Computer Science Principles Ap Exam

Ap Computer Science A

How I got a 5 on AP Computer Science Principles Exam

The AP Computer Science A exam is an end-of-course written test that features two sections: multiple-choice questions and free-response questions.

Section 1: Multiple Choice

Students have 1.5 hours to answer 40 questions, including single questions and sets of two questions. In this section, the College Board asks students to:

Determine the required code segments to produce a given output
Identify the output, value, or result of a given program code based on initial values
Analyze program code for correctness, equivalence, and errors
Describe the behavior and conditions that lead to results in a program

This section account for 50% of the final AP score.

Section 2: Free Response

Students have 1.5 hours to answer four free-response questions that focus on code implementation. The College Board creates these questions based on the following topics:

This section account for 50% of the final AP score.

While each test requires hours of studying, practice exams, and actual test-taking, a good final score can be a major benefit for students.

What Will Be Tested On The 2022 Ap Computer Science Principles Exam

The 2022 AP Computer Science Principles End-of-Course exam will test students on the whole course content, so be prepared to answer questions on these topics:

Big Idea 1: Creative Development
Big Idea 2: Data
Big Idea 3: Algorithms and Programming
Big Idea 4: Computer Systems and Networks
Big Idea 5: Impact of Computing

For the Create Performance Task, you must develop a computer program of your choice. To complete this, you will need at least 12 hours of in-class time, according to the College Board.

For details on the Create Performance Task, including task directions and the submission process, watch this webinar.

What Will I Do In The Ap Computer Science Principles Class

In this course, you will learn the computing skills needed to collaborate with peers to solve real-world problems you are passionate aboutfrom simple games and apps to programs that can analyze large data sets or inspire the creation of visual art and music. Students will collaborate on designing computing solutions to solve real-world problems that they care about. Students will use their creativity to develop hands-on projects throughout the school year.

How Hard Is Ap Computer Science Principles: 68 Real Ap Comp Sci Princples Alumnae Share Their Experiences

If youre looking forward to taking AP Comp Sci Principles, its important to take both the positive and negative feedback in context. There are multiple factors that could contribute to a great or poor experience of the class, such as a particularly weak teacher and your personal preferences as a learner.

86% of AP Computer Science Principles alumnae would recommend the class,which is very slightly lower than other AP classes.

The majority of the reviews focus on the ease and enjoyment of the course, knowing the exam rubric well, and the importance of the performance tasks.

Ap Computer Science Principles Breakdown

Unlike other AP exams, the AP computer science exam is broken into five main ideas instead of units to be taught over the course of a school year. Your teacher may teach them in a different order, but you can be certain these five ideas will make an appearance in your class and on the exam:

Big Idea One: Creative Development
Big Idea Two: Data
Big Idea Three: Algorithms and Programming
Big Idea Four: Computer Systems and Networks
Big Idea 5: Impact of Computing

There are also six computational thinking practices that you will be asked to complete on the exam to put your knowledge into a creative answer. They are as follows:

Computational Solution Design design and examine computational solutions for a specific purpose
Algorithms and Program Development develop and implement algorithms
Abstraction in Program Development create programs that use abstractions
Code Analysis test and evaluate the efficacy of algorithms and programs
Computing Innovations investigate computing innovations
Responsible Computing follow the rules and contribute to computings inclusive, safe, collaborative, and ethical culture

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Cs Principles Is Designed For Beginners

Our team designed the CS Principles curriculum to support students and teachers new to the discipline. The curriculum includes daily lesson plans made up of inquiry-based activities, videos, assessments, and computing tools, allowing teachers to guide and learn alongside students as they discover core computing concepts.

Every lesson plan and activity is tested by a diverse mix of classrooms around the country to make sure its appropriate and engaging for all students.

It’s Backed By Research

Six different studies show: students who study computer science perform better in other subjects, excel at problem-solving, and are more likely to attend college.

Students who take AP Computer Science Principles, in particular, are 12% more likely to enroll in college compared to similarly-situated peers, and students who take AP exams are more likely to graduate 4-year college, regardless of their score on the exam. AP computer science students also earn better AP Calculus scores than comparable students who dont take AP computer science.

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Whats The Difference Between Ap Computer Science A And Ap Computer Science Principles

The AP Computer Science A course and exam focus on computing skills related to programming in Java. Students cultivate their understanding of coding through analyzing, writing, and testing code as they explore concepts like modularity, variables, and control structures.

AP Computer Science Principles provides students with a broad introduction to computer science and how it relates to other fields.

The AP Computer Science Principles course complements AP Computer Science A and focuses on the broader aspects of computing. Students learn to design and evaluate solutions and to apply computer science to solve problems through the development of algorithms and programs. They incorporate abstraction into programs and use data to discover new knowledge. Students also explain how computing innovations and computing systems including the internet work, explore the potential impacts of these innovations, and contribute to a computing culture that is collaborative and ethical.

Additionally, the AP Exams for the two courses have different formats. AP Computer Science A has one end-of-course exam with multiple-choice and free-response questions. AP Computer Science Principles includes the Create performance task, which is completed during the course, and an end-of-course multiple-choice exam.

What Is Ap Computer Science Principles Course Outline & Requirements

AP CSP Practice Test

According to College Board:

AP Computer Science Principles introduces students to the breadth of the field of computer science. In this course, students will learn to design and evaluate solutions and to apply computer science to solve problems through the development of algorithms and programs.

Prerequisites for AP Comp Sci Principles are: successful completion of a first-year high school algebra course . Students should be able to use a Cartesian coordinate system to represent points on a plane. Prior computer science experience is not required.

You will develop skills in:

Designing and evaluating computational solutions
Developing and implementing algorithms and programs
Evaluating and testing algorithms and programs
Investigating computing innovations
Contributing to an ethical, responsible computing community

The exam consists of one 2-hour exam, with 70% of multiple-choice questions . There is also a Create performance task which requires requires at least 12 hours of dedicated class time for students to complete.

When Should You Take Ap Computer Science Principles

If you’re interested in taking AP Computer Science Principles, the next question is, when? While many schools structure their AP classes to encourage students to take them at specific points in their high school careers, there is often some flexibility.

Students typically take AP Computer Science Principles during their sophomore year or later to ensure they have the appropriate math background. If you’re considering taking AP Computer Science Principles in your first year of high school, check with your school to see if you have the prerequisites necessary to understand the coursework.

Consider what your AP course load will look like as you get further along in your high school career. If you can take AP Computer Science Principles in your sophomore year instead of your junior year, you most likely will not be taking many other AP classes at the same time. This may allow you to devote more time to the higher workload of AP Computer Science Principles.

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Compared with similarly-situated schools, a school’s participation in the Code.org Professional Learning program causes an estimated five-fold increase in the number of students that take, and earn qualifying scores on the AP Computer Science Principles exam. And teachers love it! Over 90% rank it the best professional development ever.

Whether youre brand new to computer science or an experienced teacher looking for the best way to use the Code.org curriculum, our Professional Learning Program is a great way to get started.

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About Ap Computer Science Questions

There are a total of seventy multiple-choice questions on the AP computer science exam. Unlike the other AP tests, there is no free-response questions on this exam. However, you will be asked to develop a computer program of your choice, in your class, for thirty percent of your score.

In the seventy multiple-choice questions, there are some different types of multiple-choice answers that you will be asked to use. Fifty-seven of the questions will be single-answer multiple-choice questions over practices and principles.

Five of the multiple-choice questions will be single-answer but relate to a passage about computing innovations. You will need to be able to draw conclusions from the passage to be able to answer these questions.

The final eight multiple-choice questions will be two-answer questions. You will be asked to pick the two answers that best fit the question.

You will have a total of two hours to complete the seventy questions, so you will have just shy of two minutes per question. Be sure to efficiently use the allotted time you are given to increase your chances of scoring well.

This part of the exam accounts for seventy percent of your grade, so you should spend the bulk of your studying on this section. However, the computer program still accounts for thirty percent of your score, so be sure that you are using the class time your teacher permits well to score best.

Here is the breakdown of the exam portions:

1 task

Is Ap Comp Sci Principles Easy Or Hard To Self

The Ultimate Guide to the New AP Computer Science Principles Exam ...

AP Computer Science Principles is rated as quite easy to self-study relative to other AP classes.

A survey of AP alumnae asked for a rating out of 10 for how easy each class is to self study, with 1 = easiest to self study, 10 = hardest to self study. The average rating for AP Computer Science Principles was 4/10 .

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Ap Computer Science A Exam

This exam is three hours long and features multiple-choice questions and free-response questions. The 40 multiple-choice questions are mainly individual questions, with one or two sets of multiple questions. There are also four multi-part free-response questions that cover computing thinking and code implementation.

Here’s how the Princeton Review breaks down the question types:

How Is The Ap Computer Science Principles Exam Structured

How long is the AP Computer Science Principles exam? If you’re used to AP exams where you take the entire test in a few hours, know that the AP Comp Sci Principles exam is somewhat different. The AP Computer Science Principles exam has two main parts: the Create performance task and a multiple-choice exam. The multiple-choice exam is taken like other AP tests, at a specific location and time, however you’ll work on the Create task throughout the course, submitting it at or before a specific deadline around the multiple-choice exam date. So it’s like you have both an in-person test and a take-home test for this course.

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More Information About Credit For Ap Tests

This evaluation of the credits awarded for Advanced Placement Exams is subject to change and may be reviewed and revised periodically by Penn State faculty.

If credit is awarded, a students University record will carry notation of credit, but no grade will be recorded. Credit awarded will not affect a students grade-point average at Penn State.

Limitations on credit earned through the AP Exams are as follows:

The credit must be useful in a student’s program of study.
Duplicate credit in the same subject is not awarded in any case.

Undergraduate students interested in receiving credit for AP Exams should arrange for their official grade reports to be sent directly from the College Board to us.

General credits may be awarded for an AP Exam that covers material that is not the substantial equivalent of material covered in a specific University course. General credits may be used to fulfill degree requirements in any area such use is not necessarily limited to General Education or elective requirements. General credits are applied to a students program of study in accordance with the procedures established by the college of enrollment. Information on the use of general credits or specific course credits earned by AP Exams in individual programs of study may be obtained from a students academic adviser or from the office of the dean of a students college.

What Can I Do If My School Doesnt Offer Ap Computer Science Principles Or If I Decide To Study Independently Without Taking An Ap Csp Course

AP Computer Science Principles: Data Abstraction

If your school is not planning to offer AP CSP next year, talk to your counselors and teachers to advocate for the course.

You can study independently to take the AP CSP Exam, but due to the nature of the course and the exam, we recommend, if possible, that you find another high school in your area or an online program that will enroll you in its AP CSP course. You can complete the required components of the course by submitting the Create performance task as final in the AP Digital Portfolio and taking the AP end-of-course exam. See a list of recommended online course providers.

If you plan to study independently instead of participating in an AP CSP course, we recommend that you take these steps.

Confirm with the AP coordinator at your school or a participating AP school:

Will the AP coordinator provide you with all the necessary information and directions for enrollment and submission of work in the AP Digital Portfolio?
Will the AP coordinator order and administer the AP end-of-course multiple-choice exam?

Review the course page to understand what you need to know to perform well in an AP CSP course and exam.

If possible, find a teacher who can mentor you through the course.

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Get Confident With Coding

You can’t do well on this exam if you don’t have a good handle on coding. During the two parts of the AP test, you’ll be asked to read code, analyze code, and create your own code. Knowing how to code is the best way to set yourself up for success on the AP Computer Science Principles exam.

Some students who take this course/exam are already coding experts and can handle the coding tasks on the exam easily. However, even if AP CS Principles is your first real exposure to coding, you can still do just as well on the exam, as long as you put in the time and effort to prepare. Throughout the year, keep building on your coding skills beyond just homework and what you do in class. Research coding projects you can do , and don’t be afraid to work collaboratively. A simple suggestion from someone else can be enough to get you on the right track when you’re stuck coding. Helping classmates with their coding for the AP Computer Science Principles Create task is a great way to build your skills, too.

Independent Study And Homeschooled Students

If your school supports independent study or homeschooled students who want to take an AP CSP End-of-Course Exam without participating in an AP CSP class at school, as an AP coordinator you need to:

Create an exam only class section in AP Registration and Ordering and provide the appropriate join code to students so they can enroll. This step needs to be done before you can order exams.
Give students all the necessary information and directions for enrollment and submission of work in the AP Digital Portfolio:

Administer the end-of-course exam.

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Best Books And Test Prep Resources For Ap Computer Science Principles

Alumnae reviews reveal that only a small minority of students use a test prep and review textbook to study for AP Comp Sci Principles.

Within that 32%, the most popular textbook for test prep and review for AP Comp Sci Principles is Crash Course, used by 27% of students who used a book. It has an average rating of 4.2/5.0 from reviewers on .

Other popular AP Comp Sci Principles test prep / review books and resources for include:

What Is Ap Computer Science Principles How Does It Differ From Ap Computer Science A

AP Computer Science Principles Practice Exam Questions

What is AP Computer Science Principles and what will you learn in the class? The AP Computer Science Principles course is designed to give students a broad overview of computing. In the course, students learn how to use computer science to create algorithms and programs that solve problems. The teacher chooses the programming language for the course. You can learn more about the course here, but here are the five main course topics and a brief overview of what you’ll learn in each of them:

Computational Solution Design: Design and evaluate computational solutions for a purpose.

Algorithms and Program Development: Develop and implement algorithms.

Abstraction in Program Development: Develop programs that incorporate abstractions.

Code Analysis: Evaluate and test algorithms and programs.

Computing Innovations: Investigate computing innovations.

Computer Science A, on the other hand, has a narrower focus. In this course, students study in-depth how to use the programming language Java to solve problems. It’s more focused on practical uses of computer programming, like problem solving and object-oriented programming. Both the course and exam require students to analyze, write and test code.