Manage both timed sections without rushing

Pacing is a sequence of decisions, not a race through every calculation.

The current AP Microeconomics exam has two timed sections: 60 multiple-choice questions in 70 minutes, followed by three free-response questions in 60 minutes. That gives you a little more than a minute per multiple-choice item, but equal time per question is the wrong goal. A direct concept should take less time so that a multi-step table, graph, or elasticity calculation can take more.

On the first pass, answer questions whose model is clear. If a calculation has produced no progress after roughly 70 seconds, eliminate what you can, flag the item in Bluebook, and continue. Moving on is not giving up a point; it is protecting every question you have not yet seen.

Use checkpoints before you feel rushed

Pacing should respond to the clock, not to the feeling that one item ought to be solvable. At about 22 minutes, aim to be near Question 20; at 45 minutes, near Question 40; and at 67 minutes, near Question 60. These are warning lights, not rigid deadlines. If you are behind, shorten the next few decisions instead of trying to do the same work faster.

Use scratch work sparingly but visibly. Write the formula, substitute values, and keep the unit. For a graph, sketch only the curves needed to determine direction. When two choices remain, return to the exact noun in the stem: price or quantity, firm or market, private or social, short run or long run.

Plan the free-response hour before writing

The free-response section contains one long question and two short questions. Use the recommended opening 10-minute reading period to scan all three, identify the model and command verb in every part, and decide where you will begin. A useful default is roughly 25 minutes for the long question, 12 minutes for each short question, and the remaining time for transitions and checks. Adjust when a question has unusually many graph or calculation parts.

If one part stalls, leave visible space and continue to the next labeled part. AP free-response questions award points part by part. A difficult calculation in part (b) should not prevent a correct graph or explanation later in the question.

Make the calculator save time

A four-function calculator is permitted on both sections. Students may use an approved four-function handheld calculator and/or the built-in four-function Desmos calculator in Bluebook; scientific and graphing calculators are not permitted for this exam. Organize the expression before entering numbers. For midpoint elasticity, write the two percentage changes first. For comparative advantage, attach units to each opportunity-cost ratio. For a payoff matrix, mark best responses instead of holding four comparisons in memory.

Guessing is part of pacing. Eliminate choices with the wrong sign, unit, curve, or time horizon. If two remain, choose the one that directly answers the stem and flag the item. Change an answer only when you can name a specific error in the first analysis—a reversed ratio, an ignored word such as not, or the wrong curve. Vague doubt is not new evidence.

The objective is the greatest number of well-reasoned, scoreable answers within the total time available—not equal time on every question.

Exam format and calculator details should always be checked against the current College Board AP Microeconomics assessment page and calculator policy.