Introduction to One Month AP® Computer Science Study Guide
From classes and algorithms to data structures and encapsulation, AP® Computer Science can be overwhelming. In a single year, you have to understand Java, memorize tons of classes and APIs, and learn to solve difficult computer science problems. But don’t let this complexity scare you off. With an effective study guide, plenty of motivation, and the right resources, anyone can master AP® Computer Science. No matter who you are, you can learn the incredibly valuable skill of programming and excel on the AP® exam.
You can use this comprehensive one-month AP® Computer Science study guide in a variety of situations. Maybe you feel comfortable with AP® Computer Science and just need to review. This guide has loads of useful resources and a day-to-day guide to polishing up in the month before the exam. If you feel terrible about the AP® test and you need a comprehensive review of the material, this guide will help you learn as much as possible in the month before the exam.
Finally, you can use this guide for both AP® Computer Science courses. We tailored the guide to Java and the Computer Science A exam. However, if you want to use Java in your final project for AP® Computer Science, this is a great place to learn the material. It will also help you pass the multiple-choice test with flying colors.
What You will Need for this One-Month AP® Computer Science Study Guide
If you don’t have the right materials, it will be hard to score well or even make it through AP® Computer Science. These are the essential resources for this study guide.
• A working computer and a connection to the Internet. The course was designed to teach you about computers, after all.
• Albert.io AP® Computer Science questions. The Albert.io system has hundreds of problems to hone your understanding, and it tracks your progress to help you find your weaknesses and strengths. It’s a perfect way to improve your chances of acing the AP® Computer Science test.
• Barron’s AP® Computer Science A. This book is harder than the actual test, which makes it ideal. If you understand everything in this book from front to back, you will almost definitely get a 5. If you want to try another review book, check out this article to help you decide which are the best AP® Computer Science A review books.
• Practice Tests. If you don’t practice, you cannot possibly get prepared before test day. You can find these practice tests in this Dropbox folder of all AP® Computer Science practice tests since 2004. Alternatively, you can check out CollegeBoard’s list of all AP® Computer Science A practice tests.
• Flashcard site like Quizlet or flashcard app like Anki. You could also use ordinary paper index cards, but those are quite a bit harder to make and study. Anki is great because it uses spaced repetition algorithms to remind you to study at the best possible times.
• Computer Science Textbook. You don’t need to shell out cash for an expensive college textbook. In fact, one of the best books is Introduction to Programming Using Java, and it is free online. It was made for beginners and covers all of the core content of the AP® Computer Science test. If you want to buy a real textbook, check out CollegeBoard’s textbook list for AP® Computer Science A.
• Java Practice Problems. The Java programming language is the bread and butter of AP® Computer Science A. You need to know it. To do that, you need to practice solving problems using Java. CodingBat is a phenomenal resource for practicing your ninja Java skills. The AP® exam tests most of the problems that you’ll solve on CodingBat.
Extra Resources for AP® Computer Science
You probably will not need these resources to pass the test, and you don’t need them to use this study guide. However, if you want to understand the Java language more deeply, or if you want to excel on the AP® test, we would recommend using these resources.
• Oracle’s Java Tutorials. The official Java documentation is one of the best ways to learn about the key language of AP® Computer Science A. It’s also useful if you’re taking AP® Computer Science Principles and you want to write in Java. You don’t need to read this entire site. In fact, for the AP® test, you only need to read the section called “Trails Covering the Basics”.
• Stanford’s CS106A. This online course is a great place to gain a deeper understanding of programming and computer science. It teaches most of the same basic content as AP® Computer Science A. Don’t try to learn the entire course unless you have tons of free time. Just look through the lectures and watch the ones that interest you, or use it to understand hard concepts.
• Derek Banas’ Java Video Tutorials. These videos are fantastic for learning both the basics and the most difficult concepts of Java. It also shows you how a real developer writes code, which is invaluable for the AP® test. If you watch up to video #60, you will have a super solid understanding of Java, and you will be much closer to a 5.
• Short AP® Computer Science Study Guide. This guide is filled with code examples, illustrations, and simple definitions of key concepts in Java. This summary not as comprehensive as Albert.io’s full study guide, but it is a phenomenal way to review as the test approaches. You can also use it to learn the basics of Java when you are first starting out.
• Purdue University’s AP® Computer Science on Coursera. This course is a very structured approach to learning Java. If you want to study like you’re in a regular class, or if you just want to learn what a college computer science course feels like, this class is for you. However, it does teach you a lot of information that the AP® exam won’t test directly. If you are pressed for time, the course below might be better.
• Decoding AP® Computer Science on Udemy. With this course, you can learn from a student who self-studied Computer Science A and got a 5. It teaches the basic concepts of Java programming and focuses on the essentials. We highly recommend it.
How to use the AP® Computer Science Study Guide
Your study is determined by how prepared you are right now. If you are very prepared, for example, you will not spend time reviewing concepts. Instead, you will focus on answering sample questions and practicing your coding.
If you don’t feel prepared at all: You need to know this study guide forward and backwards. One month is not much time to get prepared for any AP® exam, but AP® Computer Science is not just any AP® exam. Learning this content well enough to do well on the exam will require extra diligence. Depending on your situation, you need to study about 15 hours a week in the five weeks before the exam. Do not skip the textbook readings, as you still need to grasp the fundamental concepts of the course. Study Barron’s book until you know it like the back of your hand. Take as many practice tests as possible and use them to decide what you need to study most. Use this study guide to optimize your study time, so you don’t waste your precious hours on unnecessary material.
If you’re somewhat prepared: This guide is an excellent way to polish your skills and fill the gaps in your knowledge. You probably fit this category if you’ve taken a practice test and scored between a high 2 and a low 4. If you haven’t taken a test yet, but you feel confident in your general understanding, this category is probably for you too. Since you already have a solid knowledge of the course’s concepts, you don’t need to read much from a textbook. Skim over the passages, and focus on the few chapters that you don’t understand well. However, your focus should be on practice problems. Make sure you understand what the AP® exam will test you on. You should study about 10 hours a week in the five weeks before the exam. Every day, practice several coding problems or answer a few AP® questions.
If you’re very prepared: You probably know who you are. You might have been coding for a few years and already know a lot about programming. You might have scored a five on a few practice exams, or maybe you just feel very confident in your knowledge of AP® Computer Science. Regardless, you mostly need to focus on practicing. Even if you’re a pro at Java, there are probably a few gaps you need to fill in. The AP® test is different than normal programming, so it is important to know what’s ahead of you. This study guide will make sure you know all the content you need to confidently knock off the AP® exam and walk out with a five. You should spend at least 8 hours a week studying for the test in the month before the exam.
We designed this guide to follow the AP® Computer Science A course description. The AP® exam will test anything and everything you learn on this guide, so don’t skip any days or ignore any ideas. There are six main ideas the CollegeBoard wants you to understand for the AP® test:
- Object-oriented program design – Object-oriented programming is a structured method to solve problems with computer programs. This unit includes algorithms, classes, functions, and more.
- Program implementation – This unit is all about the way programs are written. It includes a broad range of concepts, including recursion, variable declaration, and different approaches to writing a program.
- Program analysis – This is all about testing programs to see if they work and how efficient they are. It includes valuable ideas like unit testing and debugging.
- Standard data structures – This unit simply covers the five key data types in Java: primitives (like int or boolean), strings, classes, lists, and arrays.
- Standard operations and algorithms – In this unit, you’ll learn some of the typical methods used to analyze data in computer science. These conventional methods include searching algorithms, sorting algorithms, and data manipulation.
- Computing in Context – This is the least-tested unit. It covers the social and ethical impacts of computer science. Try to think about these consequences while you’re studying.
We built this guide based on a study schedule of 6 days a week and 2 hours a day. However, feel free to skim through certain ideas if you have already studied them extensively. Customize this guide to whatever you need.
You get a break at the end of each week. However, even on your rest day, you may want to skim over your notes and test yourself on a few flashcards.
If you miss a day, try to catch up the next day. Don’t cram, as it will not be effective in the end.
Week 1
Day 1
We’ll start off this month of studying by making sure you understand what you’re going up against. By the end of the day, you should know exactly what you will be tested on in the AP® Computer Science exam.
Read pages 4 through 10 of the AP® Computer Science Course Description. You don’t have to read everything. Just skim over the introduction and the topic outline and make sure you know what’s up ahead.
Then, skip to page 17 of the course description. This page tells you what’s going to be on the exam. Remember this when you’re studying, as it shows you exactly what concepts are the most important. More than 55% of the exam is Programming Fundamentals, so you need to know basic Java like the back of your hand.
To introduce yourself to the Java concepts that the AP® exam requires you to know, look at the AP® Computer Science A Java Subset. You should read the entire document. It’s only six pages long. If you know everything in this subset and can use each concept in programming problems, you will absolutely ace the AP® exam. If you can, print out this entire subset and get three different highlighters. Then, go through the document and highlight in different colors the things you don’t know, the things you kind of know, and the things you know well.
Now, throughout this guide, you’ll encounter lots of new terms and programming ideas. Every time you come across a word or idea you want to remember, make a flashcard for it. You could also make a deck for AP® Computer Science on Quizlet or Anki.
We hope you’re excited to get going! Get some rest. For the remainder of this guide, we are going to be getting into the nuts and bolts of computer science.
Day 2
Today, we will be learning the foundational concepts in computer science. You’ll apply these concepts to nearly everything you learn in AP® Computer Science.
First, you need to familiarize yourself with the basics of computer science. You need to be able to answer questions like this: What is a data structure? What is Boolean? How is software written? To do this, watch Introduction to Computer Science Lecture 0. It introduces the core idea of computer programming. There’s also a cropped version of the lecture with just the parts that matter for the AP® test. If you feel remotely curious or confused about anything in this lecture, just Google it. That’s an excellent way to start learning the basic.
Next, you should start learning how to solve computer science problems. Check out Albert.io’s AP® Computer Science Homepage. Start working through the first few problems in the “Program and Class Design” section. You can also skip around through different parts to get a sample of what’s in store.
Remember to write down or make flashcards for any new material you learn! Try to review these flashcards every couple days, or before you start studying every day.
Day 3
Today’s review will be lots of reading. Go to the Introduction to Programming Using Java online textbook. Read all of chapter 1. We know that sounds intimidating, but this textbook is actually very easy to understand. If you’re already familiar with Java, just skim through the chapter. If you’re not at all familiar, use a pen and paper to take notes on the chapter. Writing it down improves your recollection.
All the most important ideas in the chapter are colored red. You can make flashcards for any of these important concepts. If you don’t understand them, just Google it or re-read the passage a few times.
Some of the most important and unique ideas in Java are classes and objects. You need to understand these concepts to write valid code and to answer multiple-choice questions correctly. Read Java 101: Classes and Objects, a very short article that describes the basics of programming with classes.
If you don’t understand what a compiler is, read this Definition of a Compiler. You can also watch the video at the bottom of the article.
At the end of your study session, look over your notes or your flashcards. Highlight, bookmark, or put a star next to anything you still don’t understand. Later this week, come back to these items and review them. Sometimes it just takes time to let the concepts sink in.
Day 4
Start your study session by taking the quiz on chapter 1 of the Java textbook. Write down your answers to each of the questions. Then, check your answers using this answer sheet. Write down what you got and what you missed. Then, add this quiz to your notes.
Read the first four sections of chapter 2 of the online textbook. Remember to take notes and add concepts to your deck of flashcards. After you are done reading, go to your notes and review everything you’ve learned so far.
Now you’re ready to write your first Java programs! Head over to CodingBat’s Java Warmup. Do all the exercises in the first column – that’s “sleepIn” through “everyNth”.
If you don’t understand what you’re doing in the Java exercises, don’t worry about it! That’s the point. In computer science, the best way to improve is to try to do stuff you can’t do yet. Keep trying. If you can’t solve it, just check the answer and see what you did wrong. There are also helpful links at the bottom of the page, and you can use those to understand the exercises more.
Day 5
First, read the last few sections of Chapter 2 in the online textbook. After you’re finished reading, take the quiz on chapter 2. Remember to check your answers and fix what you missed.
Then, make sure you have a way to write Java code. There are two ways to do this. First, you could install a Java IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Some great choices are NetBeans or Eclipse. If you don’t want to install anything, there’s a great online editor for Java. Just type in your code and click the compile button, and you’ll see the results.
Now that you have a way to write Java, try out the programming exercises for Chapter 2. You don’t have to do all of them, but we highly recommend it.
When you’re done writing the exercises, and you’ve checked your answers, crack open your Barron’s review book. Flip to Chapter 1: Introductory Java Language Features. Read all the way to the end of the chapter. Take notes and make flashcards on important ideas. If you’ve already been working in Java for a while, this will be a review. If not, don’t worry if you don’t understand everything.
Day 5 was pretty intense! But now you’re almost done learning the basics of the Java language. You now have a phenomenal tool for solving problems and writing cool programs.
Day 6
Today we will be reviewing everything you have learned so far. This review will solidify your knowledge of Java and give you a jumpstart into the rest of the study guide.
Start off by heading to the Multiple-Choice Questions for Chapter 1 of the Barron’s Book. Time yourself with a stopwatch as you take the chapter review test. Write down how long it took you.
On the real AP® test, you have 1 hour and 30 minutes to answer 40 questions. It only takes some simple math to figure out that you should spend about 2.25 minutes on each question. So, since there are 26 questions in the Chapter 1 multiple-choice quiz, it should take you almost exactly 1 hour to finish the test. If you’re not there yet, don’t worry about it.
Go through all your answers and write down your score. Check out the answer explanations to see why you got it wrong. If you still don’t understand, go back to the chapters from your Barron’s book or the online textbook.
Then, go to Albert.io’s AP® Computer Science page. Work through all the problems in the Problem Analysis, Data Abstraction, and Class Specifications sections. These questions are very hard, as they’re meant to prepare you for the exam. If you get them wrong, Albert.io’s adaptive study system will help you review the material you missed.
Day 7
It’s been a tough week! Take a break. Catch up on your sleep and exercise. Over your rest day, try to find some time to review all your notes and flashcards. You could also try building a new and exciting program using your new Java skills.
Week 2
Day 8
Start the new week by reading all of Chapter 3 in the online textbook. Remember to take notes! Then, take the Chapter 3 quiz and do the programming exercises. That should take up most of your 2-hour study block.
After you’re done reading and testing yourself, go back to Albert.io. Answer all the questions in the Code Reuse and Data Representations sections.
Day 9
Today you’ll be looking at your first real AP® questions. Go to the course description and scroll down to page 18, where the sample AP® Computer Science A multiple-choice questions are. Answer questions 1 through 10. You won’t be familiar with all the material, but that’s fine. Check your answers. This entire test, including checking your answers, should take you about 25 minutes.
Open up your Barron book and read through Chapter 2. Then, take the multiple-choice quiz for chapter 2, check your answers, and understand your mistakes. It should take about 55 minutes to finish the quiz. If it takes you longer than that, don’t worry about it.
In Albert.io, answer all the questions about Classes. These questions are in the section called Standard Data Structures.
Congratulations! You’ve learned all about classes in Java.
Day 10
The focus today will be on some concepts in higher-level Java programming: inheritance and polymorphism. To understand these essential ideas, read Chapter 3 of your Barron’s book.
Before taking the Chapter 3 quiz, read this tutorial on polymorphism.
After you have read the article and you understand the concept, you are ready to take the quiz. Go to Chapter 3 and answer all of the multiple choice questions.
With any extra time today, go back and study all the material you’ve learned so far. Review notes and flashcards, and re-try all the questions you’ve missed on quizzes. Try to re-learn the concepts you didn’t understand.
Day 11
Read through all of Chapter 4 in your Barron’s book, and take the multiple-choice quiz at the end of the chapter.
Now for some fun coding! Go to CodingBat. To review your study of the different data structures, do at least 5 in each of the following sections: String-1, String-2, Array-1, and Array-2. Try to work through each problem, but feel free to check the answer if you need to.
To make sure you’re an absolute master of data types in Java, go to the Standard Data Structures section in Albert.io. Do all the questions except the Extra Practice.
At the end of all this, you should feel great about your skills with data structures.
Day 12
Read Chapter 5 on Program Design and Analysis in your Barron’s book, and take the multiple-choice quiz.
Go to Albert.io and fill in any blanks in the first section, Object-Oriented Program Design. For example, you probably haven’t finished Function Decomposition yet.
After you’ve finished the first section, work through some problems in the Program Implementation section. That should be Implementation Techniques and the first two parts of Programming Constructions.
Spend some time reviewing all your flashcards, notes, and quizzes. You take your first real practice test tomorrow!
Day 13
Spend all of today taking Practice Exam 1 (also called Diagnostic Test) in your Barron book. Find an isolated place where you can just focus on the test. Time yourself as you work through the exam.
After you are finished, take a break for about 15 minutes. Then go back to the exam and check your answers. Review all the answers you got wrong and try to understand why.
This practice test should be a reality check for you. If you scored badly at this point, you need to start focusing more on your AP® Computer Science review. If you’re doing fairly well, keep going! You want to improve your score in these few weeks before the exam.
Day 14
Have a reinvigorating rest day! We’re more than halfway through our review of the material. After that, you just need to practice for the AP® test. If you’ve already made it this far, great work!
Week 3
Day 15
The focus of Day 13 will be working with arrays. The AP® Computer Science exam heavily tests the use of arrays in Java.
First, read Chapter 6 of your Barron’s book, Arrays and Array Lists. Take the multiple-choice test and review your answers.
Go to CodingBat and finish all the practice exercises in the Array-3 section. These are tough; don’t expect to complete them all without a hitch. Try as hard as you can to work through them, however.
Then, go to CodingBat’s AP® Computer Science questions. Do the first three problems. Don’t look at the answer until you’ve successfully written your own program.
Day 16
Now is the time to learn all about recursion! What is recursion? Well, recursion is recursion.
If you didn’t laugh at that, you probably haven’t read Chapter 7 yet. Open up your Barron’s book and finish off Chapter 7: Recursion. Take the multiple-choice quiz and check your answers.
Go to Albert.io and finish all the Extra Practice in the Program Implementation section.
By the end of today, you should be able to write valid recursive functions and methods. Maybe you’ll even be able to laugh at our jokes.
Day 17
Today we’re going to be learning all about sorting, searching, and other algorithms in AP® Computer Science. If you’ve already gone over these concepts, use today to go even more in-depth.
To familiarize yourself with three key sorting algorithms – bubble, insertion sort, and quick sort – check out this Ted-Ed video on the fastest way to sort library books.
Then read Chapter 8 of your Barron’s book, Sorting and Searching. Take the chapter quiz and check your answers.
Go over to Albert.io and work on the questions in the Standard Operations and Algorithms section. Finish these three subsections: Operations on Data Structures, Searching, and Sorting.
Day 18
Congratulations! Today is a huge day in your AP® Computer Science review. If you’ve gotten this far in this AP® Computer Science study guide, you have completed all the chapters of the Barron’s book. You should spend rest of the time on reviewing key concepts, going more in-depth, and practicing your coding.
Open up CodingBat’s AP® Computer Science exercises. Do problems 4-10. That’s copyEvens, scoreUp, sumHeights, userCompare, scores100, and wordsCount. If this takes you a long time, don’t worry about it! These exercises are very hard.
With any extra time you have, go back to Albert.io and try to finish off some sections. Try to practice Java Library and Interfaces for AP and Algorithm Analysis.
Day 19
Use today to catch your breath. We’ve been speeding through Java at a breakneck pace, and it’s time to look back and review what we’ve done.
First, go to your deck of flashcards and do a thorough examination of your knowledge. Cover everything you’ve learned so far. Mark any flashcards that you need to focus on in the future. There’s another practice test tomorrow, so try to focus during your review.
Skim over your notes. Again, mark any concepts you still don’t understand fully.
Finish off your review by going to Albert.io and completing a ton of Extra Practice problems. Focus on the sections that you don’t understand yet.
If you have extra time, do some of CodingBat’s AP® Computer Science exercises.
Day 20
Today is your second practice test. Again, find a place where you can focus without disturbances. Open up your Barron’s book and work on Practice Test 2.
Grade your practice test and review all the answers you got wrong. Use the answer explanations, the rest of your Barron’s book, and the other resources in this study guide to understand why you made these mistakes. All in all, this should take about 3 hours.
Day 21
Have a good rest day! There are only nine days left until the end of the month, but you have made tremendous progress.
Week 4
Day 22
The AP® exam is getting closer and closer, but you have already armed yourself with nearly everything you need to get the score you want. However, you’re probably starting to lose your grasp of some of the more basic syntax in Java. To review, read through this short AP® Computer Science study guide.
If there’s anything you don’t understand while you read through the guide, go back to your notes, the online textbook, or Barron’s book.
Use any extra time to look back to your practice exams. Review all your mistakes and make sure you understand why you got the answer wrong.
You will probably notice some trends in your mistakes. For example, you may realize that you don’t really get how to manipulate arrays. Go to Albert.io and practice this topic. So, if you’re bad at using arrays, study arrays. Re-read the textbook and Barron’s book and make sure you comprehend everything they’re saying.
Day 23
We haven’t exactly gone in depth on a topic that is imperative to understand in AP® Computer Science: debugging and program analysis. Today, we will focus on all the methods and nuances of debugging in Java.
Remember your online textbook? We didn’t read chapters 4-7 because those are covered by the Barron’s review book. But now it’s time to go back to get a more in-depth understanding of debugging. Read Chapter 8: Correctness, Robustness, and Efficiency.
After you’re finished reading, take the quiz for the chapter and try to do a few of the programming exercises.
Then, go to Albert.io and work on the program analysis questions. Try to work through Testing Programs, Debugging Programs, Runtime Exceptions, and Program Correctness.
If you want extra practice or you feel like you don’t have the best grasp of debugging in Java, this video is an excellent way to learn the key concepts. It’s a lecture recorded by an AP® Computer Science teacher. It’s only 15 minutes long, and you can speed it up on YouTube.
How will debugging be tested on the AP® exam? Well, they probably won’t ask you any program analysis or debugging questions on the free response section. However, tons of the multiple-choice questions require you to find the problem in a certain program. They may ask what a program will output, whether a program will compile, or whether a program will accomplish a particular task. To answer these questions, you need a solid understanding of debugging.
To test yourself on your ability to respond to multiple-choice questions about program analysis, try to answer the multiple-choice question below. This question is from the multiple-choice exam released in 1999.
Have you answered it yet? Well, the answer is A. This should be a relatively simple problem for you. In 1999, about 83% of test-takers correctly responded to this question.
Now you’ve gone through everything you need to know to squash all the bugs on your AP® Computer Science test.
Day 24
Use today’s study session to try and find and close all the gaps in your content knowledge.
You should have collected a deck of somewhere around 100 flashcards by now. Depending on what you need and your particular style of studying, you may have far more or less than that. However, you should have a minimum of 50, even if you consider yourself a computer science expert.
The first method we’ll use to find gaps in your knowledge is to quiz yourself on every flashcard. If you’re using a flashcards application like Quizlet or Anki, it will be easy to identify what you know and what you don’t. If you’re using paper, just make two decks of cards. One will contain all the cards you know, and the other will contain all the cards you don’t know.
Now, re-learn all the flashcards you didn’t know or that you did badly on. This re-learning process is an excellent way to refresh all your content knowledge.
Finally, go to Albert.io and work on checking off every section. You should be very close to answering every question. If you’ve already finished everything, just go back and retry any questions that you missed frequently. Try to focus on the sections that you don’t know well.
Day 25
Now is the time to go back to the AP® Computer Science Course Description. Skim over the entire document. Focus primarily on reading the topic outline. Make sure there aren’t any terms you aren’t familiar with as of this point. For example, do you know about functional decomposition? What about De Morgan’s law? Use the topic outline to test your knowledge and ensure that you feel prepared for the test.
Spend at least 45 minutes going through the entire course description, reviewing your knowledge, testing yourself on the contents of the course, and writing down anything you don’t know. Create a list of terms and concepts that you didn’t know about or that you need to review. Then, spend the next 30 minutes reviewing this list and learning everything on it.
Now that you’ve finished your course review, it’s time for some fun coding practice. If you haven’t learned to like solving programming problems, you should start now. It’s fun, creative, useful, and it’s a great way to earn money.
Head over to CodingBat and finish as many computer science exercises as you can in the remaining 45 minutes. Some of the best exercises are in the very last column. However, all of these exercises will train you to solve problems on the AP® test.
Day 26
Today we’re going to focus on improving your ability to answer AP® Computer Science free response questions.
Before we get into the practice, let’s talk about the general strategy for the AP® Computer Science free response questions. There are four free response questions, and you have 1 hour and 30 minutes to answer them. That means you have about 22 minutes for each question. You will be pressed for time, as these are hard programming questions with a tight time limit.
Before anything else, you should read each question. Don’t bother reading the instructions on the test – you should know those already! After you’ve read each question, start answering the easiest of the four. Complete the rest of the questions in order of easiest to hardest. Write down something on every question.
Now, head over to this Guide to the AP® Computer Science Free Response Questions. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the link called “2016 AP® Computer Science A Free Response Review”. This link will let you download a comprehensive presentation that describes all the key strategies to the AP® Computer Science FRQs.
Now that you know how to ace the free response section, print out the 2016 AP® Computer Science Free Response Questions. Time yourself for the entire test. You’ll be writing your code on paper, so be careful and write as legibly as possible.
We’ve probably already gone over your 2-hour study session, so we’ll finish grading your test tomorrow.
Day 27
First of all, we have to grade your free response test. Go to CollegeBoard’s AP® Central for computer science. Then, scroll down to 2016 and download the scoring guidelines. If you want more info to improve, you can also download the sample responses, the student performance Q&A, or the scoring statistics.
What did you get? Try to use this test to gauge your progress so far. If you got between 60% and 100% of the possible points, you scored approximately a 5. Great work! However, you only have to get 44% correct to pass the exam with a 3.
If you notice significant deficiencies in your free response exam, use today’s study session to go back and explore these sections. For example, you may realize that you’ve forgotten how to write all the different types of loops. If so, go back to your notes, your flashcards, and the chapters in Barron’s book that taught you how to write loops!
Write down any crucial information that you may have forgotten. For each answer you got wrong on the free response practice test, correct all your mistakes with a colored pen. You’ve probably done test corrections for school before. If so, do the same thing for this practice test. Write down all your mistakes, why you made them, and how to fix them. This process of identifying and amending your mistakes is an invaluable way to improve your score on the AP® test.
Day 28
Today is your last rest day before the end of the month! Use it wisely. Try to do something fun. Don’t worry about the exam too much. You’ve already gone through 28 days of intense studying. Your drive and determination over the last month show that you’re more than ready for the exam.
Week 5
Day 29
Watch this Youtube video: AP® Computer Science in 60 Minutes. It provides a review of all the topics we’ve studied and is a complete refresher for Java syntax and other important concepts. While you are watching, either write down notes on paper or type out and run the code in a code editor. Writing out and putting into practice everything in this video will help you retain information and will ensure you are ready for the test.
After you are done watching the video, go back to your flashcards, your notes, and your Albert.io account. Review anything you haven’t studied yet. Make sure you have memorized all the necessary syntax in Java. The AP® exam is nigh!
Day 30
You’re done! In the last 30 days, you have reviewed all of the material you need to succeed in the AP® Computer Science exam.
Depending on when you started this monthly guide, you’re either very close or somewhat close to the AP® exam. If you’re a week or two away, spend your remaining time reviewing your notes and flashcards, taking more practice exams, and writing awesome Java projects.
If you’re less than a week away, relax. Your score isn’t going to change too much because you spend five hours studying the day before the test. Just trust in all the content you’ve learned. If you have come to love coding, we would recommend working on some projects on the side. It’s a great way to learn Java and understand computer science more. And, if you want to work in computer programming, projects are a vital part of your resume.
The day before the exam, just relax. If you feel like you need to do some studying, that’s fine. Don’t try to stop yourself. But don’t spend more than 1 hour studying. Don’t try to learn any new material or take a practice test before the test. This won’t help your score, and it will just hurt your confidence.
If you’re going to study, do something you enjoy. For example, you could try to make a small game with Java. You could watch some videos from the resources this guide has provided. You could even practice with Albert.io if you like the rhythm of answering questions.
We can’t emphasize this more: don’t try to learn the material in the last couple of days before the AP® test! Tackling content you don’t know yet will just ruin your confidence and make you think you don’t know the material. You have to focus on practicing the material you already understand. Reviewing old content instead of learning new content will improve your confidence and make sure you’ve polished all the essential skills you need to ace the exam.
Wrapping up
Let’s review everything you have accomplished the course of this one-month AP® Computer Science study guide. You have reviewed hundreds of AP® Computer Science multiple-choice questions, and you’ve answered several AP® Computer Science free response questions. You have solved hundreds of practice coding problems. You have finished Albert.io’s full AP® Computer Science review. You have read all of the Barron’s review book. You have accumulated a huge deck of flashcards. You have learned extremely valuable skills in computer science and problem-solving. Now, it’s time to put all of this into practice. You have learned everything you need to get a five on the AP® test. It’s time to go crush the exam!
If you want to keep learning computer science, the Internet has tons of resources for improving. This guide probably showed you that there are ridiculous amounts of resources online. With a few Google searches, you can learn practically anything. You could expand your knowledge of Java and start building awesome applications – OpenOffice, Minecraft, and Gmail all use Java to some extent. You could learn the famous Python language if you’re interested in machine learning, scripting, web scraping, or tons of other things. If you want to do web development and make sweet websites, try out Javascript. Computer science can be very fun, and hopefully you’ve already learned the basics from this one-month study guide.
With whatever time you have after you finish this guide, you should be consistently reviewing your notes and flashcards, solving problems, and answering practice questions. Get plenty of sleep every night, eat a healthy diet, and exercise regularly. Again, don’t worry about the test. After completing this 30-day guide, you should feel super confident in your knowledge and abilities. All of these simple things will help you improve your AP® score dramatically.
Let us know what you thought of this AP® Computer Science study guide. What worked for you? What do you think is the best way to study for the AP® Computer Science exam?
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