Overview
APCS (大學程式設計先修檢測, Advanced Placement Computer Science) is a programming-ability test in Taiwan. It is held three times a year, mostly in university computer classrooms around the country. According to the reference used here, the Ministry of Education commissions the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at National Taiwan Normal University to run it.
The content roughly matches the information-technology courses of senior high school. Some Taiwanese universities use APCS results as one factor when selecting students, so most candidates are senior high school students, though members of the public also take it.
The official APCS website could not be opened when this page was written, so the facts here come from a Chinese Wikipedia article last revised in June 2022 and may be out of date. They should be checked on the official APCS site before you register.
Exam pattern
APCS has two parts, which candidates may take freely.
| Part | Description |
|---|---|
| Programming concepts (程式設計觀念題) | Questions on programming concepts |
| Programming implementation (程式設計實作題) | Practical programming problems; answers can be written in C, C++, Java or Python |
Marking and results
Each part is scored on a scale with a maximum of level 5. Teachers describe the level of the test as about the level of senior high school information courses, while tutoring providers compare it with a first-year university programming course.
Preparation tips
Practise writing complete programs in one of the allowed languages (C, C++, Java or Python) under time pressure.
Review senior high school information-technology course content, which the test roughly follows.
Check the official APCS site for registration windows, fees and past papers.
How often is APCS held?
Three times a year, according to the secondary source used for this page.
Which programming languages can I use?
C, C++, Java and Python for the implementation part.
Do I have to take both parts?
No. Candidates can choose freely between the two parts.