Important Updates
2020 Assessment Changes Due to the Coronavirus Crisis
Because of school closures due to COVID-19, we’ve made changes to the 2020 AP Computer Science Principles assessment. Get the details on these changes and learn how we’re supporting schools and students. Note that 2020 AP course and exam changes may not be reflected on all AP Central pages.
We'll be hosting a live webinar to answer your questions about the AP Computer Science Principles assessment changes on Monday, April 6, 7 p.m. ET. Register for the webinar.
Sign In to AP Classroom
AP Classroom is now available. Designed with AP educators, it helps you provide students daily practice and personalized feedback throughout the year. Sign in to access your question bank. Students can also access the AP Digital Portfolio through AP Classroom.
Assessment Overview
The AP Computer Science Principles assessment consists of two parts: performance tasks and the end-of-course AP Exam. Both measure student achievement of the course learning objectives. For more information on exam weighting, download the AP Computer Science Principles course and exam description.
Encourage your students to visit the AP Computer Science Principles student page for assessment information and practice.
Exam Day Events
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- THU, APR 30, 2020, 11:59 PM ET
Deadline to Submit AP Computer Science Principles Performance Tasks
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- Fri, May 15, 2020
AP Computer Science Principles Exam Day
Assessment Format
Performance Tasks: The format, weighting, and scoring guidelines for the two through-course performance tasks will not change for 2019-20. However, there will be updates for the following school year, in 2020-21.
End-of-Course Exam: The AP Computer Science Principles Exam will continue to have consistent question types, weighting, and scoring guidelines every year, so you and your students know what to expect on exam day. The overall format of the exam—including the weighting, timing, types of questions, and types of stimulus materials—won’t change.
Section I: Performance Tasks
2 Tasks | 40% of Score
- Performance Task 1: Create—Applications from Ideas. Students will develop a computer program of their choice.
- Performance Task 2: Explore—Impact of Computing Innovations. Students will identify a computing innovation, explore its impact, and create a related digital artifact
Section II: End-of-Course Exam
~74 Multiple-Choice Questions | 2 Hours | 60% of Score
- Single-select multiple-choice: Select 1 answer from among 4 options
- Multiple-select multiple-choice: Select 2 answers from among 4 options
Scoring Guidelines and Notes for the 2020 Exam Administration
Students will need to complete the Create and Explore performance tasks and submit them as final in the AP Digital Portfolio by May 26, 11:59 p.m. ET for the 2020 exam. Access the 2020 AP Computer Science Principles Scoring Guidelines.
Scoring Guidelines and Notes for the 2019 Exam Administration
For scoring guidelines and notes from the 2019 exam, check out the table below.
Be sure to review the Chief Reader Report. In this invaluable resource, the chief reader of the AP Exam compiles feedback from members of the AP Reading leadership to explain how students performed on the through-course performance tasks, summarize typical student errors, and address specific concepts and content with which students have struggled the most that year.