AP Microeconomics
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ExploreAbout this exam
AP Microeconomics is a College Board Advanced Placement exam that assesses how well you understand the economic concepts covered in the AP Microeconomics course. According to College Board, the exam tests your ability to define economic principles and models, explain given economic outcomes, determine outcomes of specific economic situations, and model economic situations using graphs or visual representations. It is intended for students who have taken the AP Microeconomics course, though the exam is open to any student preparing for it. The exam is hybrid digital: you complete multiple-choice questions and view free-response questions in the Bluebook testing app, then handwrite your free-response answers in paper exam booklets. A four-function calculator is permitted on both sections. The exam runs 2 hours 10 minutes and is divided into a multiple-choice section and a free-response section. Preparation should center on the AP Microeconomics Course and Exam Description, practice in Bluebook, and past free-response questions with scoring information available through AP Central.
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About AP Microeconomics preparation
How long is the AP Microeconomics exam?
The exam lasts 2 hours 10 minutes in total. Section I (multiple choice) is 1 hour 10 minutes, and Section II (free response) is 1 hour, which includes a 10-minute reading period. Your AP coordinator will tell you when and where the exam will be administered.
What is the exam format?
It is a hybrid digital exam. You complete multiple-choice questions and view free-response questions in the Bluebook testing app, then handwrite your free-response answers in paper exam booklets that are returned for scoring. A four-function calculator is permitted on both sections.
How many questions are on each section?
Section I contains 60 multiple-choice questions and counts for 66% of your score. Section II contains 3 free-response questions and counts for 33%: one long question worth 50% of the section score and two short questions worth 25% each.
What skills does the multiple-choice section test?
Questions require economics content knowledge and reasoning across the range of course topics and skills. You will be asked to define economic principles and models, explain given economic outcomes, and determine the outcomes of specific economic situations.
What will I be asked to do on the free-response section?
You will make assertions about economic concepts, principles, models, outcomes, and effects; explain them; perform numerical analysis and calculations; create graphs or visual representations; and answer questions about given graphs and visuals.
Can I use a calculator?
Yes. A four-function calculator is permitted for use on both sections of the exam. Check the AP Exams Calculator Policy for the list of calculators approved for this course before exam day.
When is the exam offered?
The AP Microeconomics exam is scheduled for Tue, May 4, 2027, Session 2. Your AP coordinator will tell you when and where the exam will be administered, so confirm details with them rather than relying on the published date alone.
How should I prepare?
Use the AP Microeconomics Course and Exam Description as your core document, practice in the Bluebook app to get familiar with the digital format, and review free-response questions and scoring information from past exams on AP Central. If you are enrolled, AP Classroom assignments and progress checks give you feedback along the way.
What is the most common mistake in preparation?
Neglecting graph work. The exam explicitly asks you to create graphs or visual representations and to answer questions about given graphs, on top of numerical calculations. Practicing labeled, correctly drawn graphs and the calculations behind them is more valuable than memorizing definitions alone.