AP Computer Science Principles Tutor

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CPT Deadline: April 30, 2026 — Create Performance Task must be submitted before the exam. Need help now? Request a session →

AP CSP Exam — May 14, 2026

AP Computer Science Principles Tutor

1-on-1 online AP CSP tutoring with a real classroom teacher. 34.8% of students score 5s — nearly 4x the 9.6% national rate.

Request a Session See Pricing

Tanner Crow — AP CSP Teacher, Blue Valley North High School — 11+ years — 1,800+ verified hours

34.8%of students score 5svs. 9.6% nationally
4xthe national 5-rateyear over year
11+years teaching AP CSPBlue Valley North HS
Apr 30CPT submission deadlinebefore the exam
Why Students Need Help Now

AP CSP Has Two Deadlines — Most Students Only Plan for One

Most AP exams have a single deadline: the exam date. AP CSP has two. The Create Performance Task must be submitted by April 30, 2026 — two weeks before the May 14 exam. Students who procrastinate on the CPT often scramble at the end, submitting work that doesn't fully demonstrate what College Board is looking for.

Then the exam itself asks written response questions about your own submitted program — questions you cannot prepare for generically. You have to understand your own code well enough to explain design decisions, identify abstractions, and describe how your program uses data.

The result: students who felt comfortable with the course content still underperform because the CPT and written responses require a different kind of preparation than MCQ practice. That's where 1-on-1 AP CSP tutoring makes the biggest difference.

Create Performance Task panic
The CPT deadline is April 30 — before the exam. Students who wait until the last minute submit rushed work that misses College Board's scoring criteria.
Written responses about your own code
The exam asks specific questions about YOUR submitted program. Generic prep doesn't work. You need to understand and explain your own design choices.
Big Idea 3: Algorithms feel abstract
Abstraction, iteration, lists, and procedures are the hardest conceptual area. 30–35% of the MCQ section comes from here.
Data analysis questions trip you up
Big Idea 2 covers metadata, compression, data visualization, and privacy — topics students frequently underestimate until exam day.
Impact questions feel unpredictable
Big Idea 5 (societal impacts of computing) seems subjective. Knowing how College Board frames these answers makes a measurable difference.
70 MCQ in 120 minutes leaves no margin
More questions than AP CSA, in the same window. Slow readers and students who second-guess answers frequently run out of time.
About Your Tutor

An AP CSP Classroom Teacher — Not a Generic CS Tutor

Tanner Crow has taught AP Computer Science Principles at Blue Valley North High School for over 11 years. He knows exactly what College Board scores in the CPT, what the written response rubrics reward, and which Big Ideas generate the most missed questions on the MCQ section.

Unlike tutors from Wyzant or Varsity Tutors who know programming generally, Tanner has graded CPTs using actual College Board scoring guidelines and spent years studying the specific language and framing that the exam rewards. Every tutoring session is built around the official 2025–2026 AP CSP Course and Exam Description.

34.8%
Of students score 5s vs. 9.6% nationally — nearly 4x the national rate
11+
Years teaching AP Computer Science Principles at the high school level
1,800+
Verified private tutoring hours across AP CSP, AP CSA, and AP Cybersecurity
CPT
Specific CPT coaching using College Board's own scoring criteria — not guesswork
Exam Coverage

What the 2026 AP CSP Exam Actually Tests

The AP CSP exam has two scored components: 70 MCQ (70% of score) and the Create Performance Task (30% of score). All 5 Big Ideas appear across both components.

Big Idea 1
Creative Development
  • Collaboration
  • Program design
  • Testing & debugging
~10–13%
Big Idea 2
Data
  • Binary, compression
  • Metadata
  • Data visualization
~17–22%
Big Idea 3
Algorithms & Programming
  • Lists & procedures
  • Iteration & selection
  • Abstraction
~30–35%
Big Idea 4
Computer Systems & Networks
  • The internet
  • Fault tolerance
  • Parallel computing
~11–15%
Big Idea 5
Impact of Computing
  • Beneficial effects
  • Privacy & security
  • Crowdsourcing
~21–26%

Big Idea 3 is the single most tested area and the one where most students lose the most points. Sessions targeting BI3 — especially abstraction, lists, and procedure design — produce the highest MCQ gains.

Process

What Happens in an AP CSP Tutoring Session

Sessions are shaped around whether you need CPT help, MCQ prep, or written response strategy — or a combination of all three.

1

Identify your biggest gap

CPT procrastination? MCQ weak spots? Written response prep? The first 10 minutes diagnose exactly where your points are being lost.

2

CPT coaching or concept work

For CPT sessions, we work through your program's abstraction, data use, and algorithm design using the actual College Board scoring criteria. For MCQ, we drill your weakest Big Idea.

3

Practice under exam conditions

Timed MCQ blocks or written response practice under real exam constraints. AP CSP's MCQ rewards careful reading — predict-first strategy is drilled every session.

4

Written response rehearsal

If you have already submitted your CPT, sessions can focus on explaining your own code clearly — the exact skill tested in the written response questions on exam day.

Rates

AP CSP Tutoring Pricing

Three options. Book instantly or request a session — your choice. Pay via Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, or credit card.

Single Session
$150
per hour
  • ✓60-minute online session
  • ✓CPT review or MCQ deep dive
  • ✓Real exam-style problems
  • ✓Session recap notes
  • ✓No commitment required
Book Now → Request a Session
3-Session Package
$375
total — $125 per session
  • ✓3 x 60-minute sessions
  • ✓CPT + MCQ strategy covered
  • ✓Written response prep
  • ✓Great for 2–3 week timeline
  • ✓Session recap notes each time
Book Now → Request a Package
Best Value
5-Session Package
$550
total — $110 per session
  • ✓5 x 60-minute sessions
  • ✓Full CPT + exam prep plan
  • ✓All 5 Big Ideas covered
  • ✓Priority scheduling
  • ✓Best for 4+ weeks out
Book Now → Request a Package

Payment accepted after each session: Venmo · Zelle · PayPal · Credit card

Outcomes

What AP CSP Tutoring With Tanner Produces

From 11+ years in the classroom at Blue Valley North High School, Overland Park, KS.

34.8%score 5 on AP CSPvs. 9.6% nationally
4xthe national 5-rateyear over year
11+years teaching AP CSPBlue Valley North HS
FAQ

AP CSP Tutoring: Common Questions

Single sessions are $150 per hour. A 3-session package is $375 total ($125 per session). A 5-session package is $550 total ($110 per session). Payment is collected after each session via Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, or credit card.
The Create Performance Task must be submitted as final by April 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. This is before the May 14 exam. Students who miss this deadline cannot earn the 30% of their score that comes from the CPT component.
Yes. CPT coaching is one of the most requested focus areas. Sessions cover how to structure your program to clearly demonstrate abstraction, how to use and analyze data effectively, and how to document your algorithm in a way that College Board's scoring criteria rewards. Bring your current code or ideas and we work through them directly.
All 5 Big Ideas: Creative Development (BI1), Data (BI2), Algorithms and Programming (BI3), Computer Systems and Networks (BI4), and Impact of Computing (BI5). BI3 is the most heavily tested at 30–35% of the MCQ section and is the most common session request. BI5 impact questions are the second most requested because students find them unpredictable.
AP CSP is considered one of the more accessible AP exams — the pass rate is around 68%. However, only 9.6% of students nationally score a 5, largely because the CPT and written response components require preparation that most students underestimate. Knowing the material is not the same as knowing how College Board scores it.
The AP CSP exam has two scored components. The Create Performance Task (30% of score) is a through-course programming project submitted by April 30, 2026. The end-of-course exam (70% of score) consists of 70 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, including written response questions about your submitted CPT program.
If you need CPT help, start now — the April 30 deadline comes fast. For exam prep only, 2–3 sessions targeting your weakest Big Ideas can make a meaningful difference. A 5-session package is ideal if you have 4+ weeks and want to cover both CPT coaching and full MCQ prep.
No — all sessions are online and available to students across the U.S. Tanner is based in Overland Park, Kansas but tutors AP CSP students nationwide.
Yes. Tutoring is available for AP Computer Science A and AP Cybersecurity as well. Mention which exam you are preparing for when you reach out.
Payment is collected after each session. Accepted methods are Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, and credit card. You can also book and pay upfront through the links above for single or package sessions.

CPT deadline April 30. Exam May 14.

Don't wait on either. Describe where you need help and how much time you have. Responds within 24 hours.

Send Tanner a Message

Responds within 24 hours · Online — available nationwide · Limited spots for exam season

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