Click each FRQ to expand and score parts individually. Long FRQ = 10 pts, Short FRQs = 5 pts each. Graphs must be correctly labeled to earn points.
Typically 5-8 sub-parts spanning multiple units. Usually requires 2-3 labeled graphs (AD-AS, Phillips Curve, Money Market, etc.).
Focused on one economic concept. Typically requires 1 graph and 2-3 explanations. Often covers fiscal/monetary policy.
Focused topic — often covers loanable funds, international trade, or calculations (money multiplier, real GDP, inflation rate).
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📊 Unit Confidence Tracker — 6 Units
Rate your confidence in each of the 6 units. Units 3-5 carry the heaviest weight. FRQs often span multiple units and require graphs.
How AP Macroeconomics Scoring Works
The exam is a hybrid digital format: MCQs are taken digitally on the Bluebook app, while FRQ answers are handwritten in paper booklets. A 4-function calculator is allowed (no graphing or scientific calculators). The Bluebook app includes a built-in Desmos 4-function calculator.
| Section | Questions | Time | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I: Multiple Choice | 60 Qs (4 choices) | 70 min | 66% | 60 pts |
| II-Q1: Long FRQ | 5-8 sub-parts (10 pts) | 60 min (incl. 10-min reading) | 33% | 10 × 1.5 = 15 |
| II-Q2: Short FRQ | 3-4 sub-parts (5 pts) | 5 × 1.5 = 7.5 | ||
| II-Q3: Short FRQ | 3-4 sub-parts (5 pts) | 5 × 1.5 = 7.5 |
Composite = MCQ raw (60 pts) + FRQ raw (20 pts) × 1.5 = 90 total. The long FRQ is worth 50% of the FRQ section, each short FRQ 25%. Graphs must be correctly labeled (axes, curves, equilibrium points) to earn credit.
Unit Weights on the AP Macroeconomics Exam
The exam covers 6 units. Units 3, 4, and 5 carry the heaviest weight (combined 55-80% of MCQs). Unit 5 (Stabilization Policies) alone can be up to 30% — this is where Phillips Curve, long-run adjustments, and policy trade-offs live. The FRQs often integrate concepts from 2-3 units in a single question.
2025 AP Macroeconomics Score Distributions
In 2025, 176,356 students took AP Macroeconomics. The pass rate rose to 67.3% (from 65.1% in 2024), with a mean score of 3.20 — the highest in over a decade.
Historical Pass Rate Trends (2020-2025)
2025 = first year of hybrid digital format (Bluebook MCQ + paper FRQ)
Exam Strategies
Multiple Choice
60 Qs in 70 min ≈ 1.2 min each. 4 choices, no penalty for guessing — always answer. ~40% involve graphs or data. Eliminate 2 choices first, then pick. Many questions test graph-reading: know your axes.
Free Response
10-min reading period: plan your graphs! Long FRQ (~25 min) often has 5-8 parts across AD-AS, money market, and Phillips Curve. Short FRQs (~12 min each) are focused. Label every part (a, b, c). Show all calculation work.
Graph Mastery
Graphs are everything in AP Macro. Label BOTH axes, every curve, equilibrium points, and shifts with arrows. "Correctly labeled graph" is in almost every FRQ rubric. Practice: AD-AS, Money Market, Loanable Funds, Phillips Curve, Foreign Exchange.
Key Formulas
Spending multiplier = 1/(1-MPC). Tax multiplier = -MPC/(1-MPC). Money multiplier = 1/RR. Real GDP = Nominal GDP / (Price Index ÷ 100). Real interest = Nominal interest - Inflation. Memorize these — they appear in every exam.
Essential Graphs for AP Macroeconomics
Mastering these 5 graphs is critical for both MCQ and FRQ sections. Most FRQs require at least 1-2 correctly labeled graphs. The College Board rubrics explicitly state "correctly labeled graph" as a scoring requirement.
AD-AS Model
The most tested graph. X-axis: Real GDP, Y-axis: Price Level. Draw AD (downward), SRAS (upward), LRAS (vertical at full employment). Know how fiscal/monetary policy shifts AD, and how supply shocks shift SRAS.
Money Market
X-axis: Quantity of Money, Y-axis: Nominal Interest Rate. Money supply is vertical (set by Fed). Money demand slopes down. Fed buying bonds → MS shifts right → interest rate falls.
Loanable Funds
X-axis: Quantity of Loanable Funds, Y-axis: Real Interest Rate. Supply = savings, Demand = borrowing. Government deficit → demand shifts right → crowding out (higher real interest rates).
Phillips Curve
Short-run: inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment. Long-run: vertical at natural rate. Supply shocks shift SRPC up (stagflation). Expected inflation shifts SRPC up too.