Hello, last year (sophomore) I took APCSP, and although I don’t plan to major in comp sci, I plan to go into the STEM field and I know that programming skills would be an asset (and I enjoy coding). I got a 5 on the APCSP exam this past yr (plus 5s in both APUSH and AP precalc) and found both the class and exam to be ridiculously easy (and I enjoyed the programming aspect of the course very much). Because I can’t fit APCSA into my schedule next yr, I am wondering if it would be a good idea to self study for the exam? For context, I am going into my junior yr and plan to take 5 ap classes and 6 ap exams. I am at the top of my class and I’m a good student and quick learner, but considering the amount of ap classes I’m taking plus extracurriculars and sports, is this overambitious? Also, how much do CSP and CSA overlap? And what resources would you recommend if I did decide to take it? Thanks.
As a general rule it is not worthwhile to self-study for AP exams for college admissions. IMO self-studying for an AP exam is valuable only if a student has an abundance of time, an overwhelming interest in a subject, and/or a need to try and amass credits for college (ex. financial need to try and graduate as soon as possible). College admissions officers are not looking for a student’s ability to cram for an exam.
It sounds to me like your time and effort would be better spent excelling in the challenging coursework you have scheduled, making meaningful contributions to ECs and sports you care about, and having some time to relax with friends and family.
I teach APCSA along with other courses. Self studying may not be as hard as some other subjects if you have the right kind of prior knowledge. The disadvantage is that you may not have access to the materials in AP classroom. The FRQ training there is highly beneficial. If you really want to self study, I suggest that you contact the APCSA teacher at your school.
Every year I have students asking me for resources to self study for APCSA. I give them everything. However, half of them give up by Halloween, and the other half by winter break. The only exception was during that remote year.
It is doable, more so if you have a teacher you can go to with questions, and you set up regular checkpoints. Good luck.
You can try to fit into your senior schedule.
Probably not worthwhile unless you are self-educating the material for other reasons (e.g. you do programming projects for fun and are learning programming and data structures in the process).