AP® Computer Science A Course Outline

Every unit, topic, and planned lesson, organized around the College Board Course and Exam Description. Each planned lesson covers one learning objective, with Java practice, solutions, and a full answer key.

4 units53 topics73 planned lessons~131–139 class periodsJava

1Unit 1: Using Objects and MethodsVariables, expressions, the Math and String classes, and calling methods on objects.15 topics · 28 lessons · ~32–34 class periods · 15–25% of exam

Student practice samples for this unit

Primitive Expressions MCQ String Manipulation: Phrase FRQ

1.1Introduction to Algorithms, Programming, and Compilers

1.1.A
Algorithms in Everyday Life
Describe step-by-step processes in words and diagrams.
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1.1.B
Compiling and Running Java
How source code becomes a running program.
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1.1.C
Types of Programming Errors
Syntax, logic, run-time and exception errors.
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1.2Variables and Data Types

1.2.A
Choosing a Data Type
int, double, boolean, or a reference type?
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1.2.B
Declaring Variables
Storing numbers and Boolean values.
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1.3Expressions and Output

1.3.A
Printing Output
print vs. println and predicting what displays.
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1.3.B
String Literals and Escape Sequences
Quotes, \n, \" and \\ in output.
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1.3.C
Arithmetic Expressions
Operator precedence, integer division and %.
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1.4Assignment Statements and Input

1.4.A
Assignment Statements
Evaluating the right side and storing the result.
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1.4.B
Reading Input
Getting values from the user with Scanner.
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1.5Casting and Range of Variables

1.5.A
Casting Between int and double
Widening, narrowing and rounding with casts.
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1.5.B
Integer Overflow
What happens past Integer.MAX_VALUE.
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1.5.C
Limits of Floating-Point Accuracy
Why 0.1 + 0.2 isn't exactly 0.3.
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1.6Compound Assignment Operators

1.6.A
Compound Assignment Operators
+=, -=, *=, /=, %=, ++ and --.
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1.7Application Program Interface (API) and Libraries

1.7.A
Reading an API
Finding a class's attributes and behaviors.
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1.8Documentation with Comments

1.8.A
Commenting Code
Single-line, block and Javadoc comments; preconditions and postconditions.
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1.9Method Signatures

1.9.A
Reading Method Signatures
Name, parameters, return type and overloading.
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1.9.B
How Method Calls Work
Arguments, parameters and return values.
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1.10Calling Class Methods

1.10.A
Calling Static Methods
Using ClassName.method() and its result.
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1.11Math Class

1.11.A
Using the Math Class
abs, pow, sqrt and random numbers in a range.
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1.12Objects: Instances of Classes

1.12.A
Classes and Objects
A class is the blueprint; an object is an instance.
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1.12.B
Reference Variables
Variables that store a reference, not the object.
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1.13Object Creation and Storage (Instantiation)

1.13.A
Matching Constructors
Picking the constructor from its signature.
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1.13.B
Declaring Object Variables
Choosing the right type to hold a reference.
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1.13.C
Creating Objects with new
Calling a constructor; null references.
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1.14Calling Instance Methods

1.14.A
Calling Instance Methods
Dot notation, return values and NullPointerException.
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1.15String Manipulation

1.15.A
Creating and Combining Strings
Concatenation and immutability.
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1.15.B
String Methods
length, substring, indexOf, equals and compareTo.
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2Unit 2: Selection and IterationBoolean logic, if statements, loops, string algorithms and run-time counting.12 topics · 14 lessons · ~29–31 class periods · 25–35% of exam

2.1Algorithms with Selection and Repetition

2.1.A
Selection and Repetition in Everyday Life
Spotting decisions and repeated steps in real processes.
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2.2Boolean Expressions

2.2.A
Relational Operators
==, !=, <, <=, > and >= with primitives.
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2.3if Statements

2.3.A
if and if-else
Choosing which code runs.
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2.4Nested if Statements

2.4.A
Nested and Multiway Selection
if-else-if chains and nested decisions.
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2.5Compound Boolean Expressions

2.5.A
Compound Boolean Expressions
&&, ||, ! and short-circuit evaluation.
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2.6Comparing Boolean Expressions

2.6.A
Equivalent Boolean Expressions
De Morgan's laws and truth tables.
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2.6.B
Comparing Object References
== vs. equals, and aliases.
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2.7while Loops

2.7.A
When to Use a Loop
Recognizing tasks that need iteration.
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2.7.B
while Loops
Loop conditions, off-by-one errors and infinite loops.
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2.8for Loops

2.8.A
for Loops
Initialize, test, update, and converting to while.
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2.9Implementing Selection and Iteration Algorithms

2.9.A
Classic Loop Algorithms
Sums, averages, min/max, counting and digit processing.
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2.10Implementing String Algorithms

2.10.A
String Algorithms
Reversing, counting and finding substrings.
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2.11Nested Iteration

2.11.A
Nested Loops
Loops inside loops and tracing their output.
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2.12Informal Run-Time Analysis

2.12.A
Counting Statement Executions
Comparing how long iterative code takes.
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3Unit 3: Class CreationDesigning and writing your own classes: constructors, methods, scope and this.9 topics · 10 lessons · ~20–22 class periods · 10–18% of exam

3.1Abstraction and Program Design

3.1.A
Designing with Classes
Attributes, behaviors and class diagrams.
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3.2Impact of Program Design

3.2.A
Social and Ethical Impacts of Computing
Benefits, harms, privacy and intellectual property.
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3.3Anatomy of a Class

3.3.A
Access and Visibility
public vs. private and encapsulation.
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3.4Constructors

3.4.A
Writing Constructors
Initializing instance variables.
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3.5Methods: How to Write Them

3.5.A
Writing Methods
Parameters, return values, accessors and mutators.
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3.6Methods: Passing and Returning References of an Object

3.6.A
Passing and Returning Objects
How references behave as parameters and return values.
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3.7Class Variables and Methods

3.7.A
Static Methods
Behaviors that belong to the class itself.
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3.7.B
Static Variables
Data shared by every instance.
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3.8Scope and Access

3.8.A
Variable Scope
Local, parameter and instance variables.
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3.9this Keyword

3.9.A
Using this
Referring to the current object.
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4Unit 4: Data CollectionsArrays, ArrayLists, 2D arrays, text files, searching, sorting and recursion.17 topics · 21 lessons · ~50–52 class periods · 30–40% of exam

4.1Ethical and Social Issues Around Data Collection

4.1.A
Privacy and Personal Data
Risks of collecting and storing personal information.
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4.1.B
Data Quality and Bias
Why incomplete or biased data matters.
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4.1.C
Choosing a Data Set
Matching data to the question you're asking.
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4.2Introduction to Using Data Sets

4.2.A
Patterns in Data Sets
Describing data algorithms in words and diagrams.
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4.3Array Creation and Access

4.3.A
Creating and Using Arrays
Declaring, initializing, indexing and bounds.
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4.4Array Traversals

4.4.A
Traversing Arrays
Indexed and enhanced for loops.
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4.5Implementing Array Algorithms

4.5.A
Array Algorithms
Min/max, sums, shifting, reversing and duplicates.
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4.6Using Text Files

4.6.A
Reading Data from Text Files
File, Scanner and handling exceptions.
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4.7Wrapper Classes

4.7.A
Integer and Double Wrapper Classes
Autoboxing, unboxing and parsing.
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4.8ArrayList Methods

4.8.A
ArrayList Methods
add, get, set, remove and size.
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4.9ArrayList Traversals

4.9.A
Traversing ArrayLists
Loops, and removing items safely.
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4.10Implementing ArrayList Algorithms

4.10.A
ArrayList Algorithms
Filtering, counting, inserting and removing.
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4.112D Array Creation and Access

4.11.A
Creating and Using 2D Arrays
Rows, columns and indexing.
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4.122D Array Traversals

4.12.A
Traversing 2D Arrays
Row-major and column-major order.
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4.13Implementing 2D Array Algorithms

4.13.A
2D Array Algorithms
Row and column sums, searching and neighbors.
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4.14Searching Algorithms

4.14.A
Linear Search
Searching arrays and ArrayLists step by step.
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4.15Sorting Algorithms

4.15.A
Selection and Insertion Sort
Tracing each pass of the sort.
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4.16Recursion

4.16.A
Recursive Methods
Base cases, recursive calls and the call stack.
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4.17Recursive Searching and Sorting

4.17.A
Recursion with Strings and Collections
Tracing recursive algorithms on data.
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4.17.B
Binary Search
Halving the search range each step.
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4.17.C
Merge Sort
Splitting, sorting and merging.
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Independently developed by Code Scholars Tutoring. Lesson codes reference College Board’s AP® Computer Science A Course and Exam Description. AP® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this material.