In fall 2016, the College Board launched a new Advanced Placement course called AP Computer Science Principles, an introductory class about the quickly evolving and indispensable world of computer science. While you may have been eager to take advantage of this new course offering, you may be unsure now what to expect or how to prepare for the end-of-course exam.
Fortunately, for this course, the end-of-course exam only accounts for 60 percent of your total score. You’ll still receive a traditional AP score between 1-5, but 40 percent of that will be determined by the through-course assessment.
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The through-course assessment consists of two performance tasks in which you must create a digital artifact, such as a video, and provide written explanations to several prompts. In total, these performance tasks take roughly 20 hours to complete.
Your end-of-course exam, which is offered in May, is a written exam that is two hours long and consists of 74 multiple-choice questions that have either one or two correct answer choices. As a comprehensive assessment, the end-of-course exam will test you on computer science concepts presented throughout the duration of the class.
The scarcity of practice tests for this exam can leave you feeling unable to properly prepare, especially since this course is different from AP Computer Science A course, which focuses heavily on Java programming. As such, AP Computer Science A study materials do not apply to this exam.
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So how can you strategize for success on the end-of-course exam? Here are two tips to help you best prepare.
Understand Key Diagrams
Diagrams play a vital role in the AP Computer Science Principles course and exam. They express complex concepts, such as circuits and program segments, in a way that is digestible for novice computer science students. Although you may be intimidated by these diagrams, bear in mind that their purpose is to make learning easier — not more complicated.
One common diagram type on the AP Computer Science Principles exam is a robot in a grid of squares. Consider this sample question and diagram on Page 87.
When approaching a question like this, first study the code segment and then try to visually apply it to the existing diagram without looking at the answer options. This gives you the opportunity to try and find the answer on your own before actively comparing and guessing among the answer choices.
You can also expect to see charts with items like ASCII characters and variables, such as this example on Page 85.
While you may find some diagrams online, it is best to concentrate on material that comes directly from the College Board, your course textbook or your teacher. Official diagrams from these sources can accurately mirror what you might encounter on the end-of-course assessment.
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Use Appropriate Study Aids
To gauge the AP Computer Science Principles end-of-course exam, one of the best resources is the materials on the College Board’s website, which include scoring guidelines, sample questions with explanations and more. Although no full-length practice exams are available, the official course description serves as an excellent starting point for your studies.
Other valuable resources are available as well. For instance, Code.org offers brief video tutorials about concepts that are central to computer science; you may be surprised to see the famous names that explain them. And CS Principles offers several activities for learning about AP Computer Science Principles topics.
Even though AP Computer Science Principles is a new class, you can still perform to your best on the end-of-course exam. Understand the grading system to know how and where to focus your efforts. Learn which diagrams are likely to appear on the exam, and make use of study aids that are specifically designed for this course.
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Prepare for Success on the AP Computer Science Principles Exam originally appeared on usnews.com
