How to Choose & Ace Your AP CSP Create Performance Task (Ideas + Strategy)

How to Choose & Ace Your AP CSP Create Performance Task (Ideas + Strategy)

If you're searching for “AP CSP project ideas” or “how to succeed on the Create task,” this guide is for you. Many students aim to get perfect (or high) scores on the AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) Create Performance Task, but the difference often depends not on flashy ideas, but on disciplined alignment, clarity, and execution. Below is a practical, evidence-based roadmap — with examples and tips — to help you choose a project and execute it well.

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What matters most: alignment, clarity, and completeness

Before brainstorming wild app ideas, realize this: AP CSP graders follow a rubric closely. They give you exactly what you explicitly show and explain. If your submission lacks a clear link to the rubric, even a clever project can miss points.

High-scoring students and experienced AP CSP teachers agree on common success factors:

• A project that you can fully complete and test.
• All required technical elements (input/output, list, algorithm, function with parameter, iteration, selection) clearly present.
• A short, well-narrated demo video showing the program in action.
• Written responses that explain your design decisions, testing, limitations, and show you understand what you built.
• Meticulous acknowledgment of any external help or code you adapted, along with your own explanation.

The secret is not complexity — it’s making everything obvious and verifiable to the grader.

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Step-by-step guide to choosing & planning your project

1. Pick a project you can finish elegantly

Simple, manageable ideas outperform ambitious but incomplete ones. Think small tools or utilities you could reliably build in your time window. For example:

• A grade-average calculator
• A schedule organizer
• A basic data filter or analyzer
• A simple interactive quiz
• A small game with inputs and outputs (e.g. “guess the number,” or something with list storage)

The key is that it has clear input(s) and output(s), and enough depth to include algorithmic logic.

2. Sketch a rubric map

Before writing any code, create a table or map: list each rubric criterion and note where you will include that evidence (video time, code lines, written section). This keeps you grounded and helps avoid missing something.

3. Design with the required elements

Your project must include — and make explicit — the following:

• Input(s) and output(s)
• A list (array) used in some way
• A procedure/function with at least one parameter
• Inside that procedure, use sequencing, selection (if/else), and iteration (loop)
• Comments or structure that clearly name and describe your functions or modules

Whenever you do one of these, flag or comment it for clarity.

4. Test, record, and document

Pick multiple test cases — typical and edge cases. Run them, capture results (screenshots or logs), and describe them in writing: why you chose those tests, what the results show, and any errors you fixed. Be explicit.

5. Make a crisp demo video

Your video is your proof: show the program launch, enter inputs, show outputs, call your functions/algorithms so the loops and decisions are visible, and narrate along. Keep it focused and easy to follow.

Suggested flow:

1. Start program
2. Use a sample input
3. Call your main function/project functionality (so loops/if statements execute)
4. Show edge case(s)
5. End with result
6. (Optional) Brief commentary on limitations or next steps

6. Write strong, explicit responses

When writing your responses (why you made design choices, how you tested, trade-offs, limitations), use language similar to the rubric. Don’t assume the grader will interpret. For any algorithmic or abstraction decision, explain why you chose it and how it reflects computational thinking.

7. Acknowledge outside help or adapted code

If you used any example code, library, tutorial, or someone’s idea, note it. Then explain what you understood and how you integrated or modified it yourself. Transparency helps signal that you comprehend every part of your project.

8. Final rubric audit

Just before you submit, go through your rubric map and confirm you have explicit evidence (video, code, or writing) for every rubric item. If anything is weak or missing, fix it now.

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Example project idea & how to align it

Project idea: A “Grade Tracker with Adjustment”

• Students enter multiple grades (inputs) into a list
• A function adjusted_average(weights) computes a weighted average
• The function includes iteration (loop through grades), selection (ignore invalid entries or zeros), and sequencing
• Outputs a final adjusted score
• Demo video shows entering grades, calling the function with different weights, edge cases like zero entries
• Written responses explain design, test data, limitations (e.g. negative weights), and possible future improvements

In your rubric map:

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Key reminders & pitfalls to avoid

• Don’t leave the grader hunting. Make your elements and explanations easy to find.

• Don’t overreach. Ambitious, poorly tested ideas often backfire.

• Don’t omit acknowledgment. Always credit external help and explain your understanding.

• Don’t rely on implicit understanding. If a rubric says “explain,” then explain it in writing/video; don’t just rely on code.

There is also a great list of examples of Perfect AP CSP Project Scores HERE!