<p>I'm a freshman and planning my schedule for next year. I have the option of taking one extra honors class which could totally boost my Gpa, anyways is AP Computer Science A hard-for a person who has no real computer knowledge but learns really quickly?</p>
<p>Nope. Its basically a three/four week course that is dragged on for a whole year. The questions on the test are simple, and dont require any real thinking. The best part about taking it is if you get to go to programming competitions. Those questions require you to think, and make you better at coding. Take the class, it can always help you later if you need to do math problems or something. Or if you want to make games for a calculator or anything.</p>
<p>I disagree....I was totally lost in that class....go to collegeboard.com and go to AP computer science at the AP section and go to the sample MC and it does require thinking.</p>
<p>"Its basically a three/four week course that is dragged on for a whole year."</p>
<p>I completely agree. You can easily self-study this if you want to, but if you're going to get AP credit at school anyway, I say go for it. Definitely the easiest of my AP classes junior year.</p>
<p>are you guys serious? i thought cs is really hard</p>
<p>It was my easiest class ever. But maybe that was because I've been teaching myself C and C++ (among other less relevant languages) since sixth grade? Hm...</p>
<p>I think you either get it or you don't. If you don't get it, you can still do well in the class and on the AP exam but you'll have to work for it. It just comes naturally to some people.</p>
<p>super easy, i basically slacked off the whole year and after reading barron's + PR it has clarified a lot of stuff for me. . .free response might be a little harder.</p>
<p>CS is really hard to become fluent in, but AP Comp Sci is a joke.</p>
<p>I had no programming experience when I took it and struggled in the class during the first semester, but I worked really hard to understand the concepts. The AP exam was relatively easy compared to my class.</p>
<p>As for mastering CS, that takes years and years of coding and trying to make things on your own, like trying to code AI.</p>
<p>It's a do or die class. I breezed through it without sweating (prob. b/c I've been doing C/C++/Java for a few years by than, and had already done Data Structs, etc by than), and I know people who couldn't keep up past a few weeks.</p>
<p>yeah, at my school AP comp sci is a joke too. and its the easiest AP offered.</p>
<p>Does anyone here go to programming contests. In Massachusetts, the WPI or the Fitchburg state ones?</p>
<p>This year I'm taking an SQL class through the Oracle Academy (we learn SQL using Oracle 10g). I'll be taking the Oracle certification at the end of this year. Next year I'm taking Java through the Oracle Academy. I also have to take the certification exam for Java at the end of next year. I'm pretty good with computers (A+ & MOS certified) and have been programming PHP for about 2 years. Do you think AP Comp Sci would be easy for me? If so, should i just take Comp Sci AB instead of A?</p>
<p>"Does anyone here go to programming contests. In Massachusetts, the WPI or the Fitchburg state ones?"</p>
<p>I do, but in Texas.
HP CodeWars (houston area) and UIL</p>