Schaum's Outline of Microeconomic Theory

I jumped into a PhD program in business with no math background. As part of this program, I have to take micro theory, math stats, econometrics, etc. I prepped for school using this outline and Alpha Chiang's math for economists text. This outline was a godsend - working through the problems really gave me a solid foundation in the calc and linear algebra I needed, without a bunch of stuff that I don't (e.g., trig functions, which I'm sure are important to somebody but not to business students). Highly, highly recommended.

I used this book to study for the Microeconomics CLEP test. It was a great study guide and I passed the test with no problem despite having no background in micro econ.

This book is an intermediate microeconomics book intended primarily for undergraduate, upper division students. However, those not attending college can also benefit from this book by using it for independent study or reference material. There are no major prerequisites other than some knowledge of basic economics. For those who have a calculus background, the author does include one to three solved problems at the end of the majority of the chapters which are clearly marked.Of the 14 chapters that make up this book, one is an added chapter and three are optional chapters. The added chapter introduces such topics as the Lerner and Herfindahl indexes which deal with measuring monopoly power, peak-load and cost-plus pricing, and game theory. Some of the concepts presented in the three optional chapters are: the Hicksian and Slutsky substitution effects of a price change, deriving indifference curves from inferred consumers' preferences, price index numbers, utility theory under uncertainity, the Cobb-Douglas production function, linear programming, and general equilibrium and welfare economics.A weakness of this book concerns how some of the concepts are presented. In other words, the author introduces some new ideas at the end of some of the chapters in the "problems" section rather than in the main text. However, overall, I think this book provides valuable information that can benefit many people, even those who have a minimal economics background. The author presents a reasonably clear explanation of the subject matter covered which includes providing a glossary at the end of each chapter.

Whether you need to use this to get through ECON 300 or a more advanced econ class this is a very useful how-to guide. There is little discussion of theory and no yakking -- just straightforward microeconomic problems and parables. Use it for review or to get you through your final exam. Very helpful and much clearer than your textbook.