North Allegheny students earn perfect AP test scores
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Two North Allegheny High School students earned rare perfect scores on their 2021 Advanced Placement tests, both in computer science courses.
Kamya Rajesh, a sophomore, received a perfect score on the Computer Science Principles test, and Sun Ahn, a senior, had a flawless test score on the AP Computer Science A test.
“In order to achieve a perfect score, students not only need to have a deep understanding of the content and the capacity to apply that understanding, but they also have to have an extreme attention to detail,” said Laura Prosser, the AP computer science teacher at NASH.
AP Tests are administered through the College Board.
AP Computer Science Principles is an introductory college-level course that is an in-depth exploration of concepts including creating and innovating with technology and writing computer programs.
Advanced Placement Computer Science A is an introductory course in computer science, a large part of which is built around development of computer programs that are understandable, adaptable and, when appropriate, reusable.
In 2021, 74,676 students took the AP Computer Science A exam and 116,466 students took the AP Computer Science Principles exam, according to Jaslee Carayol communications director for the College Board.
Less than 1 percent of all test takers in both computer science courses received perfect scores in that testing group.
North Allegheny typically has 65 to 80 students enrolled in AP Computer Science A annually, according to Brandi Smith, spokeswoman for the district. It typically has 50 to 80 students enrolled in AP Computer Science Principles each year.
The last time a North Allegheny student scored a perfect AP Computer Science A score was in 2018, she said.
Rajesh, 16, is hoping to pursue a career in engineering and/or medicine.
“I would say the secret to scoring a perfect score is to study regularly and effectively. Reviewing the material over a longer period of time allows it to become a part of your long-term memory. It is also important to practice answering questions and solving problems, in addition to reading over notes. It can be helpful to organize the information into charts or diagrams to help you retain it better. Preparing well can help you stay relaxed during the exam and not worry about the outcome. And this can lead to a good result,” she said.
Jonathan Ringer has been teaching computer science at North Allegheny for 15 years, and Rajesh is his first student to earn a perfect score.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the work Kamya did in preparing throughout the school year for the AP exam but also to see how computer science will impact her future endeavors far beyond a perfect score on this exam,” Ringer said.
Ahn said he didn’t think that there is a single secret to scoring a perfect score on an AP exam.
“Instead, I think my perfect score resulted from multiple elements: amazing teaching and guidance from Mrs. Prosser, putting forth my best efforts during class, and most definitely a bit of luck,” he said.
Said Prosser, “Sun obviously came into the exam extremely prepared and approached test day with a level head and confidence.”