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About this exam

The Panhellenic Economics & Informatics examination is a Greek national-level admissions assessment for candidates seeking entry to university departments that combine economics with computing and information systems. It is aimed at upper-secondary graduates who want a degree programme where economic reasoning and technical skill carry equal weight: applied economics, informatics, management science, or digital-economy tracks. Because places are allocated centrally through the national admissions system, your score matters mainly as a ranking instrument rather than as a professional certification.

The paper is multiple choice and spans seven declared areas: microeconomics and macroeconomics together carry the largest share, followed by statistics and econometrics, computer science fundamentals, and programming with algorithms; databases and information systems, plus quantitative methods and applications, complete the syllabus. Expect quantitative items that reward precision under time pressure rather than essay-style argument.

Preparation works best in two layers. First, consolidate the economic theory and the mathematics that underpins it, since statistics and quantitative items assume fluency in algebra and graph reading. Second, practise computational thinking: tracing short algorithms, reading pseudocode, interpreting schema diagrams, and reasoning about complexity. Work through past-style exercises under timed conditions, keep an error log by topic, and revisit weak areas weekly. Confirm the current syllabus, question count, and duration with the official examining body, since these are published by that authority and change between cycles.

What you'll study

Common questions

About Panhellenic Economics & Informatics preparation

Who sets and administers the examination?

It is organised within Greece's national examination and admissions framework, under the ministry responsible for education, with subject matter defined by the official syllabus. Always check the ministry's examination pages and the current year's candidate instructions, because administrative details and subject weighting are republished each cycle.

What is the format of the paper?

It is a multiple-choice examination. Every question has a single correct option, so there is no partial credit and no written justification. That makes careful reading and elimination skills as valuable as raw knowledge, particularly in economics items where two options can look plausible.

How many questions are there and how long do I get?

The official body publishes the current question count and duration for each examination cycle. Do not rely on figures from previous years or on forum posts. Download the current official instructions and build your practice timing around those published numbers.

How difficult is it compared with school work?

Questions sit at or slightly above final-year school level and combine concepts across areas, so a single item may require both an economic argument and a calculation. The difficulty comes from breadth and speed rather than from obscure content. Consistent, timed practice on standard exercises closes most of the gap.

Can I retake the examination?

Retake and re-sit rules are set by the official examining authority and can differ between cycles, for example for candidates repeating the national examinations. Consult the current official regulations rather than assuming a fixed policy, and note any deadlines for declaring your intention to participate again.

In what order should I study the seven areas?

Start with microeconomics and macroeconomics, since they carry the largest weight and supply context for later topics. Add the algebra and graph skills that statistics needs, then move to statistics, computer science fundamentals, programming and algorithms, databases, and finally quantitative applications, which draw on everything else.

What causes most lost marks?

Three patterns dominate: weak arithmetic under time pressure, misreading a question stem that asks for the exception or the false statement, and shallow algorithm tracing where candidates guess output instead of stepping through the code. A weekly error log that records why each mistake happened fixes these faster than extra reading.

Do I need to know a specific programming language?

Questions typically test concepts and pseudocode rather than the syntax of one language: loops, conditionals, arrays, recursion, searching, sorting, and basic complexity. Being fluent in one language helps you trace code confidently, but memorising library functions is not the priority.

How should I prepare for the database and information systems part?

Focus on reading entity-relationship diagrams, mapping them to relational tables, writing simple selections and joins, and understanding keys and normal forms at an introductory level. Practise interpreting a schema you have never seen and predicting the rows a query returns.

Where do I find official dates, fees, and results?

All of these are published by the official examining body and the ministry responsible for education. Use their official websites for registration windows, examination dates, fees, result announcements, and the current syllabus, and treat any third-party summary as secondary until you have verified it against the official source.