From the desk
Updates, syllabus notes and preparation guidance for the International Economics Olympiad — written by our mentors. New pieces land through the season.
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The Maths You Actually Need for the IEO: Eight Calculation Families and the Five Errors That Cost Most Marks
Not competition mathematics: eight families of applied arithmetic executed cleanly under time pressure - plus the five slips that quietly destroy correct reasoning.
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Your Real Odds at Each IEO Stage: The Hard Gate Is the Team Seat, Not the Medal
At the 2025 final, 133 medals were shared among 258 competitors. But those seats were split across 52 countries at up to five each. The real filter sits upstream.
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The IEO’s Hidden Barrier Is the English – and It Is Not the Vocabulary You Think
The English that costs IEO marks is not hard words. It is ordinary-looking phrases with exact technical meanings. Three examples from 2026, and a method for building the habit.
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What the IEO Is Testing Now: A Topic Drift Map from 2024 to 2026
Which IEO topics are stable, which are growing, and which have faded across 2024 to 2026 - plus the rule that stops you over-fitting to last year's paper.
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The 2026 IEO Paper Changed Shape: A Merged Multiple-Choice Paper and Open Questions That Now Demand Maths
Our coaches' reading of the 2026 round: one merged 40-question multiple-choice paper where there had been two, and four of five open questions turning on calculation. What that changes for your prep.
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From IB, AP and A-Level Economics to the IEO: What Your School Syllabus Leaves Out
IB, AP and A-Level Economics each cover part of what the IEO tests. Here is the honest delta for each course, and how to close it before your round.
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How a Team Actually Reaches the IEO: Sending Organizations, Deadlines and What It Costs
You cannot enter the IEO's national-team MainTrack as an individual. A Sending Organization applies, selects and funds the team. Here are the 2026 deadlines, costs and rules.
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IEO Eligibility, Decoded: The Two Tests You Must Pass and How Many Cycles You Get
IEO 2026 set two eligibility tests for its national-team MainTrack: born after 30 June 2006, and working toward a high school diploma as of 1 December 2025.
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Two Economics Olympiads, One Acronym: Which “IEO” Are You Actually Entering?
Two separate, legitimate international economics competitions are both commonly called the IEO. They have different founders, different Nobel laureates behind them, different finals venues and different China entry routes. Here is how to tell in about thirty seconds which one you are looking at.