AP Computer Science

Test Preparation AP Mathematics & Computer Science
1

<p>My guidance counselor told me I couldnt take AP compsci w/out taking the 2 introductory CS courses our school offers because "even the 2 intro courses are extremely difficult and many people flunk them", but I'm a quick, independent learner...so:</p>

<p>1) is AP compsci and java as hard as she says it is?
2) if she doesnt let me take ap compsci, do you think I could self-study ap computer science, without extreme difficulty?</p>

<p>note: I'll be a sophmore next year, and will be taking Calc AB AP for my math course (so I think my math skills are good enough for AP CS?).
I'm also reasonably competent at MATLAB, and know Ti-BASIC extremely well</p>

<p>thanks for your input :D</p>

2

<p>If you have decent analytical skills, you can easily do AP compsci without an introductory course (although keep in mind that your school MAY go past just the AP curriculum, in which case it will be difficult). I guarantee you that if you actually need 2 introductory courses before APCS, you should not be programming.</p>

3

<p>ok, thanks. in which case I may just self study it then (seeing as my counselor thought I was mentally crazy when I told her I wanted to skip the intro courses). The thing is, our school actually REQUIRES you to take both intro courses before you can take the AP course.</p>

4

<p>Basically, AP Computer Science is a pass-fail test. IN that some people understand programming and some people don’t. Math skills have very very little to do with it (you’ll never use anything beyond Algebra on the AP Test) it’s just a matter of getting a programming text book and making some programs… using javabat is also necessary…
I’m assuming you’re talking about for next year, not this year?</p>

5

<p>yeah, its for next year. apparently the AP Computer Science course doesn’t fulfill the technology course requirement at our school…so to get my tech credit i have to either:

  1. take woodworking or something like that, or
  2. take the intro course for compsci</p>

<p>it really bugs me how a regular introductory course somehow is more worthy of a tech credit than an AP course…</p>