4-Week AP CSP Study Plan

Week 1: Internet, Data, & Digital Information

Focus Areas:

  • The Internet: IP, DNS, HTTP, TCP, packets, redundancy

  • Digital data: binary, hex, file sizes, abstraction

  • Data compression: lossy vs lossless

Tasks:

  • Review Units 1 & 2 (College Board Framework)

  • Watch: CrashCourse Computer Science – Internet

  • Practice on Code.org (Lessons: 1–9)

  • Quiz: Data conversions & compression examples

Week 2: Programming, Algorithms, & Abstractions

Focus Areas:

  • Variables, input/output, conditionals, loops

  • Functions with parameters, return values

  • Algorithms: searching, sorting, efficiency

Tasks:

  • Review Unit 3 (Programming Fundamentals)

  • Practice coding: Replit or CodeHS

  • Build: A simple quiz app or calculator

  • Learn AP pseudocode syntax (essential for the exam!)

Week 3: Data, Cybersecurity, & Global Impacts

Focus Areas:

Big data & pattern recognition

Cybersecurity basics: encryption, phishing, TLS

Impacts of computing: innovations, bias, digital divide

Tasks:

  • Review Units 4 & 5

  • Research 1 real-world innovation for written prompts

  • Watch: AP CSP Cybersecurity YouTube series

  • Create flashcards for tech terms (e.g. certificate authority, symmetric encryption)

Week 4: Full Practice

Focus Areas:

  • Practice MCQs + FRQs

  • Simulate test conditions

Tasks:

  • Go over sample Create Tasks + scoring

  • Take 1 full-length practice exam (AP Classroom or 5 Steps to a 5)

  • Review missed questions and redo them

  • Quiz yourself on pseudocode logic and data reasoning