The AP Computer Science Principles Exam: Your Ultimate Guide
Summary
The AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) exam assesses students on five major areas: creative development, data, algorithms and programming, computing systems and networks, and the impact of computing. It also evaluates computational thinking practices, including solution design, abstraction, code analysis, and responsible computing. Scores range from 1 to 5, with 4 or 5 generally needed for college credit. Studying past exams, reference sheets, and task terminology, and reviewing study sample videos and written response formats can typically help students improve mastery and their scores.
What’s on the AP Computer Science Principles Exam?
As you prepare for the AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) exam, think of the main topics the AP CSP course aims to teach you. Use these learning outcomes as a guiding star as you study for the exam.
The major areas of study - or big ideas - for the AP CSP course are the following:
- Creative Development: When developing computing innovations, developers can use a formal, iterative design process or a less rigid process of experimentation, and will encounter phases of investigating and reflecting, designing, prototyping, and testing.
- Data: Data are central to computing innovations because they communicate initial conditions to programs and represent new knowledge.
- Algorithms and Programming: Programmers integrate algorithms and abstraction to create programs for creative purposes and to solve problems.
- Computing Systems and Networks: Computer systems and networks are used to transfer data.
- Impact of Computing: Computers and computing have revolutionized our lives. To use computing safely and responsibly, we need to be aware of privacy, security, and ethical issues.
Besides the areas of study, the AP Computer Science course aims to help students develop certain computational thinking practices:
- 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.
- Responsible Computing: Contribute to an inclusive, safe, collaborative, and ethical computing culture.
What’s the Format of the AP Computer Science Principles Exam?
The exam is split into two different sections:
Multiple-Choice Section
- Duration: 120 minutes
- Total number of questions: 70 multiple choice questions
- 70% of exam score
The multiple-choice section is computer-graded, and it makes up 70% of your total exam score. This section includes 70 questions in total, distributed as follows:
- 57 single-select multiple-choice
- 5 single-select with reading passage about a computing innovation
- 8 multiple-select multiple-choice where two answers need to be chosen
Performance Task Section
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Total number of questions: 2 written response questions, including four distinct prompts
- 30% of exam score (10% performance task, 20% exam day questions)
The performance task can be broken down into the following components:
- Program code: Developing a computer program
- Video: recording a video of your program running
- Personalized Project Reference: contains screen captures of your lists and procedures
- Written response questions (on exam day): two written questions - including four different prompts - to demonstrate your understanding of your performance task.
Remember that the Performance Task Section includes developing a computer program, that you work on throughout the course, during 9 hours of class time, outside of test time, and then recording it while the code is running.
It also involves a Personalized Project Reference, where specific segments and lists that are part of the program code are captured in screenshots.
Again, this is all done before the exam day.
On the exam day, you’ll answer four prompts related to your computer program.
How Long Is the AP Computer Science Principles Exam?
The AP CSP Exam is 3 hours long, although this does not include the 9 hours of class time you get for developing your own program beforehand.
How Is the AP CSP Exam Scored?
Your total score is scaled down to be a number from 1 to 5, similar to a letter grade.
AP CSP Exam Scores
| AP CSP Exam Score | Qualification | Closest Equivalent College Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Extremely well qualified | A+ or A |
| 4 | Very well qualified | A-, B+, or B |
| 3 | Qualified | B-, C+, or C |
| 2 | Possibly qualified | - |
| 1 | No recommendation | - |
To increase your chances of getting credit at a top university, you’ll need a score of 4 or 5 - that’s the score most schools accept to grant college credit.
The multiple choice section is graded by a computer - you’ll get a point as long as you choose the answer correctly.
On the other hand, the performance task section is graded based on specific learning objectives:
Expert Tips and Material to Prepare For the AP CSP Exam
1. Study Past Exams and Reference Sheets
Take advantage of available past AP CSP exams. Familiarizing yourself with the types of questions, the format, and the level of complexity can help you anticipate what kind of mastery you'll need before you go in to sit for your own exam.
Reference sheets are also your allies during test prep months, so make them your best friends. Understand beforehand how to navigate and leverage them when taking the exam.
2. Follow the Guide for Completing Your Performance Task
Your Performance Task scores are an important part of your overall score, so it's a good idea to read the detailed guide provided, so you understand what's involved and what's being asked of you.
The Performance task guide highlights requirements and constraints and allows you to see what evaluators will be looking for.
- Read the task directions here.
3. Review the Tip Sheet for your Personalized Project Reference
Review the tip sheet for insights on how to optimize your personalized project reference.
- Review the Personalized Project Reference tip sheet here.
4. Study Sample Videos and Written Responses
Learn from experts by studying sample videos and written responses. These resources provide real-life examples of successful performance tasks.
Observe how the sample responses are constructed to address the problems and also show connections with the big ideas for this AP course.
- View the sample videos and sample written responses here.
5. Understand the Scoring Guidelines Thoroughly
As mentioned above, the AP CSP exam is scored in very specific ways, and every question aims to assess your understanding of a specific learning outcome.
Know how points are awarded, what the evaluators are looking for, and how to maximize your scoring potential. The scoring guidelines provide clarity on how your responses will actually be scored, which could help you further tailor your testing strategy and responses to maximize your score.
- Read the scoring guidelines here.
6. Understand the Task Terminology
Make sure you fully grasp the language used in the exam’s tasks so you understand how specific terms are meant to be understood in the context of the CS AP exam. This will provide additional and more nuanced understanding of tasks, problems, questions, and prompts you encounter on test day.
Here are some of the commonly used terms on the AP CSP exam:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Output | Program output is any data that are sent from a program to a device. Program output can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile, audible, visual, movement, or text. |
| Selection | Selection determines which parts of an algorithm are executed based on a condition being true or false. The use of try / exception statements is a form of selection statements. |
| Sequencing | The application of each step of an algorithm in the order in which the code statements are given. |
| Procedure | A procedure is a named group of programming instructions that may have parameters and return values. Procedures are referred to by different names, such as method, function, or constructor, depending on the programming language. |
| Parameter: | A parameter is an input variable of a procedure. Explicit parameters are defined in the procedure header. Implicit parameters are those that are assigned in anticipation of a call to the procedure. For example, an implicit parameter can be set through interaction with a graphical user interface. |
| Algorithm | An algorithm is a finite set of instructions that accomplish a specific task. Every algorithm can be constructed using combinations of sequencing, selection, and iteration. |
| List being used | Using a list means the program is creating new data from existing data or accessing multiple elements in the list. |
| Input | Program input is data that are sent to a computer for processing by a program. Input can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile (through touch), audible, visual, or text. An event is associated with an action and supplies input data to a program. |
| Program functionality | The behavior of a program during execution, often described by how a user interacts with it. |
| Data has been stored in this list | Input into the list can be through an initialization or through some computation on other variables or list elements. |
| Purpose | The problem being solved or creative interest being pursued through the program. |
| Program code segment | A code segment refers to a collection of program statements that are part of a program. For text-based, the collection of program statements should be continuous and within the same procedure. For block-based, the collection of program statements should be contained in the same starter block or what is referred to as a “Hat” block. |
| Collection type | Aggregates elements in a single structure. Some examples include: databases, hash tables, dictionaries, sets, or any other type that aggregates elements in a single structure. |
| Student-developed procedure / algorithm | Program code that is student developed has been written (individually or collaboratively) by the student who submitted the response. Calls to existing program code or libraries can be included but are not considered student developed. Event handlers are built-in abstractions in some languages and will therefore not be considered student-developed. In some block-based programming languages, event handlers begin with “when”. |
| List | A list is an ordered sequence of elements. The use of lists allows multiple related items to be represented using a single variable. Lists are referred to by different terms, such as arrays or arraylists, depending on the programming language. |
7. Work with a Tutor
Tutors can help you get past stumbling blocks that you may be able to overcome, but simply can't yet overcome them alone, without a bit of help and personalized instructional guidance. Tutoring can be very effective because it's tailored to your individual learning gaps and questions.
If you're overwhelmed by some of the content and feel you're not as on confident as you want to be about the test content, choosing to get tutoring support can be a very constructive and effective approach: boosting your knowledge and overall confidence in what you can achieve if you stick with it.
Final Thoughts
If you want to raise your level of mastery and your performance and scores up a notch — or several — you might be surprised how much benefit you can get from working with an experienced and highly qualified AP Computer Science tutor.
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