Complete your AP CS Principles project and exam with 1:1 help
One-on-one AP CS Principles tutoring programme. In a free initial consultation we assess your level and agree the plan and the exact price together. Parents and students are both welcome to reach out.
What is the AP Computer Science Principles exam?
AP Computer Science Principles is a college-level high-school course administered by the College Board that introduces the broad foundations of computer science. It covers algorithms, programming, data, the internet and the societal impacts of computing; it is not tied to a specific programming language and is designed for those taking their first step into computer science.
The course assessment has two parts: a programming project called the Create Performance Task completed during the year, and an end-of-year multiple-choice exam. This structure measures students not only on theory but also on the experience of building a concrete project. A strong AP score can earn introductory computer science credit at many universities.
Why prepare for AP Computer Science Principles with Studrise?
Exam-focused expert tutors
Every lesson is taught by expert tutors who know the AP Computer Science Principles format inside out and focus on exam strategy.
A plan built around you
After your level assessment, we build a personal roadmap around your strengths and weak spots.
Flexible 1:1 schedule
Lessons run online and one-on-one on days and times that suit you — no clashes with school.
A clear start
It starts with a free initial consultation: level, plan and price are settled before the programme begins.
How it works
Free initial consultation
A short call and assessment to clarify your current level, your goal and your exam date.
Personal roadmap
We build a topic-by-topic weekly study plan and match you with the right tutor.
Reach your goal with 1:1 lessons
Start one-on-one lessons with your tutor and track progress with regular practice tests.
AP Computer Science Principles exam format
The AP CS Principles assessment consists of a project and an exam:
Create Performance Task
Programming project completed during the year · 30% of the final score
End-of-Course Exam
About 70 multiple-choice questions · 2 hours · 70% of the final score
Programming language
Language-agnostic · worked in a language chosen by the teacher
Content coverage
Algorithms, data, the internet, impacts of computing and security
Exam delivery (2025+)
The whole exam is digital in the Bluebook app — answers are typed
AP Computer Science Principles topics
The topic areas on the exam and their weight. Lessons don't follow this order — we start from the area that will move your score the most.
Creative development and data (Big Ideas 1–2)
27–35%
- Collaboration, program design, debugging
- Binary numbers, bits, data compression
- Data abstraction and metadata
- Extracting information from large data, bias
- Visualisation and cleaning data
Algorithms and programming (Big Idea 3)
30–35% · the heaviest idea
- Variables, string operations, mathematical expressions
- Boolean logic, conditionals, nested conditionals
- Iteration and traversing lists
- Search and sort algorithms, efficiency
- Procedures, parameters, abstraction, randomness, simulation
Computer systems and networks (Big Idea 4)
11–15%
- The internet: IP, TCP, DNS, routing
- Fault tolerance and redundancy
- Parallel and distributed computing
- Speed-up calculations
- Protocol layers
Impact of computing (Big Idea 5)
21–26%
- Beneficial and harmful effects, the digital divide
- Bias and data privacy
- Crowdsourcing and legal/ethical issues
- Security: encryption, authentication, malware
- Copyright and open-source licences
AP Computer Science Principles question types and strategy
Each question type has its own approach. In lessons we work on these strategies alongside the content.
The End-of-Course exam (70 questions, 120 min, 70%)
Single-select, multiple-select (two correct) and questions tied to a reading passage about a computing innovation. Code questions use the pseudocode (text and block) on the exam reference sheet.
A hundred seconds a question; in code-tracing items keep a variable table and go line by line. Memorise the loop and list operations of the reference-sheet pseudocode (1-based indexing!) before the exam. No penalty for wrong answers.
The Create Performance Task — program (part of the 30%)
A program developed over at least nine class hours that uses a list, contains at least one student-written procedure and shows selection and iteration; a one-minute video and the code are submitted.
Choose a small but complete project (a grade calculator, a word game, a simple simulation). Mark the four required components in the code with comments. Finish by March; record the video to show the program running.
The Create Performance Task — written responses (exam day)
On exam day, Section II asks written questions about your own program: the purpose and operation of the procedure, how the list manages data, the steps of an algorithm, test cases.
Know your code well enough to rewrite it on paper; the questions refer to specific lines. In every response quote the code segment and explain what it does in plain sentences. This is where most points are lost, because students write the code months earlier and forget it.
Scoring and target scores
AP Computer Science Principles is graded on a 1–5 scale, and a score of 3 or above is generally considered passing. The final score combines the Create Performance Task project (30%) with the end-of-year multiple-choice exam (70%). Many universities grant introductory credit for a 3, while selective programs ask for a 4 or 5. Submitting the project on time and complete is an important part of the score.
AP CS Principles suits high-school students who are new to computer science and have limited programming experience. The end-of-course exam is held every year in May, while the Create Performance Task is completed during the year by the College Board's submission deadline. Preparation usually spans the school year, and regular guidance on the project is the most critical step.
What we cover in AP Computer Science Principles lessons
Algorithms and the fundamentals of programming
Data and data analysis
The internet and computing systems
Create Performance Task project guidance
Impacts of computing and security
Multiple-choice exam strategies
What sets the price of AP Computer Science Principles tutoring?
There is no single list price; the fee depends on the programme. You get a clear quote in the consultation — nothing is added later.
Lessons per week
One, two or three lessons a week — set by the time until the exam and the score gap.
Total duration and package
Lessons are priced as a package; longer programmes lower the per-lesson cost.
Scope
One section (say, Math only) or the whole exam? A narrower scope means a shorter programme.
Tutor and level
The tutor you're matched with and your starting level shape the plan, and therefore the fee.
Adding coaching?
Coaching and application counselling is an optional, separately priced programme.
Every lesson you pay for is 1:1
No crowded classroom, no idle hours. Keep that in mind when comparing with group-course prices.
In the free initial consultation we assess your level, draw up the plan and give you the exact price. No surprises.
AP CS Principles: assessment structure and who should take it
Seventy percent exam, thirty percent project; any programming language; the most accessible AP entry into computer science.
AP Computer Science Principles introduces computer science through five big ideas: creative development, data, algorithms and programming, computer systems and networks, impact of computing. Assessment has two parts:
- End-of-Course exam (70%): 70 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes in May; single-select, multiple-select with two correct answers, and questions tied to a reading passage about a computing innovation. Code appears in the language-agnostic pseudocode of the exam reference sheet.
- Create Performance Task (30%): a program developed during the year (code plus a one-minute video, uploaded to the Digital Portfolio by the end of April) and written responses about that program on exam day. Since 2024 the written responses are completed in the exam room.
In recent years about 10–12% scored a 5 and 65% a 3 or above. The low share of 5s reflects the breadth of the cohort and points lost in the Create Task written responses, not a hard exam.
- Who should take it: grade 9–11 students new to programming; those aiming for business, economics, design or social sciences who want a quantitative AP; students building a base before CS A.
- Language: Python is the most common and practical choice; JavaScript or block-based languages are also accepted. The programme runs in the language the student picks.
- Credit: most US universities grant general elective credit for a 4–5; computer-science departments do not count it as CS1. Its value is being an early, accessible quantitative AP.
For the Java programming course see AP CS A; for the comparison see the AP Computer Science page.
AP CS Principles study plan (September to May)
Coding foundation first, then the project, then the exam; the Create Task is done by March.
- September–November: programming foundation (Big Idea 3). Variables, lists, conditions, loops and procedures in Python; a small program every lesson. Parallel reading of the pseudocode reference sheet.
- December: data and systems (Big Ideas 2, 4). Binary numbers, compression, internet protocols, parallel speed-up.
- January–March: the Create Performance Task. Project choice, development, labelling the four required components, video recording. A Digital Portfolio upload rehearsal at the end of March.
- April: impact and security (Big Idea 5) plus Big Idea 1. Encryption, privacy, bias, licences; short and conceptual.
- April–May: exam preparation. Two full mocks (70 questions, 120 min), code-tracing sets, Create Task written-response rehearsal (rewriting your own code on paper).
One or two lessons a week plus 2–3 hours of coding practice is enough. A student taking an IT course at school can manage a four-month programme (project plus exam) from January.
Round out your AP CS Principles prep with coaching
Tutoring teaches the material; coaching manages the process. Your Studrise coach brings your study routine, goals and application timeline into one plan alongside your AP Computer Science Principles lessons — so what you learn in class turns into results.
Weekly plan & check-ins
A study plan with regular progress check-ins.
Data-driven strategy
Targets and plans updated from practice-test results.
Motivation & test anxiety
Support with time management, motivation and exam nerves.
Aligned with applications
Planning built around your university and program goals.
ADD-ON PROGRAMME
How do I get started?
Coaching is a separately priced programme alongside your lessons. In the initial consultation we agree its scope and price and build a coaching plan that fits around your lesson schedule.
Initial consultation is free
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Frequently asked questions
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Fill in the form; in a free initial consultation we settle your level, programme and exact price together. No crowded classroom, no idle hours: every lesson you pay for is one-on-one.