AP Computer Science Principles is the more accessible of the two AP computer science courses — and the more widely available one at Oahu public schools. Unlike AP CS A, it doesn't require you to know Java or any specific programming language. It's a conceptual course that covers how computing works: algorithms, data, networks, and the broader impact of technology on society.
That said, "accessible" doesn't mean easy. The course has a unique structure — part of your score is determined before exam day through a programming project you build during the year. Getting that project right matters, and a lot of students leave points on the table by not understanding what the rubric actually asks for. This guide covers how the course works, which Oahu schools offer it, what's on the exam, and how to prepare.
Which Oahu schools offer it
Much more widely available than AP CS A
How the exam works
Two components — the Create Task and the end-of-course MCQ
The 5 Big Ideas
What each one covers and how much it weighs
The Create Task in detail
What it requires, the PPR, and where students lose points
Which Oahu Schools Offer AP CS Principles
AP CS Principles is offered at significantly more Oahu public schools than AP CS A. The DOE has been actively expanding CSP access across the island — partly through a UH-supported teacher training program that brought the course to multiple campuses. If your child's school has any AP computer science course, there's a good chance it's this one.
Public schools
Private schools
Check your school directly
AP course offerings change year to year. The list above reflects confirmed availability — but it isn't exhaustive. Talk to your school's counselor or check the course catalog to see whether AP CSP is offered and what, if any, prerequisites apply. Many schools list it as an elective with no prior CS experience required.
If you want to compare AP CS Principles to AP CS A — the harder, Java-focused course — I covered the differences in detail in my AP Computer Science A guide. The short version: CSP is the broader conceptual course; CS A is for students who want to write and analyze code in Java specifically.
How the AP CSP Exam Works
AP CS Principles has a structure unlike most AP courses — your score comes from two separate components, one of which you complete before exam day.
Create Performance Task
Completed during the course · Due April 30
You build a program of your choice during at least 9 hours of in-class time, then submit a Personalized Project Reference (PPR) — specific code segments, no comments — through the AP Digital Portfolio by April 30.
On exam day, you answer two written response questions about your own PPR code covering purpose, functionality, and algorithm development.
End-of-Course MCQ
Exam day · Fully digital via Bluebook
70 multiple-choice questions, 120 minutes. Tests all 5 Big Ideas — from tracing pseudocode algorithms to interpreting data and evaluating computing's societal impact.
No specific programming language required. All code uses College Board pseudocode, with a reference sheet provided during the exam.
The April 30 deadline is hard
The Create Task must be submitted as final in the AP Digital Portfolio by April 30, 11:59 PM ET. This is a College Board deadline — not your school's — and late submissions are not accepted. Students who don't submit by the deadline receive a score of 0 on the 30% component. Start the Create Task early and don't treat it as something to finish the last week of April.
The 5 Big Ideas
The MCQ section draws questions from all five Big Ideas. Two of them — Algorithms and Programming, and Impact of Computing — carry the most weight and deserve the most study time.
Algorithms and Programming
Variables, data types, conditionals, loops, procedures, lists, algorithms. This is the closest CSP gets to actual coding. MCQ questions ask you to trace pseudocode, identify what an algorithm does, and reason about data structures. The Create Task's written response questions also draw heavily on these concepts.
Impact of Computing
How computing affects society — privacy, security, bias in algorithms, intellectual property, the digital divide, beneficial and harmful effects of technology. More analytical than technical. Questions ask students to evaluate scenarios and make reasoned arguments about computing's real-world effects.
Data
Binary representation, data compression, how data is stored and processed, analyzing data to draw conclusions. Includes concepts like lossless vs. lossy compression, how images and text are encoded, and working with data sets to identify patterns.
Computer Systems and Networks
How the internet works — IP addresses, packets, protocols, routing, fault tolerance. The hardware layer of computing. Less conceptually demanding than BI 3 and BI 5 for most students, but specific vocabulary (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP) needs to be memorized.
Creative Development
The development process — collaboration, iteration, testing, program documentation. Lightest weighting on the MCQ. Concepts here show up more in the Create Task written response (documenting your program's purpose and development process) than in the MCQ.
The Create Task in Detail
The Create Task is where most students either pick up easy points or leave them on the table. It's 30% of your score and you control it entirely — but only if you understand what the rubric actually asks for.
What your program needs to include
A list (or collection type)
Must be used meaningfully — storing and accessing related values through the list, not just declared to satisfy the requirement.
A student-written procedure with a parameter
You write it yourself — not a built-in function. The parameter must actually affect what the procedure does.
An algorithm with all three components
Sequencing, selection (conditional), and iteration (loop) — all three must appear together inside your student-developed procedure.
A video of the program running
Under 1 minute, under 30MB — shows the program executing with visible input and output. No voiceover needed.
Getting the Create Task right — building a program that genuinely meets all the rubric requirements — is exactly where working with a tutor helps most. I can review your program and PPR before the April 30 deadline. Book a free intro session and let's take a look.
The Personalized Project Reference (PPR)
The PPR is what you bring to exam day. It's a set of screen captures of specific code segments from your program — the list code, the procedure with parameter, and the algorithm. A few things that trip students up:
No comments allowed in the PPR
This is a hard rule — any code segment in your PPR that contains comments will not be graded. Remove every comment from the specific segments you screenshot before submitting. This catches students who leave helpful annotations in their code without realizing they'll invalidate the submission.
Choose your procedure carefully
The written response questions on exam day will ask you to explain your procedure's purpose, how it works, and how it manages complexity. Pick a procedure that's genuinely interesting to explain — not so simple that there's nothing to say, and not so complex that you can't describe it clearly under exam pressure.
Don't wait until April to start
Students who treat the Create Task as a last-minute item — building their program in the two weeks before the April 30 deadline — almost always produce weaker work than students who build iteratively over the course of the year. The 9 hours of in-class time is a floor, not a ceiling. The best Create Task programs take months of iteration.
AI use must be cited — and has limits
College Board allows students to use AI tools during the Create Task, but any AI-generated code must be cited and students must be able to explain it fully in their written response. AI-generated code that a student can't explain won't earn points. Using AI to write your entire procedure and then submitting it is likely to backfire on exam day when the written response questions ask you to explain it.
How to Prepare
CSP prep splits into two tracks: the Create Task (ongoing through the year) and the MCQ (concentrated in the weeks before the exam). They require different approaches.
Start the Create Task early — not in April
Build your program iteratively over the course of the year. Settle on an idea you're genuinely interested in — games, tools, data analysis, art — because you'll be explaining it in writing on exam day and enthusiasm shows. Make sure the required elements (list, procedure with parameter, algorithm with all three components) are built into the program's actual logic, not bolted on at the end.
Learn College Board pseudocode fluently
Every MCQ question that involves code uses College Board pseudocode — not Python, not Java. A reference sheet is provided during the exam, but students who haven't practiced reading it in advance will be slow and error-prone under time pressure. Practice tracing pseudocode algorithms until you can read them as naturally as you read English.
Prioritize BI 3 and BI 5
Algorithms and Programming (30–35%) and Impact of Computing (21–26%) together make up over half the MCQ. BI 3 requires genuine algorithmic fluency — tracing loops, understanding lists, reasoning about procedures. BI 5 requires reading comprehension and analytical thinking about computing's real-world effects. Both reward deliberate study more than last-minute cramming.
Review past written response samples before exam day
College Board publishes scored sample written responses from 2024 and 2025 at AP Central. Read them — especially the ones that earned full points and the ones that didn't. The scoring commentary explains exactly what language and specificity the readers rewarded. Knowing what a full-credit answer looks like before you write yours is the highest-leverage exam prep you can do for the Create Task component.
