Reach a 5 in AP Economics with one-on-one tutoring — Micro and Macro
One-on-one AP Economics tutoring programme. In a free initial consultation we assess your level and agree the plan and the exact price together. Parents and students are both welcome to reach out.
What is the AP Economics exam?
AP Economics consists of the College Board's two university-level economics courses for high-school students: AP Microeconomics, which examines the decisions of individual consumers, firms and markets, and AP Macroeconomics, which covers national income, inflation, unemployment, monetary and fiscal policy. They are separate exams, each equivalent to a one-semester introductory university course, and can be taken in either order or together in the same year. At Studrise we offer one-on-one online tutoring for each.
An AP Economics score is a strong signal in applications to economics, business, finance, political science and public policy programs; taking Micro and Macro together is the most common and most effective combination for economics and business applicants. The courses do not require advanced math — the real skill is thinking in graphs and building clear chains of cause and effect. A high score strengthens your application and earns credit or exemption from introductory economics courses at many universities.
Our AP Economics subjects
Each subject below has its own one-on-one prep program. Pick yours to see the format, scoring and curriculum.
AP Microeconomics
Supply and demand, elasticity, costs and market structures; the decisions of consumers and firms. Graph-heavy; the foundation for business and economics.
AP Macroeconomics
National income, inflation, unemployment, the AD-AS model, monetary and fiscal policy, the open economy. Policy-chain heavy; for finance and public policy.
Why prepare for AP Economics with Studrise?
Exam-focused expert tutors
Every lesson is taught by expert tutors who know the AP Economics format inside out and focus on exam strategy.
A plan built around you
After your level assessment, we build a personal roadmap around your strengths and weak spots.
Flexible 1:1 schedule
Lessons run online and one-on-one on days and times that suit you — no clashes with school.
A clear start
It starts with a free initial consultation: level, plan and price are settled before the programme begins.
How it works
Free initial consultation
A short call and assessment to clarify your current level, your goal and your exam date.
Personal roadmap
We build a topic-by-topic weekly study plan and match you with the right tutor.
Reach your goal with 1:1 lessons
Start one-on-one lessons with your tutor and track progress with regular practice tests.
AP Economics exam format
The two exams have exactly the same structure — only the content differs:
Shared structure
Each exam 2 hours 10 minutes · 60 multiple choice (70 min, two-thirds of the score) + 3 FRQs: 1 long, 2 short (60 min, one-third)
AP Microeconomics
Supply and demand, elasticity, consumer and producer behaviour, costs, market structures, factor markets, market failure
AP Macroeconomics
National income and price level, the AD-AS model, money and banking, monetary and fiscal policy, long-run growth, the open economy
Tools and format
Four-function calculator allowed · drawing and labelling graphs is central to the FRQs · digital in Bluebook since 2025
AP Economics topics
The topic areas on the exam and their weight. Lessons don't follow this order — we start from the area that will move your score the most.
Shared foundation (Unit 1 in both courses)
Micro 12–15% · Macro 5–10%
- Scarcity, opportunity cost, the production possibilities curve
- Comparative advantage and gains from trade
- Supply, demand and market equilibrium
- Price ceilings/floors, taxes and subsidies
- Elasticity
AP Microeconomics
6 units · firms and markets
- Consumer choice and marginal utility
- Production costs and perfect competition
- Monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition, game theory
- Factor markets: labour demand, wages
- Market failure: externalities, public goods, income distribution
AP Macroeconomics
6 units · the economy as a whole
- GDP, unemployment, inflation and the business cycle
- Aggregate demand–aggregate supply (AD–AS) and multipliers
- Money, banking, the central bank and monetary policy
- Fiscal policy, the Phillips curve, long-run growth
- The open economy: exchange rates, balance of payments
Shared exam structure
2 h 10 min · separate days · no calculator
- 60 multiple choice, 70 minutes (66.7%)
- 3 FRQs, 60 minutes (33.3%): 1 long + 2 short
- Graph drawing and labelling is scored
- The two exams are on different days; both can be taken in one year
AP Economics question types and strategy
Each question type has its own approach. In lessons we work on these strategies alongside the content.
Micro or Macro, and which first?
About 15% of the content is shared (Unit 1); the rest uses different families of graphs. Micro is built on firms and market structures, Macro on AD–AS and policy.
Students aiming for business, finance or economics should take both; if only one, universities more often treat Micro as the prerequisite. Order: Micro (September–January) then Macro (February–May) fits in one year.
Multiple choice (60 questions, 70 min)
Two thirds of the exam. Graph reading, calculation (elasticity, multipliers, cost tables) and concept application; four options, no calculator.
Seventy seconds a question. In graph items identify the axes and the direction of the shift first; ignore variables outside "ceteris paribus". No penalty for wrong answers.
Long FRQ (1 question, 10 points)
A multi-step scenario: drawing and labelling a graph, a numerical calculation, the cause-and-effect chain of a policy change. Half of the 60-minute Section II goes here.
Axis labels, curve labels and the equilibrium point are scored separately on graphs; write all of them. In cause-and-effect parts build the chain with arrows (interest ↑ → investment ↓ → AD ↓) and state the direction of the variable in the final sentence.
Short FRQs (2 questions, 5 points)
Focused on one idea: interpreting a graph, a calculation (such as comparative advantage or the money multiplier), a policy outcome.
Finish the two short questions first (about 20 minutes), then move to the long one. Show working in calculations; a bare result earns no partial credit.
Scoring and target scores
Both exams are scored on a 1–5 scale; a 3 is generally treated as passing, while selective universities and business/economics programs expect a 4 or 5. The multiple-choice section makes up two-thirds of the score and the three free-response questions one-third; in the FRQs every correct graph element, model step and explanation earns separate points and partial credit is possible — a missing label or a wrong shift costs points. Credit policies vary: many universities recognise Micro and Macro separately as introductory course credit, and some grant exemption from a full-year economics course only when both are taken.
AP Economics suits students in grades 10–12 aiming for economics, business, finance or political science and does not require advanced math; percentages, ratios and simple algebra are enough. Both are one-semester courses: most students either take both in the same year or follow Micro first, then Macro — the supply-and-demand and graph logic from Micro makes the Macro models easier. The exams are in May; 4–6 months of steady work per course is enough for most students, and taking both in one year needs a balanced plan in the final 2–3 months before May. In the initial consultation we plan the order and the timeline together.
What we cover in AP Economics lessons
Course plan by goal: Micro, Macro or both in the same year
Basic economic concepts, opportunity cost and production possibilities
Supply and demand, elasticity, consumer/producer behaviour and market structures
National income, the AD-AS model, money and banking, monetary and fiscal policy
Factor markets, market failure, international trade and exchange rates
FRQ graph drawing and labelling, cause-and-effect chains, practice exams and error analysis
What sets the price of AP Economics tutoring?
There is no single list price; the fee depends on the programme. You get a clear quote in the consultation — nothing is added later.
Lessons per week
One, two or three lessons a week — set by the time until the exam and the score gap.
Total duration and package
Lessons are priced as a package; longer programmes lower the per-lesson cost.
Scope
One section (say, Math only) or the whole exam? A narrower scope means a shorter programme.
Tutor and level
The tutor you're matched with and your starting level shape the plan, and therefore the fee.
Adding coaching?
Coaching and application counselling is an optional, separately priced programme.
Every lesson you pay for is 1:1
No crowded classroom, no idle hours. Keep that in mind when comparing with group-course prices.
In the free initial consultation we assess your level, draw up the plan and give you the exact price. No surprises.
AP Micro and Macro: differences, order and university credit
Two complementary half-semester courses; together they match a year of college economics.
The College Board offers economics as two separate AP exams. AP Microeconomics covers the decisions of individuals and firms, market structures and government intervention in a single market; AP Macroeconomics covers the economy as a whole: national income, inflation, unemployment, monetary and fiscal policy, exchange rates. Both exams share one format: 60 multiple choice (70 min) + 3 FRQs (60 min), 2 hours 10 minutes, no calculator.
| Micro | Macro | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Firms, consumers, market structure | GDP, inflation, policy |
| Core graphs | Cost curves, market structures, labour market | AD–AS, money market, Phillips, foreign exchange |
| Maths | Marginal analysis, elasticity calculations | Multipliers, money multiplier, real/nominal |
| Share of 5s (recent) | ≈ 18–20% | ≈ 15–17% |
- Order: most programmes recommend Micro first; Unit 1 (basic concepts) is shared and treated more heavily in Micro. Both in one year: Micro September–January, Macro February–May.
- Who should take them: business, economics, finance, international relations, political science and law applicants. For students taking IB or A-Level Economics, the APs add evidence quickly.
- Credit: in the US each exam earns one economics course credit with a 4–5; business schools usually count both against required courses. In the UK they are accepted in place of A-Level Economics for economics applications; schools such as LSE also expect a maths AP.
There is no economics in the Turkish school curriculum, so students meet the subject through AP. The content, however, is logical and graph-based with low maths demands; at one or two lessons a week each exam can be prepared in 4–5 months. Course pages: AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics.
How to earn points on the economics FRQs
Three questions, 60 minutes; half the points come from graphs and labels.
In both exams Section II is 60 minutes: 1 long question (10 points) and 2 short questions (5 points each); the first 10 minutes are reading time. Readers work from a checklist and each item is scored independently:
- Graph. Axis labels (price/quantity, price level/real GDP), curve labels (D, S, AD, SRAS, LRAS, MC, ATC), the initial equilibrium and the new equilibrium after a shift are scored separately. A correct but unlabelled drawing earns nothing.
- Calculation. Show working for elasticity, multiplier, profit or comparative-advantage calculations; write the result with its unit.
- Explanation. The verb "explain" demands a cause-and-effect chain: policy → variable → outcome. An answer without a direction ("it is affected") earns nothing; write "increases/decreases/no change" explicitly.
- Consistency. If the direction shown on the graph contradicts the direction written in the text, both lose points.
In lessons one FRQ a week is graded with the official rubric; from the third month students read their own answers against the checklist. The most common losses: missing axis labels, explanations without a direction, and running out of time for the short questions.
Round out your AP Economics prep with coaching
Tutoring teaches the material; coaching manages the process. Your Studrise coach brings your study routine, goals and application timeline into one plan alongside your AP Economics lessons — so what you learn in class turns into results.
Weekly plan & check-ins
A study plan with regular progress check-ins.
Data-driven strategy
Targets and plans updated from practice-test results.
Motivation & test anxiety
Support with time management, motivation and exam nerves.
Aligned with applications
Planning built around your university and program goals.
ADD-ON PROGRAMME
How do I get started?
Coaching is a separately priced programme alongside your lessons. In the initial consultation we agree its scope and price and build a coaching plan that fits around your lesson schedule.
Initial consultation is free
Our tutors
SAT, IELTS, AP, IB and more — you'll work with experienced, exam-focused tutors in every subject.
Addison Bunch
English Teacher
10+ years of experience
Burçak Gökmen
Biology Teacher
20+ years of experience
Buğra Gökmen
Computer Science Teacher
7+ years of experience
Ela Pehlivanoğlu
Chemistry Teacher
10+ years of experience
Gözde Top
History Teacher
6+ years of experience
Lara Deniz Alper
Math & Economics Teacher
7+ years of experience
Mesut Mızrak
Physics Teacher
26+ years of experience
Şule Çağlın
Physics Teacher
7+ years of experience
Frequently asked questions
Start working toward your AP Economics goal today
Fill in the form; in a free initial consultation we settle your level, programme and exact price together. No crowded classroom, no idle hours: every lesson you pay for is one-on-one.