College Board AP CSP • Create Performance Task

AP Computer Science Principles
Private Tutoring

A one-on-one online preparation program that covers all 5 Big Ideas of AP CSP, the 70-question multiple-choice section and the Create Performance Task together. No prior coding experience is needed; concepts and algorithmic thinking come first.

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What Is the AP Computer Science Principles Exam Format?

The exam combines a Create Performance Task completed in class with a 3-hour end-of-course exam. The Exam Reference Sheet is provided throughout.

Multiple-Choice: 70 Questions

120 minutes, 70% of the score. 57 single-select questions, 5 based on a reading passage about a computing innovation, and 8 multi-select questions.

Create Performance Task

30% of the score. The student develops their own program, prepares a video and creates a Personalized Project Reference (PPR), with at least 9 hours of class time.

2 Written-Response Questions

60 minutes at the end of the exam. Using their own PPR, the student answers 4 prompts (Written Response 1, 2a, 2b and 2c).

Approximate multiple-choice weighting by skill: Computing Innovations 28-33%, Algorithms and Program Development 20-28%, Computational Solution Design 18-25%, Code Analysis 12-19%, Abstraction in Program Development 7-12%. Some questions present algorithms without any programming language, while others use the constructs in the Exam Reference Sheet.

AP CSP Curriculum: 5 Big Ideas, 35 Topics

The Big Idea structure and multiple-choice weighting from the College Board's AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description (Fall 2023).

BIG IDEA 1

Creative Development

Collaboration, program function and purpose, program design and development, and identifying and correcting errors.

Exam weighting 10-13% • 4 topics
BIG IDEA 2

Data

Binary numbers, data compression, extracting information from data and using programs to work with data sets.

Exam weighting 17-22% • 4 topics
BIG IDEA 3

Algorithms and Programming

Variables, lists, conditionals, iteration, developing algorithms, binary search, procedures, libraries, random values, simulations, algorithmic efficiency and undecidable problems.

Exam weighting 30-35% • 18 topics
BIG IDEA 4

Computer Systems and Networks

How the internet works, fault tolerance, and parallel and distributed computing.

Exam weighting 11-15% • 3 topics
BIG IDEA 5

Impact of Computing

Beneficial and harmful effects, the digital divide, computing bias, crowdsourcing, legal and ethical concerns, and safe computing.

Exam weighting 21-26% • 6 topics

The Create Performance Task and 4 Written-Response Prompts

The program, video and PPR are prepared in class; the written responses are answered on exam day using your own PPR.

Written Response 1
Program Design, Function, and Purpose: the purpose of your program, its inputs and outputs, how it works and how you developed it.
Written Response 2(a)
Algorithm Development: explaining the algorithm you developed and how it works.
Written Response 2(b)
Errors and Testing: finding and correcting errors, and identifying inputs and expected outputs that check correctness.
Written Response 2(c)
Data and Procedural Abstraction: explaining how abstractions such as lists and procedures manage the complexity of your program.

How Do We Prepare for AP CSP in Lessons?

Teaching Big Idea by Big Idea

We go through the five Big Ideas in order, using examples and small code snippets. Concepts are studied first at the algorithm level, then in code.

Code Analysis with the Exam Reference Sheet

We practice finding the result of code that uses lists, loops and procedures, and spotting errors, using the block-based and text-based constructs provided on the exam.

Guidance Through the Create Performance Task

Coaching on idea development, planning, testing and documentation. The project must be the student's own work; we do not write it in lessons but practice the skills it requires.

Written-Response Technique

Using the PPR, you practice answering the four written-response prompts clearly, with reasons, and in line with the scoring criteria.

Reading Passages, Multi-Select and Practice Exams

We build strategies for the computing-innovation reading passage and multi-select questions, and you take practice exams under real timing and format.

Common Questions

AP Computer Science Principles: Frequently Asked Questions

The exam has two components. The multiple-choice section has 70 questions in 120 minutes (70% of the score): 57 single-select questions, 5 single-select questions based on a reading passage about a computing innovation, and 8 multi-select questions. The Create Performance Task component (30% of the score) covers the program, video and Personalized Project Reference completed with at least 9 hours of class time, plus the written-response questions answered in 60 minutes at the end of the exam. The Exam Reference Sheet is provided throughout.

In the multiple-choice section, Big Idea 3: Algorithms and Programming carries the most weight at 30-35%. It is followed by Big Idea 5: Impact of Computing at 21-26%, Big Idea 2: Data at 17-22%, Big Idea 4: Computer Systems and Networks at 11-15% and Big Idea 1: Creative Development at 10-13%.

AP CSP is not tied to a single language; exam code is written using the Exam Reference Sheet, which includes both block-based and text-based constructs. For the Create Performance Task, the student develops their own program. In lessons, concepts such as variables, lists, conditionals, loops and procedures are first studied independently of any language and then reinforced in a language suited to the student's level.

In the Create Performance Task, the student develops a program of their choice, prepares a video showing it, and creates a Personalized Project Reference (PPR) containing selected parts of their code. On the exam, the student uses the PPR to answer four written-response prompts (Written Response 1, 2(a), 2(b) and 2(c)). The project must be the student's own work; instead of writing it, we practice the programming skills, development process, testing and written-response technique it requires.

AP CSP is a broad introduction covering algorithmic thinking, data, the internet and the societal impact of computing, and it is not tied to a single language. AP CS A is the more technical course, focused on programming in Java, class design and data structures; its exam has 42 multiple-choice questions and 4 FRQs. See the AP Computer Science A tutoring page for details.

No. According to the College Board, prior computer science experience is not required; a first-year high school algebra foundation is recommended. The course starts from basic ideas such as binary numbers, data and algorithms. Because Code Analysis carries roughly 12-19% of the multiple-choice section, we practice tracing code regularly.

We generally recommend starting in October–November with 1–2 hours of regular study per week. Because the Create Performance Task needs preparation time, students who start in January–February follow an accelerated intensive plan. The exam takes place in May.

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AP and Advanced Placement are registered trademarks of the College Board. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the College Board. Exam information is based on the AP Computer Science Principles Course and Exam Description (Fall 2023); please check AP Central for the latest details.