AP Computer Science: High School Tips to Do Well on Exam Day
AP Computer Science A (AP CSA) is a course that specializes in a subset of Java. This means that by the end of the year, the student will have learned in detail a certain portion of Java and not the language as a whole.
However, this does not mean that it is any easier.
Depending on the person, programming can either come easy or hard.
What is AP Computer Science?
AP Computer Science A (AP CSA) is a course that specializes in a subset of Java. This means that by the end of the year, the student will have learned in detail a certain portion of Java and not the language as a whole. However, this does not mean that it is any easier. Depending on the person, programming can either come easy or hard.
Preparing for the Exam
Like any other AP course, it comes down to practice.
Personally, when studying AP Computer Science at the beginning of the year, I really struggled with being able to read code that was given to me in MCQ.
After many weeks of trial and error, I finally was able to learn how to do it and it felt extremely satisfying to me. In all honesty, I did not expect the course to challenge me in the ways it did. I wish I had some guidance when I first started, and to those of you reading, I’m sure you’re thinking the same. Here is a list of some tips that I wish I had before taking the course.
Practice
My first tip is to practice. You can never have enough practice. I believe that as long as you are reviewing the content regularly, working on areas that are weak, and challenging yourself to questions and problems that are difficult, you will thrive.
At the beginning of the year, I struggled because I had expected the course to be easy and laid back and therefore, I was behind on the content.
After the first few weeks, I had realized that all I was missing was practice.
I talked with my teacher and I was able to get resources to practice my skills. I used websites such as AP Classroom, AlbertIO, CodingBat, and CodeHS to practice.
There are so many free resources online that allow you to learn and use code to its full extent. The hardest part of the course is the beginning.
Once you understand the basics, the rest is just building on top of the information already given. Since the tests that are given in class are usually cumulative (content from previous units will be tested at the same time as current tests), it is vital that you understand the basics before doing anything else.
2. Understand Other People’s Code
Learning how to read code that isn’t yours. When you write your own code, its easy to read and understand because you wrote it yourself.
However, when reading someone else’s code, it becomes a challenge due to the fact that you have to analyze what the code is trying to do and then understand what the questions ask of you.
As we all know, AP is famous for its rather confusing wording when it comes to the questions, as it tries to distract you from the main concept so that you can lose points. AP in itself is known to test more problem-solving skills rather than knowledge retention.
Once you learn how to read code, it is major that you learn to recognize patterns, errors, conditions and all the other kind of things that might appear in the question.
Key Takeaways
The main thing to remember is that you shouldn’t worry too much about it. The test doesn’t define your future in the Computer Science industry (assuming that is what you want to study).
Don’t worry about time because trust me, you will have ample time to practice and review. But if you follow the tips I gave you, there will definitely be less struggle in the course. All that matters is that you try your best on the exam and throughout the year. Good luck!
