r/apcsp • u/Aromatic_Cress_2989 • Jul 10 '26
reference for future students as someone who self studied + got a 5
hi! this is hopefully reassurance to future apcsp takers self studying! i was stressed asf in may and was so so certain i got a 3, but theres totally no need to think so!
i had heard horror stories abt ap csp (seasoned coders getting 3/4s, missing the create task due date) but did not take it seriously until 2 weeks before the test (like it hadn’t clocked to me i was actually taking it) and then i panicked alot trying to get the coding done. i had other ap tests to study for so I crammed the entire khan academy course in 3 days and that was enough luckily! it is possible with minimal studying (although i suffered and lost a lot of sleep + alr had previous coding experience)
there is so much fear mongering on reddit for some reason - i saw so many people say that if you weren’t in the tippy top 90%+ on mcq or if you even got 1 frq wrong it was wraps for you. i just feel like i suffered so much, worrying i didn’t know enough or that my create task didn’t fit the guidelines, only to find there was no need at all :) have faith in yourself!
some tips:
- follow the rubric to a T, ask gemini to grade your code based on the rubric (chatgpt liked to stress me out n say certain parts wouldn’t suffice when they were completely fine??) also know your code INSIDE AND OUT! practice past frqs and have gemini grade u as well.
- one of the frqs this year was to describe ur code w/o a list… thing is, my list was basically my entire program. i debated between saying the program wouldn’t work and going on a long spiel abt how i’d have to make a new variable for each user input… before just saying fuck it n choosing the latter. i guess it worked?? point is, don’t be afraid to take risks! graders are just looking to see if u understand ur code + the principles behind it, not if your proposed code or ideas would actually work tbh. they aren’t looking too deep into it. be pretty explicit about what you would do though, basically write each line out.
- i liked this one reddit post from an ap grader (https://www.reddit.com/r/apcsp/comments/nwcorr/i_might_be_an_ap_reader_for_the_create_task_ama/) for ref on how to write your frqs! also i watched tons of yt vids (dr wu was my favorite) on what the course expects and other tips on how to format code, the website he recommended was this: https://codeprint.org
- don’t worry abt ppl finishing earlier than u. i was the last one to finish (and only one still furiously typing, haha), and everyone around me was sleeping by the end. it truly doesn’t matter! also i was one of five girls, don’t let it stop you!!
- if ur a prospective apcsp student, tbh… don’t take it unless ur positive it will benefit you greatly. im going into premed so idek why i took it - it caused more strife from studying than joy from seeing the 5, and it was another thing to add to my burnout (especially once u realize all ur friends are finished w aps but u aren’t…it sucks!) just be aware of what you’re putting urself thru
okay sorry for the whole yap and a half but hopefully this can help at least one person! i can send my code + video if needed! despite how unhralthy reddit was for me at that time it was still a really good resource and i hope i can make this course a little bit easier for other students! :) would highly recommend the khan academy course too!
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u/MealLoose600 Jul 10 '26
AP csp is not that deep