<p>(I'll preface this with: I know there are many posts on this, but I have some unique and specific questions, so please take the time to answer.)</p>
<p>I'm planning on self-studying AP Econ this year (def Macro and possibly Micro also). I'm a sophomore and my school barely offers any APs, so this would be my first AP exam. I would like to get a 5 one the exam, which I don't know if that's really possible for self-studying.</p>
<p>I'm interested in going into business, so I do have interest in the subject area.</p>
<p>So, here are my questions:</p>
<p>a. I would like to really learn the content well- I'm going to buy a textbook. I'm thinking the Krugman-Wells series, but which? Economics? Essentials of Economics? Macroeconomics? (Microeconomics if I do micro also?)</p>
<p>b. Would you recommend this series?</p>
<p>c. Are there any online resources (notes, outlines, quizzes, powerpoints, etc) for this series?</p>
<p>d. How much time should I devote to study each day? </p>
<p>e. Should I read every chapter in the text? If not, which?</p>
<p>f. If I choose to do macro and micro, should I study them at the same time? Which first if not? Do I use separate text books?</p>
<p>A. [url=<a href=“http://ebooks.bfwpub.com/krugmanwells_econ.php]Economics[/url”>http://ebooks.bfwpub.com/krugmanwells_econ.php]Economics[/url</a>]
Thats the book i used for my online class
B. I liked it, but you don’t need all the book.
C. Thats an ebook, idk about other things.
D. If you start now, you could do it in like 30 mins a day.
E. Probably not, Im not sure which.
F. I would do both, since micro is generally taken before macro. That books work for both.
G. I recommend doing Micro if your doing Macro.</p>
<p>I took the course at florida virtual school. I would have self studied, but i need the gpa boost. </p>
<p>I haven’t actually taken the test yet, but I do believe like 1/3rd of the two courses is overlap. I also believe that if you take microeconomics first, macro will be easier for you since you have the background, but both exams are supposedly easy. </p>
<p>And you could probably get a 3 or a 4 with Princeton Review.</p>
<p>AP Economics is actually not really…AP at all. As long as you read the book, it’s like a fluffy math class with some basic economic concepts. I had trouble with it in the beginning, but have gotten the hang of it, and have an A in the class. I think it’s totally possible for you to use a prep book and get a 5. If you’ve taken a lot of “graph analysis” math classes [e.g. traditional classes leading up to Calculus or Calculus 2] up as far as Algebra 2, you’ve already got the skill set to do well.</p>
<p>Use the Mankiw book, since it is the standard AP book and Mankiw is actually one of the people that makes the AP exam. It has (almost?) everything on the exam. Do not buy a book that’s called simply “Macroeconomics” or “Microeconomics”, usually that means that it’s an intermediate level course.
You don’t need any online resources.
I find it impractical to only sit down and study bits of a chapter. Read the entire chapter and do every book exercie for that chapter in a 1-3 day period. Read every chapter in the book. Then buy a review book (I used PR, but you could probably use any of the brand name books). Read every thing in the review book and do every problem. You should get a 5 fairly solidly. I did this and probably got 95-99% of the test right.</p>
<p>Also, the person above me is quite wrong. Introductory Economics is primarily a conceptual class that lays the groundwork for the intense math to come in more advanced courses. In fact, I’d say it’s pretty important to understand Intro Economics so you realize the point of the math to come and don’t get lost in it. AP Econ has only light math - arithmetic, pre-highschool algebra and graphical analysis - simply because that is often the best way to express economic concepts.
Vertigo probably thinks opposite because he’s only 2 months or so into the course, hasn’t even reached Macro yet, and is just now doing the basic graph-based math (finding slopes, areas under a line) associated with the Supply and Demand curves.</p>
<p>mcgoogly, I own Principles of Macroeconomics by Mankiw, is that the book you are referring too? I am also going to by PR or Barrons closer to the test day. Which textbook do you recommend for Microeconomics and should I also get PR or Barrons?</p>
<p>I believe it’s called “Principles of Economics”. If you look inside the Macroeconomics book, it’ll probably say for sure what course it’s generally used for.
The publishers also split the Principles of Economics books into two - a Principles of Macro and a Principles of Micro. This is simply for those students who are only taking one AP Econ class (Micro or Macro), not both.</p>
<p>I don’t know about PR vs Barrons, I’m sure they’re both fine. Just look inside them and try and deduce which format you like best, or which you think has more/better sample tests or whatever.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have the split edition entitled Principles of Macroeconomics.
I guess for now I will just self-study Macroeconomics and maybe a few months from now I will begin self-studying Microeconomics.</p>