© 2015 The College Board
AP ® COMPUTER SCIENCE A
About the Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) The Advanced Placement Program® enables willing and academically
prepared students to pursue college-level studies — with the opportunity to earn college credit, advanced placement,
or both — while still in high school. AP Exams are given each year in May. Students who earn a qualifying score on an AP
Exam are typically eligible, in college, to receive credit, placement into advanced courses, or both. Every aspect of AP
course and exam development is the result of collaboration between AP teachers and college faculty. They work
together to develop AP courses and exams, set scoring standards, and score the exams. College faculty review every AP
teacher’s course syllabus.
Build College Skills
Taking an AP course builds the skills you'll need throughout your college years. You give your mind a rigorous workout
while polishing up your time management and study skills. You also get better at handling challenging issues and
problems, with the support of your AP teachers. AP courses let you know what to expect during the next phase of your
educational journey, and help you build the confidence to succeed.
Get the most out of your classes
You’ll see the benefits of taking an AP class right away. In AP classes, just like in college, you’ll face new
challenges and learn new skills in the subjects you care about. All with the support of your classmates and
teachers.
Get to know yourself.
In AP classes, you can set bigger goals for yourself and do things you never thought possible. AP students can really test and
push themselves in a familiar setting while gaining confidence, developing good study habits, and enjoying a great
learning experience.
AP Myth vs AP Reality
Myth
AP courses are too stressful.
Reality
It's no secret that AP courses are challenging. But in collaborative classrooms and for subjects you care about, the
support you receive from your classmates and teachers can help ease your worries, once you know you’re committed
and willing to do the work.
Myth
AP courses have too much extra work
Reality
You’ll have to work hard in AP, but by connecting coursework to what really matters to you right now, AP courses make
it hard work that’s worthwhile.
AP Computer Science A Course Overview
AP Computer Science A is equivalent to a first-semester, college level course in computer science. The course
introduces students to computer science with fundamental topics that include problem solving, design strategies and
methodologies, organization of data (data structures), approaches to processing data (algorithms), analysis of potential
solutions, and the ethical and social implications of computing. The course emphasizes both object-oriented and
imperative problem solving and design using Java language. These techniques represent proven approaches for
developing solutions that can scale up from small, simple problems to large, complex problems. The AP Computer
Science A course curriculum is compatible with many CS1 courses in colleges and universities.
RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES
Students should be comfortable with functions and the concepts found in the uses of function notation, such as f(x) = x +
2 and f (x) = g(h(x)). It is important that students and their advisers understand that any significant computer science
course builds upon a foundation of mathematical reasoning