Is AP Computer Science Principles Hard? A Complete 2024 Guide

AP Computer Science Principles is one of two computer science classes offered by the AP program, along with AP Computer Science A. AP Computer Science Principles is considered the broader course of the two, with students learning the foundations of computer science and focusing on teamwork.

Computer science is a useful field of study, but is the exam difficult to pass? Luckily for aspiring AP Computer Science Principles students, the course is not considered one of the 10 hardest AP courses. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not challenging. Check out our guide to AP Computer Science Principles.

The difficulty of any class often depends on your academic strengths and weaknesses. A few other factors can be used to determine how hard AP Computer Science Principles — or any other AP class — is likely to be for you. These factors include the pass rate of the AP exam, the course material, your skills, and more.

When determining the difficulty of an AP course, students should first look at the AP exam pass rate. By assessing that metric and the percentage of learners that receive a perfect score of 5 on the test, you can start to compare the difficulty of AP Computer Science Principles with the difficulty of other AP exams.

In 2023, the AP Computer Science Principles exam had an above-average pass rate of 63.15% and a below-average perfect score rate of 11.5%.

Source: College Board, May 2023

While pass rates and scores of 5 are a good place to start when figuring out if a course is difficult, they are not the only factors.

How a student experiences an AP course also depends on personal factors. These include their school’s resources, the strength of their teacher, and a student’s learning style.

The amount of material a given course covers is an important factor in determining its difficulty. A course that covers a broad range of material and requires you to master many topics is often harder than a course that covers a narrow range of ideas.

In the case of AP Computer Science Principles, students may find the wide range of material challenging. The course aims to give learners a broad understanding of many aspects of computer science, meaning students must learn a wide variety of related topics.

An AP class’s difficulty also depends on each student’s subject skills. Students with strong backgrounds in a given field will likely find a related AP class easier.

You should consider your math background when deciding whether to take AP Computer Science Principles. Students with strong math skills and a natural aptitude for algebra are more likely to find the class easy than students who struggle with math classes.

If you’re interested in taking AP Computer Science Principles, the next question is, when? While many schools structure their AP classes to encourage students to take them at specific points in their high school careers, there is often some flexibility.

Students typically take AP Computer Science Principles during their sophomore year or later to ensure they have the appropriate math background. If you’re considering taking AP Computer Science Principles in your first year of high school, check with your school to see if you have the prerequisites necessary to understand the coursework.

Consider what your AP course load will look like as you get further along in your high school career. If you can take AP Computer Science Principles in your sophomore year instead of your junior year, you most likely will not be taking many other AP classes at the same time. This may allow you to devote more time to the higher workload of AP Computer Science Principles.

The following table lists the AP Computer Science Principles exam scores for May 2023. More than 164,505 students took this AP test in 2023, and over 63% passed with a score of 3 or higher.

Source: College Board, May 2023

Unlike many AP exams, the AP Computer Science Principles exam is not taken in a single exam block. It consists of a multiple-choice section that will be taken as a traditional timed exam after the course is over, as well as a performance task section, which will take at least 9 hours of class time to complete.

For the performance task, you will get to work on it throughout your course, and you may choose what you want your program to do. As of 2023, a written response section was also added to the timed exam.

Section 1: 70 Multiple-Choice Questions (2 hours)

Section II: Create Performance Task

This may seem a bit confusing, so here’s some background. Before 2023, you were also expected to design and implement your own computer program, but once you were done, you needed to submit a program code, written response, and video of the running program to the AP Digital Portfolio.

Due to innovations in generative artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT and its accessibility, the Create Performance Task now requires you to submit a Personalized Project Reference instead of the written response. This reference will contain screen captures of lists and procedures of your task, which you will be able to use during the exam. Why is this important? Because then you can use it for the written response portion of the exam where you will explain your performance task live.

The written response basically touches on four areas related to your performance task:

As with all AP exams, the AP Computer Science Principles exam is scored 1-5, with 5 being a perfect score. The multiple-choice section is worth 70% of your overall grade and is scored by machine. The performance task is worth 30% and scored by a College Board employee.

Students who struggle with timed, multiple-choice exams should take practice exams before they take the test.

For the multiple choices questions, the following Big Ideas emphasized in the AP course will have the following weight in the exam:

Source: College Board, 2023

While a score of 3 or higher on an AP exam is considered a passing grade, many schools only award college credit for scores of 4 and 5. However, some colleges will award credit for a score of 3 or higher.

Check online which score your college, or potential colleges, require for credit before you register for the AP Computer Science Principles exam.

Whether or not you should take AP Computer Science Principles is a personal decision. Before you register, ask yourself if you are interested in the topic, the necessary math background, and space in your schedule to devote to an AP course.

If you’re curious about what AP Computer Science Principles is like at your particular school, reach out to students who have taken it in past years. They can provide you with valuable and specific information about the teacher, the workload, and how difficult they found the course.

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