AP Computer Science Principles Create Performance Task & MCQ Pseudocode Guide

Important: The AP CSP exam has NO FRQ section. Your score is 70% MCQ (70 questions, 2 hours) + 30% Create Performance Task (CPT, already submitted before exam day).

This guide covers two things: (1) CPT submission survival checklist (if you haven't finished), and (2) how to systematically trace pseudocode on the 70-question MCQ.

Part 1: Create Performance Task Survival Guide

Your CPT submission includes:

• Video: 30–60 seconds showing your program running with at least one user input and corresponding output
• Written response: 3 prompts (~750 words total)
  • Prompt 1: What does your program do?
  • Prompt 2: How does a list or other data abstraction play a role?
  • Prompt 3: What is the overall purpose of your program, and how does it benefit users?

Video Checklist

• ☐ Program starts from a menu or initial state (not mid-execution)
• ☐ You show at least one user input (keyboard, mouse, or other interaction)
• ☐ You show the corresponding program output (screen change, data displayed, etc.)
• ☐ Output demonstrates the program's purpose
• ☐ Video is 30–60 seconds (not too fast, easy to follow)
• ☐ Audio is optional but clear if included
• ☐ File format: MP4, MOV, AVI, or WebM; under 10 MB
• ☐ You are identifiable or you narrate; can't be completely silent + no face

Written Response Checklist

Prompt 1: Describe what your program does.

• ☐ State the program's purpose clearly (1-2 sentences)
• ☐ Give 1-2 specific examples of what the user can do
• ☐ Avoid: "It is a program" or "It displays things" — be specific

Prompt 2: Explain a data abstraction in your program.

• ☐ Pick a list or other data structure (NOT a variable)
• ☐ Explain what data it holds (e.g., "a list of student names and scores")
• ☐ Explain why this structure helps your program (e.g., "I can add/remove names without rewriting code")
• ☐ Show how you use it: "I append scores using APPEND(list, score)"
• ☐ Common trap: Picking a single variable is NOT a data abstraction — pick a list or collection

Prompt 3: Explain the purpose and benefit.

• ☐ Restate the program's purpose
• ☐ Identify the intended user (student, teacher, gamer, etc.)
• ☐ Explain the benefit (saves time, makes learning fun, solves a problem, etc.)
• ☐ Give a concrete scenario: "A teacher can use this to track attendance without a spreadsheet"

Submission Checklist (Last Week Before Exam)

• ☐ Video uploaded to the College Board portal (correct course code, section)
• ☐ Written responses submitted in the portal (copy-paste or PDF upload as directed)
• ☐ You received a submission confirmation
• ☐ Both video and written response show 30% of your exam score (locked in, cannot revise after deadline)

💡 If you submitted your CPT before exam day, you cannot modify it. The CPT score is final. Focus the rest of your prep on the MCQ.

Part 2: Mastering Pseudocode Tracing (MCQ Strategy)

On the MCQ, you'll see ~20 pseudocode blocks to trace. Most students lose points by rushing or losing track of variables. Here's the systematic approach.

The Dry-Run Technique

Step 1: Read the pseudocode once silently. Understand the goal (sum a list, find a max, swap values, etc.).

Step 2: Create a variable tracking table.

Variable | Initial | After Line 3 | After Line 7 | ... | Final |
---------|---------|--------------|-------------|-----|-------|
x        | —       | ...          | ...         | ... | ...   |
list     | —       | ...          | ...         | ... | ...   |
count    | —       | ...          | ...         | ... | ...   |

Step 3: Execute line by line, updating the table.

• Assignment: x ← 5 → update x = 5
• IF condition: evaluate it; only execute true branch
• Loop: after each iteration, update variables and row
• DISPLAY: note what gets printed

Step 4: After the pseudocode ends, write the output.

Example:

sum ← 0
list ← [2, 3, 5]
REPEAT 3 TIMES
{
    sum ← sum + list[i]
}
DISPLAY(sum)

Tracing:

i  | sum | list[i] | Action
---|-----|---------|-------
1  | 0   | 2       | sum ← 0 + 2 = 2
2  | 2   | 3       | sum ← 2 + 3 = 5
3  | 5   | 5       | sum ← 5 + 5 = 10

Output: 10

Common Tracing Errors (and how to avoid them)

5 High-Frequency Pseudocode Patterns on the MCQ

Pattern 1: Sum or count in a loop

total ← 0
FOR EACH num IN list
{
    total ← total + num
}
→ **Output:** Sum of all numbers in list

Pattern 2: Find max or min

max ← list[1]
FOR EACH num IN list
{
    IF (num > max)
    {
        max ← num
    }
}
→ **Output:** Largest number in list

Pattern 3: Build a new list with INSERT

result ← []
FOR EACH item IN original
{
    IF (condition)
    {
        APPEND(result, item)
    }
}
→ **Output:** Filtered copy of original list

Pattern 4: Procedure call with parameters

PROCEDURE double(x)
{
    RETURN x * 2
}
result ← double(5)
DISPLAY(result)
→ **Output:** 10

Pattern 5: Nested loops (double the work)

FOR EACH row IN matrix
{
    FOR EACH col IN row
    {
        process(col)
    }
}
→ **Output:** Depends on process, but trace *inner* loop completely before moving to next *outer* iteration

MCQ Pseudocode Tracing Checklist

Before selecting your answer:

• ☐ Did I trace every line?
• ☐ Did I create a variable table and fill each row?
• ☐ Did I note every DISPLAY(...) output?
• ☐ Did I re-check loop conditions and boundaries?
• ☐ Did I verify list indices are 1-indexed?
• ☐ Did I evaluate IF/ELSE conditions correctly?
• ☐ Is my answer a single value or a sequence (if multiple DISPLAYs)?

Scoring Insight

Pseudocode tracing = ~20–25 of the 70 MCQ. Mastering this section alone moves your score from 40 to 50+. Spend extra time on this skill.

Resources

3-Day cram plan → for a crash review. Last-minute checklist → the night before. AP CSP topic library → for deep dives.

You've submitted your CPT. Now own the MCQ. 🎯