---
title: "AP Computer Science Principles Exam"
description: "AP Computer Science Principles Exam - Ap Comp Sci P unit content"
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam"
type: "unit"
subject: "AP Computer Science Principles"
unit: "AP Computer Science Principles Exam"
---

# AP Computer Science Principles Exam

## Overview

AP Computer Science Principles tests your understanding of programming, data, algorithms, networks, cybersecurity, and the societal impact of computing. The exam combines a multiple-choice section taken in May with a project-based performance task submitted beforehand.

## AP CED Alignment

This unit hub is organized around AP Course and Exam Description topics, skills, and exam task types when they are available in the source data.
- MCQ guide: Multiple-Choice Questions
- Create PT guide: Performance Task
- Difficulty guide: Is AP CSP Hard?
- Exam format: MCQ section breakdown
- Create Performance Task: What the Create task actually requires
- Scoring: How your AP score is calculated

## Topics

- [MCQ guide: Multiple-Choice Questions](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam/ap-comp-sci-p-ap-csp-mcq/study-guide/ap-comp-sci-p-ap-csp-mcq): A full breakdown of the MCQ section: 70 questions, 120 minutes, question types, pacing strategies, and the wrong-answer patterns that appear most often. This is the 70% of your score you can directly prepare for with targeted review.
- [Create PT guide: Performance Task](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam/performance-task/study-guide/ap-comp-sci-p-performance-task): Everything you need to know about the Create task: the 9-hour in-class timeline, what your program must include, how to write your PPR, and how to prepare for the 4 exam-day written-response prompts about your own project.
- [Difficulty guide: Is AP CSP Hard?](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam/ap-csp-is-it-hard/study-guide/UpHNMuWIHpejcpOt0RMN): An honest look at where AP CSP is approachable and where students run into trouble, including the Create task pressure points and what it takes to be prepared for both sections of the exam.

## Review Notes

### Exam format: MCQ section breakdown

The 70-question MCQ section runs 120 minutes, giving you roughly 1 minute 42 seconds per question. Pacing matters most on the multi-select questions, which require you to evaluate all four choices carefully before committing to two answers. The innovation-focused passage questions test reading comprehension alongside computing concepts, so budget a few extra seconds to read the scenario before answering.

- **Single-select (standard)**: 57 questions, one correct answer from four choices, covers all course big ideas
- **Single-select (passage)**: 5 questions tied to a reading about a computing innovation, tests application of concepts to a new context
- **Multi-select**: 8 questions requiring exactly 2 correct answers from 4 choices, partial credit is not awarded

**Checkpoint:** Can you identify which question type you are looking at within the first few seconds of reading it? Recognizing multi-select questions immediately prevents accidentally choosing only one answer.

Question type | Count | Strategy
--- | --- | ---
Single-select (standard) | 57 | Move at steady pace, flag and return if stuck
Single-select (passage) | 5 | Read the scenario first, then the question
Multi-select | 8 | Evaluate all 4 choices before selecting 2

### Create Performance Task: What the Create task actually requires

The Create PT has two scored components: the artifacts you submit (program code, video, PPR) and the written-response prompts you answer on exam day. The prompts ask you to describe your program's purpose, explain how your list manages complexity, trace through your algorithm, and identify an error or change. Your PPR is a printed reference you bring to the exam, so it must accurately reflect your submitted code.

- **PPR (Personalized Project Reference)**: A printed document showing your list and procedure code, used during the exam-day written-response section
- **Written-response prompts**: 4 prompts answered in 60 minutes on exam day, all based on your own Create project
- **Program requirements**: Your program must include a list used to manage complexity and a student-developed procedure with sequencing, selection, and iteration

**Checkpoint:** Can you explain out loud what your program does, how your list stores and uses data, and how your procedure works step by step? If you cannot explain it without looking at the code, practice before exam day.

Component | Submitted when | Used on exam day
--- | --- | ---
Program code | By end-of-April deadline | Referenced via PPR
Video | By end-of-April deadline | Not available on exam day
PPR | By end-of-April deadline | Printed copy provided during written response

### Scoring: How your AP score is calculated

Your composite AP score combines the MCQ section (70%) and the Create Performance Task (30%). There is no penalty for wrong answers on the MCQ, so you should answer every question. The Create task is scored by AP readers using a rubric that evaluates your written-response prompts against your submitted artifacts. Points are not awarded for the program itself in isolation but for how well you explain and demonstrate understanding of it.

- **MCQ weight**: 70% of total AP score, based on number of correct answers
- **Create PT weight**: 30% of total AP score, scored from exam-day written-response prompts evaluated against your PPR and submitted code
- **No guessing penalty**: Wrong answers do not subtract points, so leaving any MCQ blank is never the right move

**Checkpoint:** Do you know which written-response prompt type asks you to trace your algorithm versus which asks you to identify a program error? Reviewing the prompt categories before exam day reduces surprises.

Section | Weight | Timing
--- | --- | ---
MCQ | 70% | 120 minutes on exam day
Create PT written response | 30% | 60 minutes on exam day
Create PT artifacts | Included in 30% | Submitted before exam day

## Study Guides

- [Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQ)](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam/ap-comp-sci-p-ap-csp-mcq/study-guide/ap-comp-sci-p-ap-csp-mcq)
- [Performance Task](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam/performance-task/study-guide/ap-comp-sci-p-performance-task)
- [Is AP Computer Science Principles Hard? AP CSP Difficulty and Worth It Guide](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam/ap-csp-is-it-hard/study-guide/UpHNMuWIHpejcpOt0RMN)

## Common Mistakes

- **Treating the Create task as a coding project only**: The Create PT is scored on your written-response prompts, not on how impressive your program is. Students who build complex programs but cannot clearly explain their list, procedure, or algorithm in writing often score lower than students with simpler programs they understand deeply.
- **Leaving multi-select questions with only one answer**: Multi-select questions require exactly 2 answers. Selecting only one earns no credit even if that one answer is correct. Always double-check that you have selected exactly 2 choices before moving on.
- **Not reading passage questions carefully**: The 5 innovation-focused passage questions introduce a computing scenario you have not seen before. Students who skim the passage and jump to the question often miss context that changes the correct answer.
- **Submitting a PPR that does not match the submitted code**: If your PPR shows a version of your procedure or list that differs from what you actually submitted, your written-response answers may not align with what readers are evaluating. Verify consistency before the deadline.
- **Skipping questions on the MCQ**: There is no penalty for wrong answers, so a blank answer is always worse than a guess. If you are stuck, eliminate what you can and choose the best remaining option before moving on.

## Exam Connections

- **MCQ and Create PT are scored independently**: Your MCQ raw score and your Create written-response score are calculated separately and then combined at the 70/30 split. A strong MCQ performance can offset a weaker Create score and vice versa, so neither section should be ignored in your preparation.
- **The PPR connects your submitted work to exam-day prompts**: The Personalized Project Reference is the bridge between your pre-submitted artifacts and the written-response prompts you answer in May. Everything you write on exam day about your program will be evaluated against what is shown in your PPR, making accuracy and clarity in that document essential.
- **Passage questions test concept application, not memorization**: The 5 innovation-focused MCQ questions present a computing scenario and ask you to apply course concepts to it. These questions reward students who understand ideas like data privacy, algorithmic bias, or network security well enough to reason about a new example, not just recall a definition.

## Final Review Checklist

- **Confirm your Create task is submitted**: Check the AP Digital Portfolio to verify your program code, video, and PPR are all submitted before the end-of-April deadline. Late or missing submissions cannot be scored.
- **Review your PPR carefully**: Read through your Personalized Project Reference and make sure you can explain every line of code shown. On exam day you will answer prompts directly referencing this document, so surprises are costly.
- **Practice explaining your algorithm out loud**: The written-response prompts ask you to trace your algorithm step by step. Practice walking through your procedure with a specific input value before exam day so the explanation comes naturally under time pressure.
- **Review all five big ideas for MCQ**: MCQ questions draw from Creative Development, Data, Algorithms and Programming, Computing Systems and Networks, and Impact of Computing. Identify which areas feel weakest and use the topic guides available here to review them.
- **Practice multi-select questions specifically**: Multi-select questions require exactly 2 correct answers and are easy to rush. Practice evaluating all four answer choices before committing, especially on questions about algorithms and data.
- **Time yourself on a full MCQ set**: 120 minutes for 70 questions is tight if you spend too long on hard questions. Practice flagging and moving on so you reach every question, including the multi-select and passage questions at the end.
- **Check your score estimate**: Use the AP score calculator available here to estimate how your MCQ performance translates to an AP score and identify how many questions you need to answer correctly to reach your target.

## Study Plan

- **Start with the Create task timeline**: If you are still in the 9-hour in-class window, prioritize getting a working program with a clear list and procedure before worrying about MCQ review. The Create task has a hard deadline and cannot be recovered with last-minute studying.
- **Read both topic guides for the exam sections**: The MCQ guide and Performance Task guide available here cover format, question types, scoring, and strategy for each section. Reading both gives you a complete picture of what exam day actually looks like.
- **Identify your weakest big idea and review it**: Use the three topic guides to find the big idea areas where you feel least confident. Algorithms and Programming and Computing Systems and Networks tend to have the most technically specific MCQ questions, so prioritize those if they feel shaky.
- **Practice your written-response explanations**: Before exam day, write out answers to the four Create prompt types using your own project: program purpose, list and complexity, algorithm trace, and program change or error. Time yourself at 15 minutes per prompt to simulate exam conditions.
- **Use the score calculator to set a target**: The AP score calculator available here lets you estimate what MCQ score you need to reach a 3, 4, or 5 given your Create task performance. Use it to set a concrete MCQ target and focus your remaining review time accordingly.

## More Ways To Review

- [Topic study guides](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam#topics)
- [FRQ practice](/ap-comp-sci-p/frq-practice)
- [Cheatsheets](/ap-comp-sci-p/cheatsheets/ap-computer-science-principles-exam)

## FAQs

### What's on the AP CSP progress check (MCQ and FRQ)?

The AP CSP progress check on AP Classroom includes both MCQ and FRQ parts that pull directly from the core exam topics: abstractions in programs, algorithms and programming, data and analysis, computer systems and networks, and the impact of computing. The MCQ section tests conceptual understanding with scenario-based questions, while the FRQ part asks you to write and trace code, analyze data representations, or explain how a computing innovation affects society. For matched practice on every one of these topics, visit [AP CSP Exam prep](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam).

### How do I practice AP CSP FRQs?

AP CSP free-response questions focus on a few key areas: writing and analyzing code snippets, explaining how an algorithm works, and discussing the societal impact of a computing innovation. To practice, write out full responses to past prompts on topics like program design, data abstraction, and beneficial or harmful effects of technology, then check your answers against the College Board scoring guidelines. You can find FRQ-aligned practice at [AP CSP Exam prep](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam). The biggest tip is to always explain your reasoning in plain language, not just write code.

### Where can I find AP CSP practice questions?

The best place to find AP CSP practice questions, including MCQ and practice test sets, is [AP CSP Exam prep](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam). That page has multiple-choice questions covering algorithms, data representation, internet and network concepts, programming fundamentals, and computing innovations. For a full practice test experience, work through timed MCQ sets that mirror the 70-question format of the real exam, and mix in FRQ prompts on program design and impact of computing.

### How should I study for the AP CSP exam?

Start by grouping the AP CSP exam content into its main pillars: creative development, data, algorithms and programming, computer systems and networks, and impact of computing. Spend focused sessions on each pillar rather than trying to review everything at once. Practice writing pseudocode and tracing through algorithms by hand, since those skills show up in both the MCQ and FRQ sections. Review real computing innovations and practice explaining both their benefits and harms in two to three clear sentences. Use the resources at [AP CSP Exam prep](/ap-comp-sci-p/ap-computer-science-principles-exam) to check your understanding with practice questions after each study session, and revisit any topic where you miss more than one or two questions.

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