AP Computer Science A Prep, 2024 - Rob Franek 2023
How to Begin
Part I: Using This Book to Improve Your AP Score
1.Take Practice Test 1
Before you can decide how to use this book, you need to take a practice test. Doing so will give you insight into your strengths and weaknesses, and the test will also help you make an effective study plan. If you’re feeling test-phobic, remind yourself that a practice test is a tool for diagnosing yourself—it’s not how well you do that matters but how you use information gleaned from your performance to guide your preparation.
So, before you read further, take Practice Test 1 starting on this page of this book. Be sure to finish it in one sitting, following the instructions that appear before the test.
2.Check Your Answers
Using the Diagnostic Answer Key on this page, follow our three-step process to identify your strengths and weaknesses with regard to the tested topics. This will help you determine which content review chapters to prioritize when studying this book. Don’t worry about the explanations for now, and don’t worry about missed questions. We’ll get to that soon.
Bonus Tips and Tricks…
Check us out on YouTube for test-taking tips and tricks to help you ace your next exam at www.youtube.com/ThePrincetonReview
3.Reflect on the Test
After you take your first test, respond to the following questions:
· How much time did you spend on the multiple-choice questions?
· How much time did you spend on each free-response question?
· How many multiple-choice questions did you answer correctly and how many did you miss?
· Do you feel you had the knowledge to address the subject matter of the free-response questions?
4.Read Part III of this Book and Complete the Self-Evaluation
Part III will provide information on how the test is structured and scored. It will also set out areas of content that are tested.
As you read Part III, re-evaluate your answers to the questions above. At the end of Part III, you will revisit and refine those questions. You will then be able to make a study plan, based on your needs and available time, that will allow you to use this book most effectively.
5.Engage with Parts IV and V as Needed
Notice the word engage. You’ll get more out of this book if you use it intentionally than if you read it passively, hoping for an improved score through osmosis.
The strategy chapters will help you think about your approach to the question types on this exam. Part IV will open with a reminder to think about how you approach questions now and then close with a reflection section asking you to think about how or whether you will change your approach in the future.
The content chapters in Part V are designed to provide a review of the content tested on the AP Computer Science A Exam, including the level of detail you need to know and how the content is tested. In addition, the content chapters are broken up to exactly match the 10-unit structure of the AP Computer Science A course, as outlined by the College Board.
You will have the opportunity to assess your proficiency in the content of each chapter through test-appropriate questions and a reflection section.
6.Take Practice Tests 2, 3, 4, and 5 and Assess Your Performance
Once you feel you have developed the strategies you need and gained the knowledge you lacked, you should take Practice Test 2, which starts on this page of this book. You should do so in one sitting, following the instructions at the beginning of the test.
When you are finished, check your answers to the multiple-choice sections. See whether a teacher or friend will read your free-response answers, provide feedback, and go over them with you.
Once you have taken the test, reflect on the areas on which you still need work, and revisit the chapters in this book that address those deficiencies. Then go back and take Practice Test 3 and do the same, then Practice Test 4, then Practice Test 5. You have 5 practice tests with this book—be sure to make use of all of them! (Note that Practice Tests 4 and 5 are online PDFs found in your Student Tools. Go back a few pages for step-by-step directions on how to register your book and access all of your online resources.)
Need Some Guidance?
If you’re looking for a way to get the most out of your studying, check out our free study guide for this exam, which you can access via your online student tools. See the “Get More (Free) Content” page for details on accessing this great resource and more.
7.Keep Working
As mentioned earlier, there are other resources available to you, including a wealth of information on the AP Students website (apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap-computer-science-a). On this site, you can continue to explore areas that you could improve upon and engage in those areas right up until the day of the test. You should use a mix of web resources and book review to solidify your understanding of any question subjects that you keep getting wrong.