AP Computer Science Principles vs. AP Computer Science A: Which One Should You Take?
There are a lot of AP, or advanced placement, courses available for high school students to take. AP classes allow students to delve deeper into subjects that interest them, demonstrate academic rigor to colleges, and potentially even earn college credit. For computer science, the two AP courses that College Board, the non-profit organization that creates AP curriculum, offers are AP Computer Science Principles (APCSP) and AP Computer Science A (APCSA). In this blog, we’ll dive into the differences between the two AP computer science courses and which course would be the best for you depending on your own goals.
Why Take an AP Computer Science Course?
Even if you aren’t planning on majoring in something related to computer science, taking an AP computer science course can be extremely beneficial. As technology improves, understanding how to read and write code is becoming increasingly valuable because of how versatile programming is. Coding is used in marketing, scientific research, agriculture, and more. Knowing the fundamentals of coding and how to design solutions to complex problems can be a handy tool in the future regardless of your future major.
Furthermore, AP computer science classes are a great introductory course into the world of APs. Compared to other science and math AP courses like AP Chemistry or AP Calculus AB, computer science APs tend to be a little less conceptual and easier to understand but still taught at a college-introductory level. Plus, AP computer science courses teach skills that are widely applicable in the real world! Thus, AP computer science courses are a great way to go if you’ve never taken an AP course before.
What are the Major Differences Between AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A?
To answer this question, let’s break down the main ideas for each course.
AP Computer Science Principles
According to College Board, AP Computer Science Principles focuses on teaching foundational computer science skills such as:
Designing coding solutions for specific problems
Being able to comprehend how a program works and what it does
Understanding how the Internet works in general
Communicating ideas about technology
Collaborating with others on code
Furthermore, there is no designated coding language in which this course has to be taught. Teachers could teach using any language from Scratch to Python. There’s also an emphasis on learning about how the Internet and data transmission works on several levels, like how a digital signal from your computer is able to be sent to another computer, etc. The course culminates in coding a Create project that needs to meet certain technical guidelines, such as using iterative and selective processes. The Create project needs to be uploaded onto College Board before a certain deadline and accounts for 30% of your AP exam grade. The actual multiple-choice question (MCQ) exam that you take during May accounts for the other 70% of the AP exam grade.
AP Computer Science A
Unlike AP Computer Science Principles where teachers can choose which language in which to teach, AP Computer Science A is taught in Java. Java is a programming language that is widely used and has a syntax that is less intuitive than languages typically taught in APCSP such as Python. Since AP Computer Science A is taught in a standard language, the curriculum focuses more on building language-specific skills:
Designing and coding a program
Implementing documentation to explain code
Fixing compiler errors
While APCSA is slightly more language-specific, that’s not to say that you won’t learn a lot of skills that can be applied to coding in general. All forms of programming require the fundamental skills of breaking down a complex objective into smaller components to code, using documentation to facilitate collaboration and explainability, as well as debugging programs. Additionally, AP Computer Science A does require students to create a coding project and submit it to College Board. Instead, the AP exam is split into an MCQ and free-response question (FRQ) section with each section worth 50% of the overall AP grade.
Which AP Computer Science Course is Right for Me?
The two major things to consider when choosing whether to sign up for AP Computer Science Principles or AP Computer Science A are prior programming experience and your own personal coding goals.
Prior Programming Experience
Although College Board states that both courses are beginner-friendly, it is recommended that you take AP Computer Science Principles. This is because APCSP allows for more flexibility when it comes to programming languages compared to AP Computer Science A. Since Java utilizes a more complex syntax, it can be difficult to learn how to code with Java without having prior experience with programming concepts like iteration, selection, and data structures. For example, some high school students that I interviewed who are taking APCSA and who have minimal coding experience have expressed that it is difficult to succeed in the class without any prior knowledge of coding. In comparison, languages like Python, which is typically taught in APCSP, are more similar to natural languages and are therefore easier for beginner coders to comprehend. Thus, taking APCSP first can help students become accustomed to thinking like a coder before diving into a more difficult coding language. APCSP is a great foundational coding course that teaches a lot of the central skills that are reinforced in APCSA.
Though no prior coding experience is necessary for either AP computer science course, it is definitely helpful to already have some foundational coding expertise before taking AP Computer Science A, which focuses more on learning the different aspects of an object-based, syntax-heavy language like Java rather than developing a solid understanding of general coding concepts.
However, these recommendations are extremely broad. It is definitely possible to succeed in an APCSA course as a novice coder; it’ll just take more time and effort compared to APCSP.
Personal Objectives
The second critical factor in helping you decide which AP computer science course to take is what you hope to gain out of the course. For instance, if you just want to know a little bit more about coding in general and aren’t looking to become mired in all the details of any specific coding language, AP Computer Science Principles is probably a better fit for you. One high schooler that I interviewed who took both APCSP and AP Computer Science A explained that “[APCSP] is a good first step for understanding how computers work.” Additionally, APCSP can also involve a lot of group discussion regarding the architecture of the Internet, how social media is affecting democracy, the digital divide, and more since learning about how the Internet works is also part of the APCSP curriculum.
On the other hand, if there is a particular reason you want to learn Java or you already have a strong understanding of code, it would definitely be a better idea to take AP Computer Science A. For example, some students decide to skip AP Computer Science Principles and take AP Computer Science A because they want to pursue game development, and a lot of games are written in C++ or C#, programming languages that have a syntax similar to Java and are also object-based.
In general, it’s crucial that you keep in mind your own coding expertise as well as what you specifically want to gain from taking an AP computer science class when selecting whether to choose AP Computer Science Principles or AP Computer Science A.
What if my School Doesn’t Offer AP Computer Science Principles or AP Computer Science A?
If your class doesn’t offer the course you want to take, don’t fret! You can still sign up to take the exam at another location during AP exam season (early May). Self-studying either course is completely achievable—many professional programmers and coders today learned the foundational concepts online! There are a plethora of free digital resources that you can use to learn Python, Java, or any other coding language for that matter.
Of course, if you want to learn content that is more AP-aligned, or is more similar to the content you would see on the actual AP exam, you can always buy an AP preparation book to help. Some popular AP preparation books include Barron’s or The Princeton Review. That being said, there are also many free YouTube videos that are AP-oriented that can also be extremely helpful in preparing for either AP computer science exam.
In conclusion, AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A are both very strong computer science courses. If you are more of a beginner or just interested more generally in how the Internet and coding works, AP Computer Science Principles is probably the better course for you. However, if you already have some experience with coding and want to challenge yourself by learning Java, you should try taking AP Computer Science A. Either way, you should consider taking one or both of these courses even if you aren’t necessarily going to major in computer science—both courses teach coding skills that can be applied in a variety of real-life situations.
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