Research shows the best way to learn is to put concepts to work with repeated practice. For this reason, frequent, quality practice is the cornerstone of the tightly-knit Essential Foundations of Economics learning system, building student success in economics by doing economics. First, student attention is focused on what to study through a Checklist of clearly defined core concepts in each chapter. Section by section, Checkpoints demonstrate how to study by stepping through a Practice Problem and then engaging students with a parallel Exercise. In addition, the Third Edition addresses why we study economics through a new feature, Reality Check. With Essential Foundations of Economics, students are taught to view economics as a skill to be honed rather than a collection of topics to be memorized.