AP Computer Science test failing help?????

Test Preparation
1

So I’m currently in a really hard situation right now. The problem is that I’m going to do bad on the AP Computer Science exam coming like next week. I tried all I could to study for it but I still don’t think I’m going to do well. The thing is, my teacher has basically been out for the entire semester because of a hip injury, so we’ve been without an actual teacher for the entire semester. I might get a two or three on the exam but that will look so bad on my college admissions transcript because I want to major in computer science. I love Computer Science but right now I’m just not learning anything. Is there anyway to not send my AP test scores to colleges or can I just cancel the test overall? Thanks for any help!

2

Java is relatively easy to teach yourself due to the large number of tutorials (including the official Oracle documentation and the Java wikibook) out there. But yes, you don’t have to send all AP scores to colleges.

3

I took the AP Computer Science exam and scored a 5, I’m also a computer science major.

Other users have pointed out you can choose to not send them if you do poorly or think you will so I’d just like to throw a few tips your way in case you want to prep a little and try to pass instead.

  • Multiple choice is the faster and harder of the two sections. It will be what causes you to fail, if anything.
    • Run the code in your head. Practice running through the code. Loops, Recursion, everything. Set the variables out and keep going until you arrive at an answer. Doing this right is tough to learn but it will be your best friend past the AP exam too. Master this.
      • Don't get overwhelmed in practicing that you forget to read up what an insertion sort is. It's important you know how this stuff works. Don't memorize code, run it through your head and try to think like the code. Practice it like above to memorize it
      • Pace yourself. This has a pretty harsh time limit. Not so much as the SAT or ACT but it will still pressure you to go fast.
  • Free response is much easier. You have plenty of time.
    • Practice thinking logically and how you would approach the problem with the types of tools you have at your disposal (loops, recursion, treemaps, hashsets, blah blah). You don't need to write the code out but you should practice thinking through the problems.
    • Don't forget to read up on GridWorld. GridWorld was one of the topics on the free response last year. You'll get a reference for all the classes and methods but you should still try to understand generally what each class serves in GridWorld.

Last but not least, don’t worry if you get a 3 or 4. It’s not the end of the world. You can send AP scores to your college AFTER you get admitted. You fail? No biggie. Just don’t send it. You get a 4 or 5? Awesome. Send it.

Good luck

4

Okay, thanks a lot for the help. I got a question though. How would you suggest working through the free response? don’t really know how to do those.

5

I am an AP CS student this year. My teacher did not teach very well… and sometimes not at all. I learned most of the content through online resources ( which are plentiful). However, I now feel confident in taking the exam next week. I recommend that you buy a Barron’s review book, or any other AP review book that has high ratings. Look through the content, try to learn as much as you can, and then take the practice test. If you score poorly, you might be in trouble. But most likely you will not! Here is another practice exam for you to try online: Barron's Online Test Preparation for AP Exams

If you focus and work hard this next week, the exam will be fine! Good luck and kudos! :smiley:

6

Thanks :smiley: Yeah, I’ve been reviewing a lot from the Barrons book. I heard that the Barrons book is a lot more harder than the usual AP problems so I’m feeling more confident now on them. Good luck to you too :smiley:

7

Best way to tackle the free response is practice. Each free response typically involves using some kind of data structure (Array, ArrayList, Tree, etc…). Become familiar with how you fill them, access them, etc. Each free response has more than one correct solution so don’t knock yours if you can’t get it.

There will also be a case study question (GridWorld for me). I would study up that API and get familiar before you take it.

The free response should really only be a homework assignment for you. You write a short piece of code, say one method, and that’s it. I would do lots of little projects. You might not have a lot of time but check out http://www.projecteuler.net. They have lots of programming-logic problems. They take an hour a piece but just doing them should refresh you on loops and maybe introduce you to some new ways to use old tricks that will help you on the exam.

The free response really is a reflection of how well you can sit down and code something. So get good at that, or at least practice it a few times.