AP stands for “Advanced Placement” — university-level courses taught in high school and offered by the College Board, designed for students planning to pursue an undergraduate degree in the US. Key point: Canadian universities also recognize and accept AP scores.
AP offers 7 broad categories and 38 subjects, spanning art, English, history, social sciences, math, computer science, and languages and cultures. Among them, Calculus, Statistics, and Computer Science are the most popular exams each year. With the rise of computing, the internet, and AI, AP Computer Science has become especially attractive to students considering studying abroad.
If you plan to apply for computer science or related majors, I strongly recommend taking AP Computer Science. Because computers have become essential tools for design, production, and data analysis across virtually every field, applicants to science, technology, engineering, math, and even arts programs often need it.
So which students are a good fit, how hard is it, and how do you prepare for a top score? Let’s break it down.
According to the College Board’s official course recommendations, more than half of all majors suggest taking AP Computer Science (either AP CS A or AP Computer Science Principles), and it’s especially relevant for STEM majors. A note for parents and students: universities increasingly assume that applicants to CS-related majors already have some foundation and a genuine interest — “starting CS from zero in university” is becoming a thing of the past, so many students build their programming foundation early.
Students who enjoy computing and programming and have strong logical and abstract thinking are also well suited to AP Computer Science. While there are graphical data tools like SPSS, Excel, and Tableau, you often need non-graphical tools like MATLAB, R, and Python — and using those fluently requires programming knowledge, which is exactly what AP Computer Science builds.
The two AP Computer Science courses
AP Computer Science is split into AP Computer Science Principles and AP CS A:
- AP Computer Science Principles: a recent 5-score rate of around 13%. It covers a broad range — data representation, computer networks (data transmission), data storage, big data, AI, computer architecture, basic programming concepts, and more. It requires understanding and memorizing many concepts and gives students a well-rounded view of computer science.
- AP CS A: a 5-score rate of around 25%. It strengthens the programming side and specifically tests Java programming.
Strictly speaking these are two different subjects and can’t be compared head-to-head on difficulty. Computer science covers a lot of ground, but the depth is relatively shallow. In one sentence: AP CS A emphasizes programming; AP Computer Science Principles emphasizes theory.
Exam formats
AP Computer Science Principles requires students to complete a Creative Performance Task: build a small project and answer related questions to demonstrate understanding. It isn’t a formal exam — the AP school’s teacher collects the work and submits it to the College Board for scoring. The task involves some writing but isn’t very difficult; it focuses on computing’s role in everyday life. In addition to the task, the exam has 70 objective questions (8 of which are multiple-select), with a 2-hour time limit.
AP CS A has two parts: 40 multiple-choice questions (90 minutes) and 4 free-response questions (90 minutes). The multiple-choice section tests understanding of basic programming concepts; the free-response section tests the ability to solve problems with code and to actually write code. Note that the free-response code is handwritten, so during practice you should follow the formatting of the official AP code samples to make grading easier.
Because AP Computer Science Principles is broader and includes multiple-select and subjective components, top scores are harder to reach, so its 5-score rate is relatively low. AP CS A is all single-answer multiple choice with relatively fixed free-response patterns, so its 5-score rate is higher.
Preparation advice
1. AP Computer Science Principles
Broad but not very difficult — similar to Biology, it’s relatively easy to review and score well. For the Creative Performance Task, I suggest designing your project with tools like Scratch or Code.org, which take much less time than coding from scratch. Students who already enjoy computing will need far less prep time.
2. AP CS A
Mainly tests Java programming; with consistent coding practice, a high score is quite achievable. Students with strong abstract and formal thinking tend to find it easier. Beyond class, I recommend reading the Barron’s book thoroughly at least twice and mastering its practice problems.
There’s no strict dependency between the two courses — you can choose which to take first based on your school’s offerings and your own schedule. Students who have taken AP CS A and are passionate about programming can enter US and Canadian programming competitions; placing well gives a significant advantage when applying to CS-related majors.
Students in Secondary 4 and 5 in Quebec can study programming systematically with the AP Computer Science exam as a goal. The AP content maps to a first-semester foundational course in a university CS program. After completing it, you’ll be able to answer two questions: first, whether to pursue computer science (or a related major) later; and second, whether you’re suited to — and genuinely interested in — studying it.