Priority number one, for both your AP course and for this book, is to prepare you to do well enough on the AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics Exams to earn college credit. Some memorization is required for any standardized test: it?s the nature of the beast. But a memorizer of formulas is in deep trouble when questions ask her to analyze the relative success of several possible economic policies or to draw more fine distinctions between competing economic theories. The AP Economics exams are not designed for a memorizer. Using this book to supplement and reinforce your understanding of the theories and relationships in economics will allow you to apply your analytical skills to the exam, and this gives you a significant advantage over the formula-memorizing exam taker. If you spend less time memorizing formulas and take the extra time to understand the basics, you will get along just fine with this book, and you will do extremely well on the AP Economics exam.