AP Computer Science A Exam: Tips to Help You Score a 5
Hundreds of students get ready once a year to take the AP Computer Science A exam with the hopes of scoring a 5 to demonstrate their proficiency in computer science and Java. If you’re one of them, this blog post can help you score the 5 that you want.
We will go over what is in the AP exam (content and format), resources you can use to help prepare, and some other tips in this blog post.
Format / Content of the AP Computer Science A Exam
Before you begin anything, you should be aware of what the AP Computer Science A exam covers and how they test you on it. The test is three hours long in total, with two sections of equal weightage: multiple choice and free response. This exam requires knowledge of Java syntax, as that is how all the code is presented.
SECTION I: MULTIPLE CHOICE
Number of questions is 40
Amount of time given is 90 minutes
Weight in total exam score is 50%
Tests you on Computational Thinking Practices 1, 2, 4, and 5
Program Design and Algorithm Development (30%-35%): predict the code necessary for a given output
Code Logic (40%-45%): predict the output of given program code
Code Testing (12%-18%): check for errors in program code
Documentation (12%-18%): explain the conditions that output certain results
There are mostly ten units covered, each with different weighting in the multiple choice section.
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UNITS COVERED + MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS WEIGHTING
Primitive Types (2.5%-5%)
Using Objects (5%-7.5%)
Boolean Expressions and if Statements (15%-17.5%)
Iteration (17.5%-22.5%)
Writing Classes (5%-7.5%)
Array (10%-15%)
ArrayList (2.5%-7.5%)
2D Array (7.5%-10%)
Inheritance (5%-10%)
Recursion (5%-7.5%)
You will receive a short break between sections 1 and 2 of the exam (which will be halfway through your exam).
SECTION 2: FREE RESPONSE
Number of questions is 4
Amount of time given is 90 minutes
Weight in total exam score is 50%
Tests you on Computational Thinking Practice 3
Code Implementation: write code for a program
Four types of questions
Methods and Control Structures: create objects of a class and methods that contain expressions, conditionals, and iterations
Classes: create a new type of class and methods that contain expressions, conditionals, and iterations
Array or ArrayList: perform tasks (such as creation, traversal, manipulation) in 1D arrays or ArrayLists, as well as creating methods that contain expressions, conditionals, and iterations
2D Array: perform tasks (such as creation, traversal, manipulation) in 2D arrays, as well as creating methods that contain expressions, conditionals, and iterations
As you may have noticed, arrays (including ArrayLists and 2D arrays) hold a large weightage in both the multiple choice and free response section of the exam. It is important that you know the fundamentals of all of them, their differences, and how to implement them.
For more in-depth information, visiting the College Board website would be a good idea.
Resources for the AP Computer Science A Exam
There are many, many resources to help you prepare for the AP Computer Science A exam. First and foremost, there is AP College Board, which provides practice questions from previous years and AP Classroom which has tutorials and assessments for all the units covered. You can view past free-response questions on their website.
There are prep books that you can buy or borrow from a library that you can use to learn or revise the content and complete practice exams. Some of them also have related flashcards that you can quiz yourself on. The following are some of the most commonly used ones:
Barron’s AP Computer Science A
Princeton Review: AP Computer Science A Prep
5 Steps to a 5: AP Computer Science A
Decoding AP Computer Science A
(Make sure to get the most recent ones as they are updated with new information.)
If you are self-studying, these books should help you with the content but you might decide to get a textbook depending on your preference.
The most useful resource to help on the exam will be taking practice questions and practice exams. These are all over the Internet, from the College Board website to the prep books. Use them to get a sense of what the exam will be like and to identify your strengths and weaknesses.
They can really help you! Try them out so at least you don’t struggle with logistics when you take the exam and can also test out to see how you’re doing on time.
If you want a closer experience to the actual exam, sit with only the materials you will have on test day, set a timer, and perhaps ask someone to be a proctor.
Other Tips for the AP Computer Science A Exam
There are many ways you can succeed on the AP Computer Science A exam. We’ve compiled some tips that may help you, but keep in mind that they are not the only things you should do!
GENERAL TIPS
Review content in a timely manner. Don’t cram in April trying to get through the entire course. Make sure to review throughout the school year so that you aren’t scrambling close to the test date. This will make it less stressful when you’ve got other things to do (like other AP exams to study for) and increase your retention rate.
If you’re taking the class in school, make sure to pay attention. Complete your homework and make sure you know what you’ve learned. Ask questions so you understand everything.
Take lots of practice exams. The best way to ensure you have a good testing experience is to practice for it. There are lots of practice exams online, such as the AP College Board website and prep books. A quick Google search can provide you with the best resources.
Monitor your time. Don’t spend too much time on one question, as that can lead to you not having time for other questions. Remember, you can always come back to it later and it’s better to try the other problems rather than being stuck on one. In the free response section, if you want to delete a part of your answer, you can erase it, but it may be more efficient to just cross it out.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION TIPS
Read the question carefully. If you just skim it, you might be missing a key term that completely changes the answer. The problem might be asking what is NOT true. Don’t skip over any words as they may be important.
Try to think of the solution before looking at the choices. After you read the question, try to figure out the answer first and then look at the options to see which one matches what you thought.
Read through all the choices before picking. You might think that an option is the correct one, but make sure to go through the rest of them because there might be a better answer in the latter ones.
Use the process of elimination. Sometimes you can’t get the answer based on the question, but crossing out the answer choices you know aren’t correct can slowly lead you to the answer as you get fewer options to choose from.
Answer all the questions. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers, so even if you aren’t sure, just pick your best guess or go with your lucky letter because there’s still a chance you may earn a point. Leaving questions answered does not change your score in any way.
FREE RESPONSE QUESTION TIPS
Read the question thoroughly. Understand what your task is, and underline or make note of it somehow so you don’t miss it. Note all the information provided that will be helpful. If an example is provided, you can use it to get a better sense of what is being asked, but make sure that your code isn’t just tailored to the example and is generalizable.
Solve each subpart of a question. It’s likely that the questions are divided into parts, with each having a different answer. If you are not able to answer a part of the question, don’t worry! You can still get credit for solving the other parts.
Have clear, organized work. Have an outline in your head of what your solution will look like before you write it. Write neatly and organize the code so that all brackets are closed, and indentations are organized. Make your work easy to follow by making variable names relevant and adding comments to explain your work.
Use included classes only. Some classes/methods are not accessible, so only use the ones that are provided on the website.
Conclusion
We hope that this blog post helped you as you prepared for the AP Computer Science A exam. As you can tell, there are many resources you can use to help you prepare, and some of them might be just one tap away!
Good luck!
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