<p>For those of you that already took the AP Comp Sci A or AB exam and got a low score, to what do you attribute that score? Poor teaching? Insufficient time prepping?</p>
<p>Well I didn't get a low score, but I would definitely understand getting one. That test looks more for knowledge of the Java programming language than actual computer science, and it often asks smart-alec type questions.</p>
<p>Probably insufficient time prepping. There are hundreds of books and resources for free on the internet for java. The AP Comp Sci test is pretty desperate for good questions and will ask you technical stuff and tricky stuff that aren't on other AP tests--like an AP US test asking for a date of a battle in WWII. On the other hand, if you have a full grasp of the language you should get a 4, barring the crap "Case Study" which they threw in to prevent people from completely winging the exam and acing it.</p>
<p>AP Comp Sci A-4
AP Comp Sci AB-1</p>
<p>Reason: Teacher in AB was rude and killed my motivation to do well. Made us do everything ourselves and left us to do the case study on our own.</p>
<p>Thank you all. This exam does seem to be such an oddity compared to the rest of the AP set. The polarity of the scores is very strange.</p>
<p>I'm trying to prep my daughter for the AB exam and I was just looking for some insight.</p>
<p>Hey, Gator, it does seem interesting that more of that A exam knowledge didn't carry over to the AB exam. Sad that your teacher had such a negative impact.</p>
<p>Actually, I know I could've passed that exam, but I didn't want to pass it because I don't get any useful credits out of it plus my teacher would get a bonus if I did, so I just turned in a blank test.</p>
<p>Why don't you talk to the AP Coordinator or an Administrator instead of turning in a bomb test? That affects yourself more than anyone else. Talk to someone about the teacher.</p>
<p>I know what you guys mean about the test asking you tricky questions on the language itself. Frankly, that's one of the barriers I am experiencing while working on the weekly assignments. The problem solving is at around the SAT math level (although much more tedious) but I definitely think I'm brute forcing too much because I haven't mastered the syntax. Perhaps taking AP AB without the intro course wasn't the best idea but having an extremely helpful and talented teacher who stays after school until 4 or 5 helps a lot.</p>
<p>Too late now 8parks11, I tried all the things you suggested but they wouldn't listen to me, also they forced me to show up otherwise I'd have to pay somewhere around $15 (My school signs a lot of people up for AP exams they don't want to take and forces them to show up to boost their rankings). And I'm already in college anyways so it's no biggie. Still got National AP Scholar without it though.</p>
<p>Not what you're asking, but I recieved a 5. And i accredit it all to great teaching. out of a 14 kid class, 11 people got 5s, 2 got 4s and one 3. By the end of the year, we were so prepared that it was hard not to get a 5. I'm taking AB this year, and again the topics are pretty easy.</p>