The route
A paper, a squad, a fortnight of training, then Tokyo.
EAC is not a competition you simply enter. It is a selection followed by a programme, and the whole sequence runs across three months.
February - the selection test
Thirty multiple-choice questions in English, weighted toward economics with business and finance alongside. This is the only competitive filter.
Late February - the squad forms
Four teams of five are assembled from the results. Twenty students in total represent China.
April - two weeks of training
Online courses covering frontier economics, business analysis and international communication, alongside the domestic phase of designing the team business case.
Late April - seven days in Tokyo
An economics test, the team business case roadshow, a course at the University of Tokyo, and cultural exchange with the awards ceremony at the close.
What happens in Tokyo
Four components, and one of them is a university course.
A seven-day convention rather than a weekend competition, which changes what a place is worth.
The economics test
An individual written assessment, sat during the convention rather than as a qualifier for it.
The Business Case Challenge
A team roadshow. Preparation begins in the domestic training phase, so teams arrive in Tokyo with work already under way rather than starting from a brief on the day.
A University of Tokyo course
Teaching at one of Asia’s leading universities, built into the week. Very few school competitions include actual university instruction.
And a genuinely regional field
The first convention drew IEO representatives and finance and business students from Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Singapore.
The award bands
Four bands, applied twice.
The online level test produces both an individual and a team ranking, on the same four bands.
| Band | Where you must place |
|---|---|
| High Distinction | Top 10% |
| Distinction | Top 10% to 30% |
| Merit | Top 30% to 50% |
| Participant | Below 50% |
Every student receives an electronic certificate whatever the band. Note that the source describes a team ranking for a test it elsewhere states is entered individually - worth confirming how the two interact. At the China stage, the advanced economics assessment awards a champion and first and second runners-up on individual score.
EAC and IEO
Same family, different proposition.
EAC was founded by IEO committees, so the two are related - but they are not the same kind of event.
IEO is the olympiad
One of thirteen international science olympiads, founded by a Nobel laureate, with more than sixty-five countries competing and a route to a national team.
EAC is a regional convention
Asia-Pacific in scope, seven days long, and as much a programme as a contest - training, a university course and cultural exchange alongside the competition.
And the gate is narrower
Twenty places for China in four teams of five, decided by a single thirty-question paper. That is a tighter filter than most competitions here.
They fit together
A student building an economics profile can sit the IEO route and the EAC selection in the same year - the underlying preparation is the same.
Preparation
How Hanlin prepares students for EAC.
One paper decides everything, and its weighting is published - which makes it unusually plannable.
Preparing to the published weighting
Economics 70%, business 15%, finance 15%. Most students prepare economics and neglect the other 30%, which is where marks are cheapest.
Practising at pace
Thirty questions with no penalty for a wrong answer means every question should be attempted. Timed practice makes that automatic.
Using the supplied syllabus
The organisers publish an academic syllabus, sample questions and reading. Working from those beats general economics revision.
And preparing for the case, if selected
The business case begins during domestic training and is presented in Tokyo. A team that treats the training fortnight as preparation rather than as instruction arrives further ahead.
Why Hanlin
Preparation for EAC at Hanlin is taught by full-time subject tutors, on a course tier chosen by placement paper rather than by year group.
Programme formats
Five ways this is taught.
Group size is the whole difference between these. It decides how much of the tutor's attention a student gets and how far the course can bend to them, so it is worth choosing rather than accepting.
| Format | Group size | What it suits |
|---|---|---|
| One-to-one | One student | Content, pace and emphasis set by what this student actually needs rather than by a syllabus. The only format that can be rebuilt mid-course. |
| Small group | Three to eight | Opens at three. Frequent discussion, and the tutor can slow down or move on according to what the group has absorbed. Most students chasing a higher award are taught in this one. |
| Class | Eight to twelve | Taught by the subject lead or a medal coach. Less back-and-forth, so it suits a student who will say when something is unclear. |
| Large class | Ten to twenty | For students in the middle of the placement range, and a way to try a competition before committing. Students often move to a small group or to one-to-one afterwards. |
| Past-paper class | No cap | Past papers worked through in sequence in the weeks before the sitting. Free to students already enrolled. |
Course length for EAC is set after a placement paper. The gap between where a student is and what the paper asks for is what the course has to close, and that gap is not the same for two students in the same year group.
How it runs
Six steps, four people on your side.
The same process for every student, so that nothing depends on one tutor remembering to do it.
Step 1Pre-course assessment
A placement paper before anything is booked, so the course tier is chosen on evidence rather than on a year group.
Step 2Tutor matching
A subject tutor is matched to the result, and their full background is provided before you agree to it.
Step 3Plan and group
A study group opens with four people on one student: the tutor, a planner, a supervisor and an academic manager.
Step 4Scheduled teaching
The teaching office sets the timetable around the competition date and school term, and teaching begins.
Step 5After-class reports
What was covered, and how the student handled it, reported after every lesson.
Step 6Homework follow-up
The teaching assistant and the form teacher both check that homework is done, which is where most preparation quietly fails.
Free resource pack
Case and submission pack
The same material our own EAC students work from. Scan the code, say what you need, and an advisor sends it.
Tell an advisor which competition and year group, and the material comes back the same day. Free, and you do not have to enrol in anything. If we do not already hold what you need, we will go and find it.
- PDFPast cases and question sets
- PDFA worked example of a full submission
- PDFEvent categories and the judging criteria, broken down
- PDFEntry checklist and the dates for the current cycle
Teaching team
Who would teach it.
Three of the twenty-two tutors on the published Hanlin roster - the ones whose subject this is.
Bai
Master's in social entrepreneurship from Hult International Business School in San Francisco and a business administration degree from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, with an exchange at Texas A&M's Mays Business School. Accredited by the College Board, Cambridge International and the IBO, a certified intermediate economist, and a judge at the 2020 Diamond Challenge global final and the 2021 NEC China final.
Zhang
Master's in engineering management from NYU and a double degree in finance and supply-chain management from Syracuse. Nearly nine years overseas and in finance, including at a well-known venture firm - experience that feeds scenario-based teaching. College Board-accredited.
Jiang
Master's in business analytics from the Schulich School of Business, a finance and business economics degree from York University and a software engineering degree from the Harbin Institute of Technology. Years in North America, university teaching before returning, and long experience across the whole economics curriculum.
Student results
What Hanlin students got.
Taken from Hanlin's published record of student honours and rewritten in English. Figures are as the organisers reported them.
EAC
- 2025One High Distinction, placing in the top 10%, one Distinction, and 2 students advancing to the international round
The full record, across every subject and year, is on the student honours page.
Where it is taught
Hanlin learning centres.
Teaching runs from Hanlin's own centres in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Hangzhou, and online for students elsewhere.
Talk to an advisor
Everything Hanlin does for EAC, in one conversation.
Entry, planning, coaching and the past papers. An advisor will tell you which of these a student actually needs, including when the answer is none of them.
Competition entry and planning
Which competitions suit this student, in what order, and by when - then we handle the registration, including the ones that can only be entered through a school or a centre.
Competition coaching
Taught by full-time subject tutors, on a course tier chosen by placement paper rather than by year group.
International curriculum tutoring
IB, AP, A-Level, IGCSE and the US high school curriculum, taught alongside school and timed around the exam calendar.
Competition past papers, free
A large library of past papers, mark schemes and syllabus breakdowns across every competition on this site. No charge and no enrolment.
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EAC, briefly answered.
What students and families ask before entering.
Who can enter?
Students in grade 12 and below with a solid economics foundation and a strong interest in economics, business or finance. Registration is individual.
How many places are there?
Twenty for China, formed into four teams of five, decided by the national team selection test.
What is the selection test?
An online written paper of thirty multiple-choice questions in English, four marks each with no penalty for a wrong or blank answer, for 120 marks in total. Weighted economics 70%, business 15%, finance 15%.
How long is the test?
The source gives 150 minutes in one place and 1.5 hours in another, so confirm with the organiser before the day.
What happens if I am selected?
The squad forms in late February, trains through the first two weeks of April with online courses in frontier economics, business analysis and international communication, and designs the domestic phase of the team business case.
What happens in Tokyo?
Seven days in late April: an economics test, the team business case roadshow, a course at the University of Tokyo, cultural exchange, and the awards ceremony.
What awards are given?
High Distinction for the top 10%, Distinction for 10% to 30%, Merit for 30% to 50% and Participant below that, applied to both individual and team rankings. Every student receives an electronic certificate.
Who founded EAC?
The Japanese and Macau organising committees of the International Economics Olympiad, together with the body that established IEO in China, and academic specialists from the University of Tokyo, the University of Hong Kong and other institutions.
Is it related to IEO?
It was founded by IEO committees and draws IEO representatives from across the region, but it is a seven-day Asia-Pacific convention rather than an olympiad. The underlying preparation is the same.
Related
Other business and economics competitions.
What students enter alongside EAC.
EAC enquiries
Thirty questions decide twenty places.
One paper in February selects the four teams that go to Tokyo, and its weighting is published - economics, business and finance in a 70-15-15 split. Tell us what the student has studied and an advisor will map the preparation.