Finally, the AP CSA exam for the year 2023 is over. I want to applaud and commend all the students who took the exam for their hard work and effort. The instructors and staff involved in the learning process had many discussions with the students while preparing for the exam. We came to realize that the students had more struggles and difficulties than we had initially thought. Every single one of them asked the same question, "Am I the only one finding it difficult?"

What kind of issues did the students have?

Clearly, regardless of attending American boarding schools, and international schools in South America, China, or Korea, they all had the same concerns.

To succeed in AP CSA, students need to be proficient in Java programming language and have enough practice solving problems to develop a solid understanding of the subject. However, the reality is that most schools are unable to provide such comprehensive instruction.

Furthermore, there is a lack of proper textbooks, and students are told that they have to rely solely on the materials and notes provided by their teachers.

“Students have learned the content, but tend to struggle when it comes to problem-solving.”

This is not due to a lack of the students' learning abilities. It is because the school curriculum is inadequate, and there are unresolved issues with the available resources. To be successful on the exam, deep knowledge of Java's characteristics and attributes is required, not just a grasp of basic programming logic. One must learn about Java's data structures, variable types, method signatures, and more to excel in problem-solving. However, the current reality is that schools fail to fulfill these requirements.

Some schools state that “You cannot take AP CSA without taking AP CSP.”

Not all schools have this policy, but many international schools have made AP CSP a prerequisite for AP CSA. The College Board itself does not require AP CSP to be taken first, and AP CSP and CSA are not like Pre-Calculus and Calculus, where one subject must be taken before the other. However, for some reason, a few schools have established this rule.

In such cases, it is recommended to complement your studies with supplementary education that follow a thoroughly developed curriculum to quickly secure a good score. Otherwise, spending a whole year taking classes and only taking the exam in May of the following year is not advantageous for college preparation.

“Classes alone do not improve programming skills.”

AP CSA was designed for students to learn actual Java, a widely-used programming language, and to be able to do basic programming tasks independently. However, in school classes, students rarely get the opportunity to truly engage in programming. Of course, it may vary from school to school, but most schools' curricula and assignments are mainly focused on multiple-choice questions (MCQs). This means that students may not receive proper education for the free-response questions (FRQs) in the 50:50 distribution of the exam.

Therefore, to align with the purpose of the AP CSA exam, it is necessary to supplement with separate education that provides proper instruction.

Baeoom offers various classes for international school students.