What is the Create Performance Task?

A program you build during the school year — at least 9 hours of class time — in any programming language. You submit your code, a video showing it run, and written responses about your design choices. Scored on a 6-point rubric covering program purpose, algorithm complexity, abstraction, and testing.

How hard is the CSP exam itself?

The 70-question MCQ is broad but conceptual rather than programming-heavy — you don't need to write code on the exam, just read pseudocode and reason about algorithms, data, networks, and ethics. Most students who put real effort into the CPT pass; the pass rate is around 65%.

What counts as a passing AP score?

Most U.S. colleges grant credit for a 3 or higher. More selective schools (Ivies, top engineering programs) typically require a 4 or 5 for credit — check each college's AP credit policy.

How is the AP curve calculated?

The College Board uses a process called equating to make scores comparable across years. The raw-to-1-5 cutoffs shift slightly based on exam difficulty. Our cutoffs are based on the most recent publicly available scoring worksheets.

When are AP scores released?

AP scores are typically released in early July, accessible through your College Board account. The official scoring curves themselves are usually shared at AP teacher workshops in late summer — that's when we update our cutoffs.

Why is this called an "unofficial preview"?

The College Board doesn't publish exact 5-3-1 cutoffs for the current year before scores release. We use the most recently released past worksheets and label predictions clearly. Treat the result as a directional estimate, not a guarantee.

Should I trust this over my teacher's prediction?

Your teacher's gut estimate from years of seeing scored exams may be more accurate than any calculator. Use this tool to get a quick directional read, then ask your teacher to sanity-check borderline cases.

AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) Score Calculator

AP Computer Science Principles (CSP): 70 multiple-choice questions on exam day (70% of composite) plus the Create Performance Task submitted before the exam (30%). The CPT is your own program documented with a written response, scored on a 6-point rubric.

Unofficial preview — based on publicly available past scoring worksheets, with source links listed below.

Multiple-choice questions correct49 / 70

Free-response question scores

Create Performance Task (submitted before exam, 6 points)4 / 6

Predicted AP score

Your raw score: 69 out of 100

Likely passing (≥ 3)

You're already at the top — go enjoy your weekend.

026425565100

What raw score you need on AP CSP

The AP Computer Science Principles exam has 70 multiple-choice questions and 1 free-response questions, worth 100 composite raw points. Based on recently released scoring worksheets, here's roughly the raw score each AP band needs — estimated, since the College Board finalizes the official curve each summer.

AP score	Raw points needed	≈ share of 100
5	65+ / 100	~65%
4	55+ / 100	~55%
3 · passing at most colleges	42+ / 100	~42%
2	26+ / 100	~26%
1	below 26	<26%

Methodology: Section I: 70 MCQ (70% of composite). Section II: Create Performance Task (CPT) submitted before the exam day (30% of composite). The CPT is scored on a 6-point rubric. CPT weight 5.0 reapproximates the 70/30 official split. Cutoffs estimated from past worksheets. Unlike most APs, your CPT is graded weeks before exam day — you'll know one half of your score before sitting the MCQ.

How is the AP exam scored?

Every AP exam has two sections: a multiple-choice section (MCQ) and a free-response section (FRQ). Each section contributes to a composite raw score, and the College Board converts that raw score into a 1–5 scale using a curve that shifts slightly each year.

The curve isn't published in advance. That's why our predictions are labeled "unofficial preview" — the cutoffs we use come from past released scoring worksheets and represent our best estimate for what a current-year curve will look like. We update them each summer when official curves trickle out from AP workshops.

Sources

AP CSP & AP scoring questions

What is the Create Performance Task?: A program you build during the school year — at least 9 hours of class time — in any programming language. You submit your code, a video showing it run, and written responses about your design choices. Scored on a 6-point rubric covering program purpose, algorithm complexity, abstraction, and testing.
How hard is the CSP exam itself?: The 70-question MCQ is broad but conceptual rather than programming-heavy — you don't need to write code on the exam, just read pseudocode and reason about algorithms, data, networks, and ethics. Most students who put real effort into the CPT pass; the pass rate is around 65%.
What counts as a passing AP score?: Most U.S. colleges grant credit for a 3 or higher. More selective schools (Ivies, top engineering programs) typically require a 4 or 5 for credit — check each college's AP credit policy.
How is the AP curve calculated?: The College Board uses a process called equating to make scores comparable across years. The raw-to-1-5 cutoffs shift slightly based on exam difficulty. Our cutoffs are based on the most recent publicly available scoring worksheets.
When are AP scores released?: AP scores are typically released in early July, accessible through your College Board account. The official scoring curves themselves are usually shared at AP teacher workshops in late summer — that's when we update our cutoffs.
Why is this called an "unofficial preview"?: The College Board doesn't publish exact 5-3-1 cutoffs for the current year before scores release. We use the most recently released past worksheets and label predictions clearly. Treat the result as a directional estimate, not a guarantee.
Should I trust this over my teacher's prediction?: Your teacher's gut estimate from years of seeing scored exams may be more accurate than any calculator. Use this tool to get a quick directional read, then ask your teacher to sanity-check borderline cases.