Students
Start with Unit 1 for free, no account needed. When you are ready for Units 2 through 6, the games and the exams, a Student Scholar account opens the rest through exam day. If your teacher has a class pack, your seat is already covered.
About Cao AP Lab
AP Macroeconomics practice, built by a teacher for the exam.
Interactive graphs that students draw, shift and explain, aligned to the College Board Course and Exam Description. Unit 1 is free, with no account.
- Years teaching AP Macro and AP Government
- 10+
- Interactive graph labs across six units
- 100+
- Unit 1, for every student
- Free
A note from the founder
I’m Paul Cao. I’ve been teaching AP Macroeconomics and AP Government for more than 10 years. At my current school, I raised our AP Macroeconomics pass rate from 22% to 75% while increasing enrollment in my first year here. It was the highest pass rate our school has ever had. I built this site so my students could practice the graphs on the AP exam: drawing the curves, shifting them, and explaining what changed.
It started as a summer project for my own classes. As more students used it, I saw a chance to help students at other schools too. If you teach AP Macroeconomics, you already know how isolating that can be. A lot of us are the only ones on campus who teach the course. This is the practice I wanted for my students, and a way to support teachers who have been on that island.
Paul CaoFounder of Cao AP Lab · AP Macroeconomics and AP Government teacher
Built for
Students, teachers, and the schools behind them.
Teachers
Project a lab, run it again next period, and assign the rest as homework. The teacher desk adds Essential Graphs, the Question Bank, assignments, a gradebook and a leaderboard. Built by a teacher who plans the same periods you do.
Schools and districts
A class pack covers every student in the class plus the teacher tools, with card, invoice or purchase order. Google sign-in, no ads, and student data is never sold. Mid-year starts are fine.
Questions
Before you start.
Is Cao AP Lab free?
Unit 1, the score calculator and a practice quiz are free, with no account needed. Units 2 through 6, the games, the full question bank and the exams open with a Student Scholar account or a class pack from your teacher.
Is it aligned to the College Board CED?
Yes. Every lab follows the current AP Macroeconomics Course and Exam Description, unit by unit, with the axes and labels AP readers expect. AP is a trademark of College Board, which was not involved in and does not endorse this site.
Who built it?
Paul Cao, an AP Macroeconomics and AP Government teacher with more than ten years in the classroom. He built the labs for his own students first, then opened them to other schools.
Does it work on Chromebooks and iPads?
Yes. Everything runs in the browser with nothing to install. Graph labs are best on a laptop, Chromebook, tablet or the classroom projector. Quizzes also work on a phone.
How do teachers use it in class?
Project a lab, shift a curve and reset it for the next period. Teacher tools include Essential Graphs for up to four graphs at once, a Question Bank for building quizzes, assignments with a gradebook, and a class leaderboard.
How do schools and districts buy?
A class pack covers the whole class: a seat for every student plus the teacher tools. Schools can pay by card, invoice or purchase order, and a W-9 is available by email. Write to teachers@caoaplab.org for a quote.
What about student privacy?
Students sign in with Google. There are no ads, and student data is never sold. The Privacy Policy has the details.
Get started
Start with Unit 1. It’s free.
Scarcity, opportunity cost, comparative advantage, supply and demand: the whole first unit, no account needed.