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is AP computer science A hard ?? HELP !!

reichstagreichstag Registered User Posts: 32 Junior Member
edited February 2012 in India
So..this My I'm taking BOTH macro and micro economics.I'm planning to take AP compsci as well.... is APCS hard?? I don't have a background in compsci ... so is this doable along with macro and micro.I'm hoping to get a 5 on all three.
Post edited by reichstag on
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Replies to: is AP computer science A hard ?? HELP !!

  • Tizil7Tizil7 Registered User Posts: 1,686 Senior Member
    No idea :eek:

    Though, this should help you: Tizil's everyday guide to studying for the APCSA.

    Read Pages 4 through 65.

    Edit: It's not my guide :p
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  • angadudayangaduday Registered User Posts: 80 Junior Member
    we have a 9gagger here.... ;)
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  • reichstagreichstag Registered User Posts: 32 Junior Member
    Hey come on Tizil!!! Of course, I've had a look at the course description but it didn't give me an idea about the difficulty of the course that's why I posted this question on CC hoping to get some answers from people who've taken the course. I know whether I'll be able to do it pretty much depends on me but I'm asking whether it'll be too much on my plate with 3 AP exams, after all I'm just in tenth grade.
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  • speachyspeachy Registered User Posts: 58 Junior Member
    No, not if you have taken 9th/10th grade compsci and have done well. Just do a bunch of practice questions so that you can recognize and analyze array traversals etc. very quickly. And of course, study all the material from Barron's so that you know it from the AP perspective.

    For example, many array questions will be based on where the iterations start (i=1, i=0) or whether the conditional sign is a less-than or a less-than-or-equal-to, and the effect of this starting position/condition on the output. You should be able to tell in a split second what is going to happen if you change one of these, or if there one of them will cause an exception. Etc.

    Also it depends on what your other 3 exams are a lot too.
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  • reichstagreichstag Registered User Posts: 32 Junior Member
    @Speachy,yeah I've taken compsci in both grades 9th/10th(and did quite well!!)but I only have experience in HTML and BASIC.These are quite preliminary and relatively easy when compared to Java or C++ and the other two AP tests are MICRO?MICRO ECONOMICS(as I had mentioned in the OP).So,basically I'm a complete newbie at Java ..... will I be able to pull up a 5 at the test ?? (getting a 5 in NOT my only motivation,I really love compsci and I'm really eager to learn programming )
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  • tastyclestastycles Registered User Posts: 183 Junior Member
    I would say go for it, and if the exam goes badly, don't report your score to colleges.

    APs aren't like SAT. Colleges have policy on whether they want all your scores or only one, but with APs, the results you tell the college is totally up to you. If you don't get a good score, the colleges won't even know you gave the exam.
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  • speachyspeachy Registered User Posts: 58 Junior Member
    Okay well Java/C++ aren't really anything like html and basic...if you think you can learn it in a month, go ahead! You should keep at LEAST the second half of April for going through the case study and doing practice tests etc (which means you should have learned all that you had to learn by then).

    But yeah, you can just do it and not report it if it goes badly. Unless you're worried about money. If you just want to strategize really well and save money etc etc you can study the AB portion over the next year and do that exam in 2013. It's not that much harder, it's like a month's worth of extra work.
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  • february94february94 Registered User Posts: 68 Junior Member
    I'm taking APCS A and it's very challenging at times but rewarding once you've got the language down. I had no prior experience with programming, although I do know some HTML but it does not help at all. Personally, I'm aiming for a 4, but if computer science is something you're thinking about pursuing, you could probably pull off a 5. As for the workload, I'm only taking one other AP so it's really not strenuous for me.
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  • tastyclestastycles Registered User Posts: 183 Junior Member
    @speachy: They don't offer Comp Sci AB any more.
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  • speachyspeachy Registered User Posts: 58 Junior Member
    Oh lol ok. Then it entirely depends on whether you want to spend the money on an exam you may do well in (2012) vs. one you will most definitely do well in if you start now (2013). If you have time/patience/money to spare, you could do it now just to see what it's like. Honestly I think 2 APs is good for 10th grade. Don't let those two go any worse because you want to take a third.
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  • reichstagreichstag Registered User Posts: 32 Junior Member
    Okay then..... I'll take APCSA in my junior year. Any idea how the AP micro and micro economics are ?? has anyone here taken those two ??
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  • YeahImThatGuyYeahImThatGuy Registered User Posts: 178 Junior Member
    Learning Java (and C++ for that matter, since it is so similar to Java, just more primitive) isn't hard. Don't sweat over it.

    You're usually expected to pick up new programming languages within a week (or sometimes over the weekend, especially with upper divs) if you take CS classes at your college. The last thing you want to do is intimidate yourself in such situations.
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