The amount of improvement depends on your starting point and how consistently you engage with tutoring. Students who work with tutors on identifying weak topics, practicing free-response questions, and mastering graph interpretation typically see meaningful gains. Many students improve by 1-2 score points with focused preparation, especially when tutoring is combined with regular practice tests and review of past exams.

Many students struggle with understanding and drawing economic graphs correctly—especially supply/demand curves, cost curves, and consumer/producer surplus diagrams. Others find it difficult to apply economic concepts to real-world scenarios in free-response questions, or they misinterpret what questions are asking. Time management during the exam is also a common issue, as students may spend too long on one section and rush through others.

The exam has two sections: 60 multiple-choice questions (70 minutes) and 3 free-response questions (50 minutes). For multiple choice, read questions carefully and eliminate obviously wrong answers before guessing. For free-response, budget about 15-17 minutes per question, and always show your work with labeled graphs and clear explanations. Practice under timed conditions beforehand so you're comfortable with pacing and can identify which question types you need to slow down for.

Your first session typically focuses on understanding where you stand. A tutor will assess your grasp of foundational concepts like supply and demand, identify which topics feel strongest and weakest, and discuss your goals (score target, timeline, specific challenges). From there, you'll develop a personalized study plan that might prioritize graph interpretation, problem-solving strategies, or free-response question practice depending on your needs.

Practice tests are critical—they help you get comfortable with the exam format, identify weak areas, and build test-taking stamina. Taking full-length practice exams under timed conditions reveals whether your struggles are conceptual (you don't understand elasticity) or strategic (you're running out of time). Most students benefit from taking 3-5 practice tests during their preparation, spacing them out so you have time to review mistakes and reinforce concepts between attempts.

Ideally, you should begin focused exam preparation 2-3 months before the May test date. If you're currently in the course, use tutoring to strengthen understanding of concepts as you learn them rather than cramming at the end. For Portland students, connecting with a tutor early in the school year allows you to build confidence gradually and avoid last-minute stress. Even 4-6 weeks of consistent preparation with targeted tutoring can make a meaningful difference.

Graphs are the language of economics—they appear in nearly every multiple-choice question and are essential for answering free-response questions correctly. You need to understand how to read graphs (identifying equilibrium, surplus, deadweight loss) and draw them accurately (properly labeled axes, correct curve shifts). Many students lose points not because they don't understand the concept, but because their graph is mislabeled or incomplete. Tutoring focused on graph mastery often leads to quick score improvements.