with economics:
- if you are planning to memorise everything - don't
- even if it takes time, try and understand the concepts firsts. There are really a few to understand, and the rest will come to you (eventually).
I disagree, try to memorise everything. if you don't, you will fail the short answer section. understanding concepts is easy, if that were what economics is about, everyone would do it. it is about understanding, applying and memorising key terms, definitions and lists. economics is certainly difficult initially, but you just have to get through it. if you want to excel in economics, get all the workbooks you can and do all the questions in all of those workbooks. i have riley and dixon workbooks.
concepts are easy to understand. for example, the concept of demand. if the price goes up, you are less likely to buy, simple.
also, economies of scale, if a business is bigger they can take advantage of a number of things.
every concept is easy (some may be a bit confusing, e.g. how the reserve bank changes interest rates). it is memorising it, applying it and articulating it that is difficult. for that you just need practice.
if you want to improve your knowledge, short answer and multiple choice skills, do workbooks. for essays, just do the occasional essay in the book that you think might be fun to try and give it to your teacher for some feedback.
i hope i helped