AP Macroeconomics

What Students Learn

Students use models such as aggregate demand and aggregate supply to explain changes in output and prices. They examine financial systems and fiscal and monetary policy alongside international trade and exchange rates, emphasizing causal relationships between economic variables and policy effects.

Course Units

The units and learning focuses below follow the official AP course framework.

Unit 1: Basic economic concepts

Unit 2: Economic indicators and the business cycle

Unit 3: National income and price determination

Unit 4: Financial sector

Unit 5: Long-run consequences of stabilization policies

Unit 6: Open economy: international trade and finance

AP Assessment

The AP exam includes 60 multiple-choice questions in 70 minutes, worth approximately two-thirds of the score, and three free-response questions in 60 minutes, including a 10-minute reading period, worth approximately one-third. One long response and two short responses require economic graphs and calculations, with explanations of economic changes or policy effects.

References (2026–2027): College Board course framework; assessment information