Credential type: school examination · verified on the issuer's site September 25, 2026 issuer page
AP Microeconomics, administered by the College Board, is a 135-minute paper-based exam taken at high schools each May. It tests how individual markets and economic agents behave, organized into six weighted content domains. Candidates complete a multiple-choice section and a free-response section, receiving composite results on a 1–5 scale the following July.
High school students seeking college credit in economics, particularly those comfortable with graphs, algebra-based models, and analyzing firm and consumer decisions. The exam suits learners completing a first course in microeconomics.
Begin with domain weightings to prioritize study time, allocating more hours to Production, Cost, and the Perfect Competition Model (23.5%) and Supply and Demand (22.5%). Practice free-response graphing daily, and time multiple-choice sets against the 135-minute limit. Review past College Board samples to learn scoring rubrics.
This 13.5% weighted domain covers Basic Economic Concepts including scarcity, opportunity cost, and the distinctions between microeconomics and macroeconomics. It sets the vocabulary used throughout the exam. Core models also appear here.
Weighted at 22.5%, Supply and Demand forms the analytical core of the exam. Candidates work with market equilibrium, elasticity, and shifts caused by changes in determinants of supply or demand. Graphing appears frequently in free-response items.
At 23.5%, this is the heaviest domain. It covers production functions, short-run and long-run costs, and the perfect competition model including profit maximization and shutdown decisions. Calculations of marginal cost and average cost are central.
Imperfect Competition carries 18.5% of the exam weight. Topics include monopoly, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and game theory. Candidates compare pricing, output, and efficiency against perfect competition benchmarks. Price discrimination and barriers to entry appear often.
Factor Markets accounts for 11.5% of the score. The domain addresses derived demand, marginal revenue product, and wage determination in competitive and monopsonistic labor markets. Rent, interest, and profit are also treated as factor payments.
Market Failure and the Role of Government carries 10.5% weight. Candidates analyze externalities, public goods, and common-pool resources alongside corrective taxes, subsidies, and regulation. Efficiency loss from market failure is a recurring free-response topic.
Bring a watch, several sharpened pencils, and a government-issued photo ID to your school's exam room. Pace yourself across the 135 minutes: budget the multiple-choice section and reserve time to graph clearly on each free-response.
The exam uses two question types: multiple choice and free response. Specific counts are set by College Board each year, so check the official AP Microeconomics course description for the current section breakdown and timing.
AP Microeconomics is scored on a 1–5 scale. A score of 3 is generally considered passing, though individual colleges set their own credit and placement policies for scores of 3, 4, or 5.
AP Microeconomics is a 135-minute paper-based exam administered at the student's school in May. It includes two timed sections covering multiple-choice questions and free-response problems.
The College Board charges $98 per AP Microeconomics exam. Students with fee reductions pay $55, and an additional $40 international surcharge applies for exams taken outside the United States.
Six domains make up the exam: Basic Economic Concepts (13.5%), Supply and Demand (22.5%), Production, Cost, and the Perfect Competition Model (23.5%), Imperfect Competition (18.5%), Factor Markets (11.5%), and Market Failure and the Role of Government (10.5%).
Yes. AP Microeconomics is a current College Board program. It is administered each May at participating high schools. For long-term certification or credit transfer questions, check with College Board.
Verified 2026-09-02
This page was built from College Board official study documentation and standard microeconomics reference texts. Domain weights, exam price, duration, and scoring scale were taken directly from the verified facts file.