College Board-Aligned
AP Computer Science A
This page follows the current official College Board course outline. Each unit/topic links to original local notes built for studying, practice, and review.
Course Snapshot
4
official units
39
linked topics/skills
Alignment Sources
Units & Topics
Unit 1: Using Objects and Methods
On the AP exam: 15%-25% of exam score.
- Unit 1 Topic 1: Using primitive data types including int, double, and Boolean Original Notes
- Unit 1 Topic 2: Evaluating arithmetic expressions in program code Original Notes
- Unit 1 Topic 3: Using assignment operators to produce a value Original Notes
- Unit 1 Topic 4: Knowing how variables and operators are sequenced and combined in an expression to create a result Original Notes
- Unit 1 Topic 5: Using comments to describe the functionality of code Original Notes
- Unit 1 Topic 6: Using objects and classes to describe instances, attributes, and behaviors Original Notes
- Unit 1 Topic 7: Creating objects by calling constructors with and without parameters Original Notes
- Unit 1 Topic 8: Defining an object’s behavior using methods, including static and Math class Original Notes
- Unit 1 Topic 9: Calling non-static void methods with and without parameters Original Notes
- Unit 1 Topic 10: Using String objects and methods Original Notes
- Unit 1 Topic 11: Using application program interfaces (APIs) and libraries Original Notes
Unit 2: Selection and Iteration
On the AP exam: 25%-35% of exam score.
- Unit 2 Topic 1: Finding Boolean values with expressions involving relational operators Original Notes
- Unit 2 Topic 2: Using conditional statements to execute different statements based on input values Original Notes
- Unit 2 Topic 3: Building on conditional statements to create multiple possible outcomes Original Notes
- Unit 2 Topic 4: Creating the same value using equivalent Boolean expressions Original Notes
- Unit 2 Topic 5: Creating a loop to run an expression repeatedly until certain conditions are met Original Notes
- Unit 2 Topic 6: Implementing standard arithmetic-based and String-based algorithms Original Notes
- Unit 2 Topic 7: Representing iterative processes in code using for and while loops Original Notes
- Unit 2 Topic 8: Nesting loop and iteration statements Original Notes
- Unit 2 Topic 9: Informally analyzing run-times Original Notes
Unit 3: Class Creation
On the AP exam: 10%-18% of exam score.
- Unit 3 Topic 1: Designing a class, including whether attributes are public or private Original Notes
- Unit 3 Topic 2: Setting an object’s attributes using constructors Original Notes
- Unit 3 Topic 3: Defining behaviors of an object using non-void, void, and static methods Original Notes
- Unit 3 Topic 4: Breaking problems into smaller parts by creating methods to solve individual subproblems Original Notes
Unit 4: Data Collections
On the AP exam: 30%-40% of exam score.
- Unit 4 Topic 1: Considering intellectual property and ethical concerns in programming Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 2: Considering ethical issues around data collections Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 3: Using data sets Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 4: Representing multiple related items as array objects Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 5: Traversing an array by accessing the elements using iteration statements Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 6: Implementing standard algorithms that utilize array traversals to perform functions Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 7: Utilizing class libraries, including Integer and Double Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 8: Representing collections of related object reference data using ArrayList objects Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 9: Traversing an ArrayList by accessing the elements using iteration statements Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 10: Implementing standard algorithms that utilize ArrayList traversals to perform functions Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 11: Searching and sorting using standard algorithms Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 12: Representing collections of data as arrays of arrays, or 2D arrays Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 13: Traversing a 2D array by accessing the elements using nested iteration statements Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 14: Executing recursive methods Original Notes
- Unit 4 Topic 15: Searching and sorting using binary search and merge sort algorithms Original Notes
Notes
Original EduCompanion Notes
These local notes follow the current College Board AP Computer Science A unit/topic list.
Unit 1: Using Objects and Methods
Unit 1 Topic 1: Using primitive data types including int, double, and Boolean
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 1 Topic 2: Evaluating arithmetic expressions in program code
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 1 Topic 3: Using assignment operators to produce a value
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 1 Topic 4: Knowing how variables and operators are sequenced and combined in an expression to create a result
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 1 Topic 5: Using comments to describe the functionality of code
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 1 Topic 6: Using objects and classes to describe instances, attributes, and behaviors
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 1 Topic 7: Creating objects by calling constructors with and without parameters
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 1 Topic 8: Defining an object’s behavior using methods, including static and Math class
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 1 Topic 9: Calling non-static void methods with and without parameters
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 1 Topic 10: Using String objects and methods
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 1 Topic 11: Using application program interfaces (APIs) and libraries
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 2: Selection and Iteration
Unit 2 Topic 1: Finding Boolean values with expressions involving relational operators
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 2 Topic 2: Using conditional statements to execute different statements based on input values
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 2 Topic 3: Building on conditional statements to create multiple possible outcomes
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 2 Topic 4: Creating the same value using equivalent Boolean expressions
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 2 Topic 5: Creating a loop to run an expression repeatedly until certain conditions are met
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 2 Topic 6: Implementing standard arithmetic-based and String-based algorithms
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 2 Topic 7: Representing iterative processes in code using for and while loops
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 2 Topic 8: Nesting loop and iteration statements
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 2 Topic 9: Informally analyzing run-times
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 3: Class Creation
Unit 3 Topic 1: Designing a class, including whether attributes are public or private
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 3 Topic 2: Setting an object’s attributes using constructors
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 3 Topic 3: Defining behaviors of an object using non-void, void, and static methods
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 3 Topic 4: Breaking problems into smaller parts by creating methods to solve individual subproblems
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4: Data Collections
Unit 4 Topic 1: Considering intellectual property and ethical concerns in programming
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 2: Considering ethical issues around data collections
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 3: Using data sets
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 4: Representing multiple related items as array objects
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 5: Traversing an array by accessing the elements using iteration statements
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 6: Implementing standard algorithms that utilize array traversals to perform functions
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 7: Utilizing class libraries, including Integer and Double
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 8: Representing collections of related object reference data using ArrayList objects
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 9: Traversing an ArrayList by accessing the elements using iteration statements
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 10: Implementing standard algorithms that utilize ArrayList traversals to perform functions
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 11: Searching and sorting using standard algorithms
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 12: Representing collections of data as arrays of arrays, or 2D arrays
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 13: Traversing a 2D array by accessing the elements using nested iteration statements
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 14: Executing recursive methods
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Unit 4 Topic 15: Searching and sorting using binary search and merge sort algorithms
Open College Board-aligned original notes
Shared Google Drive Notes
No shared Google Drive notes are currently mapped for this course. Local original notes are still available above.
Practice Questions
Each note page includes a quick practice prompt. Use these unit practice cards to review the same way AP questions ask you to apply ideas, evidence, and reasoning.
Unit 1 Practice
Use the linked notes for Using Objects and Methods to answer AP-style prompts, then check your explanation against the official topic list.
- Define the most important concept from this unit.
- Apply it to a scenario, graph, source, passage, or data table.
- Explain the reasoning that connects evidence to the answer.
Unit 2 Practice
Use the linked notes for Selection and Iteration to answer AP-style prompts, then check your explanation against the official topic list.
- Define the most important concept from this unit.
- Apply it to a scenario, graph, source, passage, or data table.
- Explain the reasoning that connects evidence to the answer.
Unit 3 Practice
Use the linked notes for Class Creation to answer AP-style prompts, then check your explanation against the official topic list.
- Define the most important concept from this unit.
- Apply it to a scenario, graph, source, passage, or data table.
- Explain the reasoning that connects evidence to the answer.
Unit 4 Practice
Use the linked notes for Data Collections to answer AP-style prompts, then check your explanation against the official topic list.
- Define the most important concept from this unit.
- Apply it to a scenario, graph, source, passage, or data table.
- Explain the reasoning that connects evidence to the answer.
Study Guides
Use this as a unit review index. Open each unit, work through the topic notes, then return here to move to the next unit.