The Higher Board debuted the AP Computer Scientific discipline Principles grade in 2016 and, past 2019, over 100,000 teens were sitting for examination each twelvemonth. In further evidence of the form'due south success, female test-takers increased 136% in that timeframe. By 2020, there were 116,000 exam-takers, a 21% increase over the previous year. Meanwhile, the onetime standard—Computer Science A—has been around since 1984 and remains highly popular as well, with almost 70,000 high schoolers taking the course in a typical year. With 2 Advanced Placement CS courses on the menu, students and parents naturally want to know, "Which course is the right ane for me/my kid?"

In the involvement of leading y'all toward a personalized answer to this query, this web log will answer each of the following commonly-asked questions.

  • What material does AP Information science Principles cover?
  • What material does AP Computer science A cover?
  • How do students score on the AP Reckoner Science Principles exam?
  • How do students score on the AP Figurer Science A examination?
  • Who should accept AP Computer Science Principles?
  • Who should take Computer science A?
  • Should I take both courses?

We begin by taking a gander at the curricular offerings for each course:

What material does AP Computer Scientific discipline Principles cover?

Computer Science Principles is very much a "big picture" overview of the CS universe. Dissimilar with Comp Sci A, teachers accept the freedom to choose the programming language they utilize. Ultimately, the exam covers the following:

  • Artistic development (collaboration, design, development) – 10-13%
  • Data (binary numbers, information compression/extraction) – 17-22%
  • Algorithms and Programming (variables and assignments, information abstraction, iteration, etc.)– thirty-35%
  • Reckoner Systems and Networks (internet, fault tolerance, parallel/distributed computing) – eleven-15%
  • Impact of Calculating (crowdsourcing, legal/ethical concerns/bias) – 21-26%

The end-of-course test feel differs in that Principles students must also submit digital artifacts and crate a functioning job administered by the instructor.

What material does AP Computer science A comprehend?

AP Computer Science A is designed to embrace the equivalent of a one-semester introductory higher course. The primary focus is on computing skills related to programming in Java. Ultimately, students are tested on the following in the multiple-choice section:

  • Program Pattern and Algorithm Development (make up one's mind lawmaking segments to produce a given output) – thirty-35%
  • Code Logic (determine output/value/result of programme code based on initial values) – 40-45%
  • Code Testing (analyze the code for correctness, equivalence, and errors) – 12-18%
  • Documentation (describe the behavior/weather that produced certain results) – 12-18%

A separate essay department includes iv gratuitous-response questions that striking on the following five skills areas:

  • Write program lawmaking to create objects of a class and call methods.
  • Write program lawmaking to define a new type by creating a class.
  • Write program code to satisfy method specifications using expressions, provisional statements, and iterative statements.
  • Write plan code to create, traverse, and manipulate elements in 1D assortment or ArrayList objects.
  • Write programme code to create, traverse, and dispense elements in 2nd array objects.

How practice students score on the AP Computer Science Principles test?

In 2020, but 10.9% of exam-takers nailed down a "5" on the AP Computer Science Principles exam; 23.6% earned a "4," 37.ane% earned a "iii," 19.8% earned a "two," and 8.six% scored only a "ane." The previous twelvemonth, there were only 234 students worldwide who got every single question correct. Overall, students score best on questions categorized equally beingness related to "data & information," "internet," and "global impact." Students score well-nigh poorly on questions related to programming.

How do students score on the AP Information science A exam?

Interestingly, a greater pct of students score better on the more than hard Comp Sci A test. An impressive 25.6% earned a "5," 21.7% a "iv," 23.two% a "3," 12.viii% a "two," and 16.eight% a "ane." While almost 1-in-five students bomb this very challenging test, almost fifty% who sat for the test earned a "4" or a "v." This makes sense since a more than cocky-selecting group tends to accept this test than the Principles test, including just nigh every futurity attendee of MIT, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, and other elite engineering/CS programme in the land. On that annotation, 601 students aced every question of the test in 2019.

Who should take AP Informatics Principles?

Those with limited-to-no coding feel can take this class without fright. Sometimes students elect to accept APCSP early in their high schoolhouse career since the level of math required is nothing across a foray into basic algebra. This is a course that every serious student should consider taking, whether or not they plan on pursuing CS beyond high school or non. In curt, this course is an excellent choice for anyone with even a casual involvement in computing.

Who should take Informatics A?

Students should have exceled in an Algebra Ii course and/or have experience with coding prior to enrolling in this class. APCSA is course that anyone considering a time to come in the engineering science, design, or software evolution realms should absolutely take during high school. If it is offered by your high school, colleges will expect to see this on your transcript when looking to enter a diversity of tech-oriented fields of study.

Should I accept both courses?

According to the College Board, these courses "can exist taken in any order." If you lot accept extensive coding feel, this is probably solid advice. If non, we would recommend starting with APCSP and and then, if you enjoy this overview, continuing into APSCA in a after semester/year. For more advanced students, some will tell you that Principles is not worth your valuable time, while others will recommend taking both to demonstrate your commitment to CS to competitive universities. Ultimately, if you are top-notch CS prospect, we feel it tin can still be beneficial to accept APSCP if you have room in your already crowded, AP-laden schedule. Nevertheless, there is no demand to force this form if your twenty-four hour period is already filled with of import, and also highly relevant classes like AP Physics, AP Chemical science, AP Biology, etc.