5 Steps to a 5: AP Computer Science A 2024 - Klipp D.B., Johnson D.R., Paymer C.A. 2023

1 What You Need to Know About the AP Computer Science A Exam
STEP 1 Set Up Your Study Program

IN THIS CHAPTER

Summary: This chapter provides you with background information on the AP Computer Science A Exam. Learn about the exam, how exams are graded, what types of questions are asked, what topics are tested, and basic test-taking information.

Key Ideas

The AP Computer Science A Exam is about problem solving and the Java programming language.

The exam has two parts: Multiple choice and Free response.

Scoring a 3, 4, or 5 will earn you credit and/or advanced placement at most colleges and universities.

Background Information

A Brief History of the Exam

The first AP Computer Science exam was given in 1984, and the coding language used was Pascal. In 1999, C++ replaced Pascal. In 2004, Java replaced C++. As of 2015, AP Computer Science is the fastest-growing subject among all AP exams.

Goals of the Course

According to the College Board, the AP Computer Science A course reflects what computer science teachers, professors, and researchers have indicated are the main goals of an introductory, college-level computer science programming course. These goals are:

• Program Design and Algorithm Development—Determine required code segments to produce a given output.

• Code Logic—Determine the output, value, or result of given program code given initial values.

• Code Implementation—Write and implement program code.

• Code Testing—Analyze program code for correctness, equivalence, and errors.

• Documentation—Describe the behavior and conditions that produce the specified results in a program.

• Ethical Computing—Understand the ethical and social implications of computer use.

This list may seem rather ambiguous and open-ended; that’s because it is. Just keep in mind that this test is all about learning how to solve different kinds of problems using Java. The best way to prepare for the exam is to follow the steps in this book and get plenty of practice designing and writing code.

Goal of the AP Computer Science A Exam

The main goals of the AP Computer Science A Exam are to test how proficient you are at problem solving and how well you know the Java programming language.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Exam

Who Writes the AP Computer Science A Exams? Who Grades Them?

The AP Computer Science A Exam is designed by a committee of college professors and high school AP Computer Science A teachers. The process takes years to ensure that the exam questions reflect the high quality and fairness that is expected of the College Board.

Similarly, the Free-response questions are scored by hundreds of college professors and high school AP Computer Science A teachers. The AP exam readers are thoroughly trained so that all exams are graded consistently.

Why Take the AP Computer Science A Exam?

There are several benefits of taking the AP Computer Science A Exam. First is the college credit. If you score a 3, 4, or 5 on the exam, you can earn credit and/or placement from most colleges or universities. This saves you money. Second, you will start off at a higher level in your college coursework so that you can advance faster.

Finally, and my favorite, is that learning computer science will improve your ability to think for yourself and problem solve. Even if you do not plan on becoming a computer scientist, or you fear that you will not pass the exam, the skills and thought process that you learn in computer science will benefit you. Your world will be filled with rainbows and flying unicorns. Well, maybe not, but I’m just seeing if you are reading this.

Computer Science Makes You Think

Learning how to program improves your ability to think. You learn how things work.

When Is the Exam and How Do I Register for It?

The College Board publishes an exam schedule each year. The schedule for the various AP exams is two weeks long and starts on the first Monday of May. In the past, the AP Computer Science A Exam has been given during the first week.

If you are taking an AP Computer Science A class, you will probably get information from someone called an AP coordinator at your school. The College Board deadline to order an exam is in November, but check with the policy at your school regarding when to notify your school you will be taking the exam. If you are not taking an AP Computer Science A class and just taking this exam on your own, contact the AP coordinator for your local school district by November 1. That person will help you locate the testing site and help you register. You can take as many AP exams as you want (even if you didn’t take a class!), but they cost just under $100 per exam.

What Is the Format of the AP Computer Science A Exam?

The exam is three hours long and there are two sections: Multiple choice and Free response.

How Is My Final Score Calculated?

Each question in the Multiple-choice section is worth 1 point (total of 40 points). Each of the Free-response questions is worth 9 points (total of 36 points). Since there are an unequal number of points for the Multiple-choice and the Free-response sections, the total from the Free-response section is multiplied by 1.1111. This makes each section worth 50 percent.

The total from the two sections is fed into a chart similar to the one below and your final score is decided. This chart from the 2015 released exam is intended to serve as a guide, and the ranges will vary slightly from year to year.

Example: Computing a Score on the AP Computer Science A Exam

You score 31 on Section I (Multiple choice).

You score 28 on Section II (Free response).

Multiply 28 by 1.1111. This equals 31.1108.

Your total is 31 + 31.1108 = 62.1108, which is rounded to 62.

Your composite score is 62. Your AP score is a 5. Congratulations!

What Concepts Are Included in the Multiple-Choice Section?

The table below shows what topics are covered on the Multiple-choice section of the test. The percentages change from year to year, but the emphasis stays about the same. Keep in mind that many of the questions belong to more than one category, which is why the percentages do not add up to 100 percent.

What Concepts Are Included in the Free-Response Section?

The Free-response section consists of four questions:

• Question 1 will require you to implement and call methods. The methods will use control structures like loops and if statements, but there will be no data structures involved.

• Question 2 will require you to design and implement a complete class.

• Question 3 will require the use of arrays and/or ArrayLists.

• Question 4 will require the use of 2D arrays.

What Is the Lab Requirement for the Exam?

The AP Computer Science A course must include a minimum of 20 hours of hands-on, structured lab experience. Your teacher should provide you with a chance to work with a big, complex set of related classes that helps you understand concepts like inheritance and polymorphism. Your teacher has the choice of either using the labs that are provided by the College Board or using something completely different.

The seven labs that are provided by the College Board are:

1. Magpie Lab—An exploration of some of the basics of Natural Language Processing. You’ll work with strings and parse them for recognizable information. This lab can be done when studying Unit 4.

2. Consumer Lab—Ever wonder how online reviews are constructed? This lab will explore ways reviews are created. This lab can be done when studying Unit 4.

3. Data Lab—Being able to search for a data set to find answers to questions is explored in this lab. This lab can be done when studying Unit 7.

4. Picture Lab—This lab uses 2D arrays to modify digital pictures. This lab can be done when studying Unit 8.

5. Steganography Lab—Learn how to conceal messages within images. This lab can be done when studying Unit 8.

6. Elevens Lab—You’ll play the solitaire card game of elevens while designing several interacting classes. This lab can be done when studying Unit 9.

7. Celebrity Lab—Design a guessing game. This lab can be done when studying Unit 9.

I See Materials on the GridWorld Case Study Online. What’s with That?

That is old news. The GridWorld case study is no longer tested on the AP Computer Science A Exam. It was dropped after the 2014 exam. If you want to check it out, there are some pretty interesting things you can do with it, but the GridWorld case study won’t be on your exam.

What Is the Difference Between the AP Computer Science A and the AP Computer Science Principles Exams?

Starting with the 2016—2017 school year, a new AP Computer Science course called AP Computer Science Principles began being offered. The AP Computer Science Principles course introduces students to computational thinking skills and promotes understanding of the impact of computers in our world. The biggest difference between these two courses is that AP Computer Science A focuses mainly on programming, whereas only a small part of the AP Computer Science Principles course is devoted to actual programming.