AP COMPUTER
SCIENCE
PRINCIPLES
AP Computer Science Principles – Student Guide
AP Computer Science Principles - Exam Overview
The AP Computer Science Principles Exam has two parts: the Create performance task—which you’ll complete over the course of the year and submit online for scoring through the AP Digital Portfolio—and the end-of-course multiple-choice exam. Both measure your proficiency in and grasp of the course practices and content, and both contribute to your final AP score on a scale of 1–5.
Exam Components
Create Performance Task - 12hrs | 30% of Score
For this part of the exam, you’ll develop a computer program of your choice: one that solves a problem, enables an innovation, or helps you express personal interests.
You’ll be given a minimum of 12 hours of in-class time to complete the task. You’ll submit these items through the AP Digital Portfolio application for scoring:
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A video of your program running
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Individual written responses about your program and development process
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Program code
End-of-Course Multiple-Choice Exam - 2hrs | 70 multiple-choice questions, 4 answer options, | 70% of Score
The end-of-course multiple-choice exam is a paper-and-pencil written exam. It contains three types of multiple-choice questions:
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Single-select multiple-choice: You select 1 answer from 4 options
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Single-select with reading passage about a computing innovation: You select 1 answer from 4 options.
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Multiple-select multiple-choice: You select 2 answers from 4 options
AP Computer Science Principles – Scoring
The Create Performance Task, like the end-of-course exam given in May, is scored by College Board. The scoring is done by trained, experienced educators called AP Readers using these scoring guidelines.
For more information about AP Computer Science Principles and scoring, you can visit the College Board’s website.
AP Computer Science Principles – Credit
Keep in mind, credit and advanced standing based on AP scores vary widely from school to school. Though a score of 3 is typically considered passing, it is not always enough to receive credit. Regulations regarding which APs qualify for course credits or advanced placement depend on the policy that your desired college or university has for AP exams.
AP Computer Science Principles - Study Resources
• College Board Classroom Resources
• Code HS
• Edhesive
• Apple
• Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC)
• Computer Science (CS) Matters
• UTeach
AP Computer Science Principles Exam Tips
The following strategies will help you do your best work when completing the Create performance task.
Read all task directions and guidelines
The AP Computer Science Principles Student Handouts (.pdf/1 MB) includes tips to read before completing the performance task, such as reviewing student samples and the scoring guidelines, the performance task directions, and the guidelines you must adhere to while completing the Create performance task. Underline key points as you read.
Review scoring guidelines and samples
You’ll find the scoring guidelines for the Create performance task on the About the Exam page. Spend time familiarizing yourself with the scoring guidelines. The student samples allow you to see high-performing student responses and student responses with room for improvement. Use the student samples to practice applying the scoring guidelines so you can better apply the rubric to your own written response.
Plan out your time
Your teacher will give you at least 12 hours of in-class time to complete the Create performance task. We recommend taking time to map out your approach and what you plan to accomplish each day. This will help you stay on track and meet your goal of completing on time with a quality submission. At the end of each class, write down in a journal what you accomplished and what you plan to accomplish next. These notes can be very helpful when you have to complete your written response and describe your development process. If the amount of class time provided is insufficient, you may work on your performance task outside of class.
Complete all components and answer the written response
Be sure to complete all components of the performance task. When you review the scoring guidelines, you’ll see that much of your score comes from your written response—just writing the program for the Create performance task is not enough to earn a high score.
Answer succinctly
Read and reread your responses to the prompts. Be sure you have answered what was asked. The word count limit is meant to encourage you to write clearly and concisely. Use the scoring guidelines to rate your own responses and determine if you can clarify or streamline any parts. You may need additional cycles of revision for this.
Practice!
Throughout the year, your teacher will most likely give you multiple programming tasks to prepare you for completing the performance task on your own. Take these opportunities to review and understand the feedback your teacher gives you on your work. Your teacher can’t give you feedback on your final Create performance task that you upload for scoring, so these practice performance tasks are your only opportunity to get important feedback on your program and your answers to the written response.
Credit contributors
When completing the Create performance task, you’re allowed to incorporate program code that is not your own with significant modifications, extensions, or improvements. When using the creative work or innovations of another individual, you’re required to acknowledge the creators or owners.
You can acknowledge program code that isn’t your original work by adding comments in the code. This program code cannot be used in your answers for the written responses, as these responses require you to include program code that you wrote. Failure to acknowledge the ideas and works of others is considered plagiarism, and if the performance task contains plagiarism, it will be given a score of 0. Before submitting your performance task, check that you have acknowledged all contributors.
Digital portfolio submissions
Review instructions to submit AP Computer Science Principles work in the AP Digital Portfolio.
In addition, you can take a look at the following as part of your exam preparation.
• AP Computer Science Principles Student Handouts
• AP Computer Science Principles Exam Reference Sheet
• Student Webinar: Tips for completing the Create Performance Task
You can also view Past Exam Questions and Scoring Information for you to have a glance of what questions to expect during the exam day.
Conclusion
The AP Computer Science Principles test is a great way to see how prepared you are for an advanced CS degree. It's also a great way to get a general idea of where you stand in the field, which is especially important if you're thinking about applying for one of the most competitive programs out there (Stanford and Yale).
If you do well on the test, it's not going to guarantee admission into any school—but it will help you understand what your chances are. And that can be useful information! Good luck!