Skip to content
Certification Guides

Cracking the AP Computer Science A Exam, 2020 Edition: Practice Tests and Prep for the NEW 2020 Exam (2020)

Cracking the AP Computer Science A Exam, 2020 Edition: Practice Tests and Prep for the NEW 2020 Exam (2020) provides detailed explanations to help you understand key concepts.

Preview 31 of 497 pages

See the first 31 pages exactly as they appear in the document.

  1. Page 1
  2. Page 2
    Read page 2 as text

    Downloaded from StudyXY.com [= Ww + StudyXY oi as . Za \ Rr ' BE \ Stu dy Anything This ContentHas been Posted On StudyXY.com as supplementary learning material. StudyXY does not endrose any university, college or publisher. Allmaterials posted are under the liability of the contributors. | 8) www.studyxy.com

  3. Page 3
  4. Page 4
    Read page 4 as text

    Editorial Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief Deborah Weber, Director of Production Gabriel Berlin, Production Design Manager Selena Coppock, Managing Editor Aaron Riccio, Senior Editor Meave Shelton, Senior Editor Chris Chimera, Editor Eleanor Green, Editor Orion McBean, Editor Brian Saladino, Editor Patricia Murphy, Editorial Assistant Random House Publishing Team Tom Russell, VP, Publisher Alison Stoltzfus, Publishing Director Amanda Yee, Associate Managing Editor Ellen L. Reed, Production Manager Suzanne Lee, Designer The Princeton Review 110 East 42nd St, 7th Floor New York, NY 10017 Email: editorialsupport@review.com Copyright © 2019 by TPR Education IP Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Penguin Random House LLC, New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Ltd., Toronto. Terms of Service: The Princeton Review Online Companion Tools (“Student Tools”) for retail books are available for only the two most recent editions of that book. Student Tools may be activated only once per eligible book purchased for a total of 24 months of access. Activation of Student Tools more than once per book is in direct violation of these Terms of Service and may result in discontinuation of access to Student Tools Services. Trade Paperback ISBN 9780525568193 Ebook ISBN 9780525568575

  5. Page 5
    Read page 5 as text

    AP is a trademark registered and owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. Editor: Selena Coppock Production Editors: Sara Kuperstein, Kathy Carter Production Artist: Jennifer Chapman Cover art by Cultura Creative (RF) / Alamy Stock Photo Cover design by Suzanne Lee v5.4 a + StudyXxy

  6. Page 6
    Read page 6 as text

    Special thanks to Claude Keswani and Matt Gironda, for their work on the 2020 Edition of this book. Additionally, the staff of The Princeton Review would like to thank Jennifer Chapman, Sara Kuperstein, Kathy Carter, and Deborah Weber for their contributions to this title.

  7. Page 7
    Read page 7 as text

    Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Acknowledgments Get More (Free) Content Part I: Using This Book to Improve Your AP Score Preview: Your Knowledge, Your Expectations Your Guide to Using This Book How to Begin Part ll: Practice Test 1 Practice Test 1 Practice Test 1: Answers and Explanations Part lll: About the AP Computer Science A Exam The Structure of the AP Computer Science A Exam How AP Exams Are Used Other Resources Designing Your Study Plan Have You Heard of AP Computer Science Principles? AP Comp Sci Principles: Course Work In Conclusion Part IV: Test-Taking Strategies for the AP Computer Science A Exam Preview

  8. Page 8
    Read page 8 as text

    1 How to Approach Multiple-Choice Questions 2 How to Approach Free-Response Questions Reflect Alignment with units established in the revised College Board Course Description effective fall 2019 shown above each chapter. Part V: Content Review for the AP Computer Science A Exam Unit 1: Primitive Types (2.5-5% Exam Weighting) 3 Basic Techniques Programming Style Comments, Identifiers, White Space Compiling & Errors Objects & Primitive Data Output (and some input) Variables & Assignment The Four Data Types—int, double, boolean, char Arithmetic Operations Chapter 3 Review Drill Summary Key Terms Unit 3: Boolean Expressions and if Statements (15-17.5% Exam Weighting) and Unit 4: Iteration (17.5-22.5% Exam Weighting) 4 Flow Control and Constructs The if Statement

  9. Page 9
    Read page 9 as text

    The while Statement The for Statement Chapter 4 Review Drill Summary Key Terms Unit 2: Using Objects (57.5% Exam Weighting) and Unit 5: Writing Classes (5-7.5% Exam Weighting) 5 Classes Design & Structure Methods Composition References Static Modifier Interfaces Chapter 5 Review Drill Summary Key Terms Unit 6: Array (10-15% Exam Weighting) Unit 7: ArrayList (2.5-7.5% Exam Weighting) Unit 8: 2D Array (7.5-10% Exam Weighting) 6 Arrays Primitives & Objects Searches Sorts 2 D Arrays Lists & ArrayLists

  10. Page 10
    Read page 10 as text

    More Strings Chapter 6 Review Drill Summary Key Terms Unit 9: Inheritance (5-10% Exam Weighting) 7 Inheritance Hierarchies & Design Polymorphism Chapter 7 Review Drill Summary Key Terms Unit 10: Recursion (5-7.5% Exam Weighting) 8 Advanced Control Structures Recursion Recursively Traversing Arrays Chapter 8 Review Drill Summary Key Terms 9 Chapter Review Drill Answers and Explanations 10 Required Lab Time and Suggested Labs Part VI: Practice Test 2 Practice Test 2 Practice Test 2: Answers and Explanations Glossary

  11. Page 11
    Read page 11 as text

    1 Go to PrincetonReview.com/cracking and enter the following ISBN for your book: 9780525568575 2 Answer a few simple questions to set up an exclusive Princeton Review account. (If you already have one, you can just log In.)

  12. Page 12
    Read page 12 as text

    3 Enjoy access to your FREE content! Need to report a potential content issue? Contact EditorialSupport@review.com and include: o full title of the book « ISBN

  13. Page 13
    Read page 13 as text

    * page number Need to report a technical issue? Contact TPRStudentTech@review.com and provide: * your full name + email address used to register the book « full book title and ISBN e Operating system (Mac/PC) and browser (Firefox, Safari, etc.) Once you’ve registered, you can... o Take a full-length practice SAT and ACT + Get valuable advice about the college application process, including tips for writing a great essay and where to apply for financial aid « [If you're still choosing between colleges, use our searchable rankings of The Best 385 Colleges to find out more information about your dream school * Access comprehensive study guides and a variety of printable resources, including the Key Terms and Glossary « Check to see if there have been any corrections or updates to this edition « Get our take on any recent or pending updates to the AP Computer Science A Exam

  14. Page 14
    Read page 14 as text

    Book PROVEN TECHNIQUES APPLIED STRATEGIES STUDY BREAK OTHER REFERENCES ONLINE ARTICLES

  15. Page 15
    Read page 15 as text

    Part I

  16. Page 16
    Read page 16 as text

    Using This Book to Improve Your AP Score * Preview: Your Knowledge, Your Expectations e Your Guide to Using This Book + How to Begin

  17. Page 17
    Read page 17 as text

    PREVIEW: YOUR KNOWLEDGE, YOUR EXPECTATIONS Your route to a high score on the AP Computer Science A Exam depends a lot on how you plan to use this book. Start thinking about your plan by responding to the following questions. 1. Rate your level of confidence in your knowledge of the content tested by the AP Computer Science A Exam: A. Very confident—I know it all B. I'm pretty confident, but there are topics for which I could use help C. Not confident—I need quite a bit of support D. I'm not sure 2. If you have a goal score in mind, choose your goal score for the AP Computer Science A Exam: 5 4 3 2 1 I'm not sure yet 3. What do you expect to learn from this book? Choose all that apply to you. A. A general overview of the test and what to expect B. Strategies for how to approach the test C. The content tested by this exam D. I'm not sure yet YOUR GUIDE TO USING THIS BOOK This book is organized to provide as much—or as little—support as you need, so you can use this book in whatever way will be most helpful to improving your score on the AP Computer Science A Exam.

  18. Page 18
    Read page 18 as text

    o The remainder of Part I will provide guidance on how to use this book and help you determine your strengths and weaknesses. o Part II of this book contains Practice Test 1, its answers and explanations, and a scoring guide. We recommend that you take this test before going any further in order to realistically determine: o your starting point right now o which question types you're ready for and which you might need to practice o which content topics you are familiar with and which you will want to carefully review It’s Bubble Time Bubble sheets for the tests in this book can be found in the back of the book and are available online—you can print them out from your online student tools. We highly recommend that you do so before taking a practice test, as learning how to transfer your answers to a bubble sheet is an important part of preparing for the test. Note that the answer key for Practice Test 1 has been specifically designed to help you self-diagnose any potential areas of weakness, so that you can best focus your test preparation and be efficient with your time. e Part III of this book will: o provide information about the structure, scoring, and content of the AP Computer Science A Exam o help you to make a study plan

  19. Page 19
    Read page 19 as text

    o point you toward additional resources o Part IV of this book will explore various strategies: o how to attack multiple-choice questions (MCQs) o how to effectively answer free-response questions (FRQs) o how to manage your time to maximize the number of points available to you * Part V of this book covers the content you need for the AP Computer Science A Exam. e Part VI of this book contains Practice Test 2, its answers and explanations, and a scoring guide. If you skipped Practice Test 1, we recommend that you do both (with at least a day or two between them) so that you can compare your progress between the two. Additionally, taking both tests will help to identify any external issues: if you answer a certain type of question wrong on both tests, you probably need to review the material covered in that question. If you only answered it wrong once, you may have run out of time or been distracted by something. In either case, evaluating both tests will allow you to focus on the factors that caused the discrepancy in scores and to be as prepared as possible on the day of the test. You may choose to use some parts of this book over others, or you may work through the entire book. Your approach will depend on your needs and how much time you have. Now let’s look at how to make this determination. HOW TO BEGIN 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

  20. Page 20
    Read page 20 as text

    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 answer key on this page, count the number of multiple- choice questions you answered correctly and the number you missed. Don’t worry about the explanations for now, and don’t worry about why you missed questions. We'll get to that soon. 3. Reflect on the Test After you take your first test, respond to the following questions: e How much time did you spend on the multiple-choice questions? o How much time did you spend on each free-response question? ¢ How many multiple-choice questions did you miss? * Do you feel you had the knowledge to address the subject matter of the free-response questions? o Using the Answer Key, determine what chapters you should review for questions that you answered incorrectly. In this way, you can be sure that you allow plenty of time for content review in the most-needed areas. 4. Read Part III of this Book and Complete the Self-

  21. Page 21
    Read page 21 as text

    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 I11, 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. 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. You will have the opportunity to assess your mastery of the content of each chapter through test-appropriate questions and a reflection section. 6. Take Practice Test 2 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.

  22. Page 22
    Read page 22 as text

    When you are finished, check your answers to the multiple-choice sections. See if a teacher or friend will read your free-response answers and 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. Through this type of reflection and engagement, you will continue to improve. 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 (https://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.

  23. Page 23
    Read page 23 as text

    Part II Practice Test 1 * Practice Test 1 * Practice Test 1: Answers and Explanations

  24. Page 24
    Read page 24 as text

    Practice Test 1 Click here to download a PDF of Practice Test 1.

  25. Page 25
    Read page 25 as text

    The Exam AP® Computer Science A Exam SECTION I: Multiple-Choice Questions DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO. At a Glance Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes Number of Questions 40 Percent of Total Score 50% Writing Instrument Pencil required Instructions Section I of this examination contains 40 multiple-choice questions. Fill in only the ovals for numbers 1 through 40 on your answer sheet. Indicate all of your answers to the multiple-choice questions on the answer sheet. No credit will be given for anything written in this exam booklet, but you may use the booklet for notes or scratch work. After you have decided which of the suggested answers is best, completely fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet. Give only one answer to each question. If you change an answer, be sure that the

  26. Page 26
    Read page 26 as text

    previous mark is erased completely. Here is a sample question and answer. Sample Question Chicago is a (A) state (B) city (C) country (D) continent (E) county Sample Answer Use your time effectively, working as quickly as you can without losing accuracy. Do not spend too much time on any one question. Go on to other questions and come back to the ones you have not answered if you have time. It is not expected that everyone will know the answers to all the multiple-choice questions. About Guessing Many candidates wonder whether or not to guess the answers to questions about which they are not certain. Multiple-choice scores are based on the number of questions answered correctly. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers, and no points are awarded for unanswered questions. Because points are not deducted for incorrect answers, you are encouraged to answer all multiple-choice questions. On any questions you do not know the answer to, you should eliminate as many choices as you can, and then select the best answer among the remaining choices.

  27. Page 27
    Read page 27 as text

    COMPUTER SCIENCE A SECTION I Time—1 hour and 30 minutes

  28. Page 28
    Read page 28 as text

    Number of Questions—40 Percent of total exam grade—50% Directions: Determine the answer to each of the following questions or incomplete statements, using the available space for any necessary scratchwork. Then decide which is the best of the choices given and fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet. No credit will be given for anything written in the examination booklet. Do not spend too much time on any one problem. Notes: o Assume that the classes listed in the Quick Reference have been imported where appropriate. o Assume that declarations of variables and methods appear within the context of an enclosing class. o Assume that method calls that are not prefixed with an object or class name and are not shown within a complete class definition appear within the context of an enclosing class. o Unless otherwise noted in the question, assume that parameters in the method calls are not null and that methods are called only when their preconditions are satisfied. 1. Consider the following methods. public void trial() { int a = 10; int b = 5; doublevalues(a, b); System.out.print(b); System.out.print(a); } public void doublevValues(int c, int d) {

  29. Page 29
    Read page 29 as text

    c=c* 2; d=4d* 2; System.out.print(c); System.out.print(d); 3 What is printed as the result of the call trial()? (A) 2010 (B) 2010105 (C) 2010510 (D) 20102010 (E) 20101020 2. Consider the following method. Jen * Precondition: a > b > 0 */ public static int mystery(int a, int b) { int d = 0; for (int ¢c = a; ¢ > b; c--) { d=4d +c; 3 return d; 3 What is returned by the call mystery (x, y)? (A) The sum of all integers greater than y but less than or equal to x (B) The sum of all integers greater than or equal to y but less than or equal to x (C) The sum of all integers greater than y but less than x (D) The sum of all integers greater than or equal to y but less than x

  30. Page 30
    Read page 30 as text

    (E) The sum of all integers less than y but greater than or equal to x 3. Consider the following method. public void mystery (int n) { int k; for (k = 0; k <n; k++) { mystery (k); System.out.print (k); } } What is printed by the call mystery (3) ? (A) 0123 (B) 00123 (C) 0010012 (D) 00100123 (E) 001001200100123 4. Consider an array of integers. 4 18 1 2 6 7 3 5 If selection sort is used to order the array from smallest to largest values, which of the following represents a possible state of the array at some point during the selection sort process? 5. Consider the following code segment:

  31. Page 31
    Read page 31 as text

    int k; int al]; a = new int [7]; for (k = 0; k < a.length; k++) { alk] = a.length - k; } for (k = 0; k < a.length - 1; k++) { a[k+1] = a[k]; } What values will A contain after the code segment is executed? Questions 6—7 refer to the following two classes. public class PostOffice { // constructor initializes boxes // to length 100 public PostOffice() { /* implementation not shown */} // returns the P.O. Box based on the given P.O. Box number // 0 <=theBox < getNumBoxes () public Box getBox(int theBox) { /* implementation not shown */} // returns the number of p.o. boxes + Studyxy

466 more pages in the full document

Unlock it once and it stays in your library, ready to chat with or turn into flashcards.

Unlock the full document

More Advanced Placement study materials

See all

Study this document with CramX

Once it is in your library, every tool can work from it.