Is AP Microeconomics easy or hard? We reveal the AP Micro difficulty rating, based on a unique combination of 2023 pass rate data, and 3,160 class reviews from real AP alumnae collected by r/APStudents.
Is AP Microeconomics Easy Or Hard?
AP Microeconomics is considered quite easy, with class alumnae rating it 4.5/10 for overall difficulty (the 20th-most-difficult out of the 28 large AP classes surveyed).
The pass rate is about average vs other AP classes, with 66% graduating with a 3 or higher.
AP Microeconomics is a relatively small class (96,000 entries last year), and 98% would recommend the class.
AP Micro alumnae reviewers found the class enjoyable, easy and had a large focus on memorization and graphs.
You can see how AP Microeconomics compares to other classes for difficulty in the below chart:
We’ve highlighted AP Micro and related economics classes (Macroeconomics) only – to see the full version of this chart, check out our article ranking ALL the AP classes from easy to hard.
You can read more about AP Macroeconomics here.
How Difficult Is AP Micro – As Rated By Class Alumnae
AP Microeconomics is considered quite easy, with class alumnae rating it 4.5/10 for overall difficulty, making it the 20th-most-difficult out of the 28 large AP classes surveyed.
What Is the AP Microeconomics Pass Rate 2023?
The AP Micro 2023 pass rate was about average vs other AP classes, at 66%.
The percentage of students attaining a 1, 2 or 5 was about average. 22% of students gained a 3, and 26% achieved a 4 – the highest percentage of candidates.
AP Micro Pass Rate / Score Distribution Over Time: 2023, 2022, 2021 …
The AP Microeconomics score distribution varied significantly over the past 5 years. There was a notable drop in the 2021 pass rate by 9%, and it fell again in 2022 to just 57%. However, 2023 saw the a much higher pass rate at 66%.
Is AP Microeconomics Time Consuming To Study: As Rated By Alumnae
AP Micro is rated as quite low study time required relative to other AP classes.
A survey of AP alumnae asked for a rating out of 10 for time needed to study each class, with 1 = least time needed, 10 = most time. The average rating for AP Microeconomics was 4.5/10 (vs the average across all AP classes of 5.4/10).
Is AP Micro Easy or Hard To Self-Study
AP Microeconomics is rated as very easy to self-study relative to other AP classes.
A survey of AP alumnae asked for a rating out of 10 for how easy each class is to self study, with 1 = easiest to self study, 10 = hardest to self study. The average rating for AP Microeconomics was 4.0/10 (vs the average across all AP classes of 5.7/10).
How Hard Is AP Microeconomics: 24 Real Alumnae Share Their Experiences
If you’re looking forward to taking AP Micro, it’s important to take both the positive and negative feedback in context. There are multiple factors that could contribute to a great or poor experience of the class, such as a particularly weak teacher and your personal preferences as a learner.
A remarkable 98% of AP Microeconomics alumnae would recommend the class.
AP Micro alumnae reviews focus on course enjoyment and difficulty, the practicalities of self-studying, and the importance of memorization and graphs for exam success.
1. Many students found AP Micro easy and enjoyable
“This is a great course, have fun with it!” – Score: 4
“This class was ridiculously easy for me. It’s mostly just memorization and knowing how to use graphs.” – Score: 5
“I took this class on Florida Virtual School within only a month over the summer. The class was super easy and the concepts were pleasant and smooth to learn. Students usually have the biggest issue with Unit 3 (cost curves) and get really frustrated about then (according to my teacher). But do not give up! Its so much easier after that! Use ACDC Econ– it will be you saving grace.” – Score: 4
2. Students disagree about whether the concepts in AP Micro are intuitive or not
“Some found the concepts to be hard to grasp. I thought it was intuitive and, therefore, easy.” – Score: 5
“Once you understand a concept, it will be very easy to remember and apply. There are some concepts that will seem counter intuitive at first though. Lots of the basic principles are very easy.” – Score: 5
“Honestly it took me so long to grasp because I couldn’t understand why everything is the way that it is. You just have to accept it and memorize the graphs. there’s not a lot of rhyme or reason to it.” – Score: 4
3. AP Micro is a great course to self study
“I self-studied this class since I realized I needed credit for this in college. It really did not take a ton of time and Mr. Clifford (ACDCecon) made his videos super easy to follow and straight forward. I did it in 2 months or so on a very light schedule and basically just filled out the packet and did 2 or 3 practice tests! Was a pretty chill and fun time :)” – Score: 5
What Does It Take To Succeed: How To Study For The AP Micro Exam
What is AP Microeconomics? Course Outline & Requirements
According to College Board:
The AP Microeconomics course introduces students to “the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual decision-makers, both consumers and producers, within the economic system.”
There are no prerequisites for AP Micro, and students should be able to read college-level textbooks.
The course is often taken in tandem with AP Macroeconomics.
Each course “corresponds to one semester of a typical introductory college course in economics”. Whereas AP Micro focuses on individual decision-makers, AP Macro “focuses on the principles that apply to an economic system as a whole”.
You will develop skills in:
- Developing economic models and principles
- Explaining and determining economic outcomes from specific situations
- Visualizing economic situations using graphs and visual representations
The exam consists of one 2 hour 10 minute exam, with 66.65% (70 minutes) given to 60 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and 33.35% (60 minutes) given to three free-response questions.
For more details, see: College Board’s AP Microeconomics course page.
Examiners’ Reviews: Takeaways From AP [SUBJECT] Test Assessors
College Board released the following official comments about the 2021 exam results:
- “AP Microeconomics students’ strongest unit was Unit 3, Production, Cost, and the Perfect Competition Model. 20% of students answered virtually every question about this unit correctly.”
- “AP Microeconomics students’ most imperfect unit was, fittingly, Unit 4, Imperfect Competition. 22% of students answered 75% of questions about this unit incorrectly.”
- “Of the four “big ideas” of AP Microeconomics, students earned far and away the best scores on questions about Costs, Benefits, and Marginal Analysis. 24% of students earned a perfect score on questions about this big idea.”
- “The most challenging was Market Inefficiency and Public Policy, the only one of the 4 big ideas for which the average was less than 50% correct answers.”
For best results, you may therefore want to consider investing a little extra study time in the “Imperfect Competition” unit, and “Market Inefficiency and Public Policy” big idea.
For more details, see: College Board’s AP Microeconomics 2021 exam results page.
How To (Self) Study AP Micro: Advice From Class Alumnae
Memorizing the graphs and practicing past tests are a great help – especially for FRQs
“I would just say use common sense as much as you can, learn opportunity cost well (cause it’s the basis of pretty much all of micro) and memorize the few graphs that are in micro and how to label them’ – Score: 3
“DO all the ap frqs from the college board website. I did 10 years of frqs of form As and Bs until the point that I started to feel like the questions are the same. They are pretty much the same” – Score: 5
There are some great (online) resources available
“Use Professor Clifford to get a solid understanding (if you only watch his videos, you’ll get a 3 or 4). Then, just go over the barrons, or whatever textbook you have, for that stretch for a 5.” – Score: 5
“The College Board YouTube viewers are a lifesaver. Barron’s alone does not contain enough material for you to feel completely comfortable with the exam. Sitting down and watching almost all of the AP Micro videos with Mr. Pedlow taught me so much more things that Barron’s failed to cover.” – Score: 5
“ACDC Econ is a lifesaver for this class. I had a really good teacher but he explained stuff better and faster than my teacher ever could. Even if you have a bad teacher you could still do well if you watch his videos.” – Score: 5
Best books and test prep resources for AP Microeconomics
The most popular textbook for test prep and review for AP Micro is Barron’s, used by 39% of students. It has an average rating of 4.7/5.0 from reviewers on Amazon.com.
Bear in mind that several of the test prep textbooks for Micro encompass both Microeconomics and its sister class Macroeconomics.
Other popular AP Micro test prep / review books and resources for include:
- Princeton Review
- 5 Steps To A 5
- Jacob Clifford’s AC DC Youtube channel (Micro playlist)
Where next?
Find out how AP Microeconomics compares to other classes: click here for an overview of all AP Classes ranked by difficulty, from easiest to hardest.
Or check out how other economics courses are rated with our analysis of Is AP Macroeconomics Hard or Easy?
Wishing you every success in the class!
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