What is the source of the economic problem?
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory A: Scarcity, choice and opportunity cost
HKDSE Economics · HKDSE Economics
Free HKDSE Economics practice questions (all compulsory and elective topics)
Fifteen Paper 1 style multiple-choice questions spread across the ten compulsory topics and all four elective topics, so one sitting shows you which topic is weakest rather than just how you did. Every question is original, written to the topic framework in the EDB Curriculum and Assessment Guide, with an explanation under each. Paper structure and the 2028 changes are on the HKDSE Economics exam page; the full bank of 304 questions is in the revision app.
Practice
Free practice questions
Which form of business ownership carries unlimited liability for its owner?
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory B: Limited and unlimited liability
The law of demand states that, other things being equal,
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory C: Law of Demand
In economics, a market is best defined as
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory D: Definition of market
A market outcome is efficient when
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory E: Conditions for efficiency
Which of the following is NOT one of the three approaches to measuring GDP?
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory F: Three approaches to measure GDP
The aggregate demand curve slopes downward, showing that a lower price level goes with
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory G: Reasons for a downward sloping AD curve
In economics, money is best defined as
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory H: Definition of money
A business cycle describes
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory I: Business cycles
A country has an absolute advantage in producing a good when it can
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory J: Absolute and comparative advantage
A simple monopoly maximises profit by producing where
Based on: DSE Econ Elective 1: Determination of price, output and monopoly profit
An agreement between competing sellers to fix prices is
Based on: DSE Econ Elective 1: Major forms of anti-competitive practices
A production possibilities frontier shows
Based on: DSE Econ Elective 2: Illustration with the production possibilities frontier
Economic growth is most commonly measured by changes in
Based on: DSE Econ Elective 2: Measurement of economic growth
Which of the following is a free good?
Based on: DSE Econ Compulsory A: Free and economic goods
What Paper 1 actually rewards
Paper 1 is worth 30 percent for one hour of work, which makes it the best-value hour in the subject, and it is won on precision rather than depth. The multiple-choice format punishes the near-miss definition: knowing roughly what elasticity means will not separate the option that says total revenue rises from the one that says it falls. Work through the questions below by ruling out three options rather than recognising one, and note which ones you ruled out by feel instead of by reason.
The confusions that cost the most marks
Most lost marks in HKDSE Economics come from a small set of near-synonyms that the exam deliberately separates. If any of these reads as new, that topic is where your revision should start.
- Positive and normative: a positive statement can be tested against evidence, a normative one contains a value judgement. Neither has to be true.
- Change in demand and change in quantity demanded: the whole curve shifts for the first, you move along it for the second.
- Economies of scale and diseconomies of scale: both are long run, both are about average cost, and they turn at the lowest point of the long run average cost curve.
- Nominal and real: real figures have had the price level taken out, so real GDP can fall in a year when nominal GDP rises.
- Money supply and monetary base: the base is what the authority issues, the supply is what the banking system creates on top of it.
- Absolute and comparative advantage: trade gains come from comparative advantage, that is from lower opportunity cost, not from being better at everything.
Why the compulsory topics carry the electives
The four elective topics build directly on compulsory material: monopoly pricing extends market structure, competition policy extends the role of government, extension of trade theory extends international trade, and growth and development extends measurement of economic performance. A student who is shaky on the compulsory topic will not rescue it by revising the elective on top. If your practice shows a weak compulsory topic, fix that before touching its elective, whichever elective you sit.
Not affiliated with the HKEAA or the EDB
RiverMap Learning is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, the Education Bureau or the Curriculum Development Council. Every question here is original and written to the publicly available topic framework; no past paper, marking scheme or textbook text is reproduced. The topic labels shown under each answer are our own description of what the question tests.
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Multiple-choice | Conventional paper |
| Duration | 1 hour | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Weighting | 30 percent | 70 percent |
| From the 2028 exam | Unchanged | Three sections: A short questions 26 percent, B structured and essay 33 percent, C elective 11 percent |
| School-based assessment | None | None |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on this free HKDSE Economics page?
Fifteen, spread across the ten compulsory topics and all four elective topics, so every part of the framework is represented. Each comes with a full explanation of why the right answer is right. The complete bank of 304 questions, plus 193 flashcards, a one-page note for every topic and the diagram questions, is in the RiverMap Learning HKDSE Economics revision app.
Are these real HKDSE past paper questions?
No. Every question is original, written by RiverMap Learning to the publicly available topic framework in the EDB Curriculum and Assessment Guide. HKEAA past papers and marking schemes are copyright material and none of that text is reproduced. The format follows Paper 1, one question with four options, so the practice transfers even though the wording is our own.
Is there school-based assessment in HKDSE Economics?
No. HKDSE Economics is assessed entirely by public examination, in both the current design and the 2028 one. Paper 1 is multiple-choice at 30 percent and Paper 2 is a conventional paper at 70 percent, and between them they carry the whole subject grade.
Do you have to take the Elective Part of HKDSE Economics?
From Secondary 4 in the 2025/26 school year, which is the 2028 HKDSE, students may choose to study the Compulsory Part only. The Curriculum and Assessment Guide notes that strong performance on the Compulsory Part questions can still reach Level 5, and that candidates with the same score receive the same grade whether or not they answered the Elective Part.
How many multiple-choice questions are in HKDSE Economics Paper 1?
The Curriculum and Assessment Guide does not fix a number. It fixes the 30 percent weighting and the one-hour duration only. Any specific figure you see quoted comes from a particular past year rather than from the Guide, so check the Regulations and Assessment Frameworks the HKEAA publishes for the year you are sitting.
Did the 2025 update change what HKDSE Economics covers?
No. The 2025 update to the Curriculum and Assessment Guide changed the assessment design, that is the structure of Paper 2 from the 2028 examination and the optional status of the Elective Part. The topic framework and the suggested lesson time for every compulsory topic are unchanged, so content written to the topic framework remains current.