AP Computer Science A

Makeup test date and times

Date: June 3

Hawaii Time: 8 a.m.
Alaska Time: 10 a.m.
Pacific Time: 11 a.m.
Mountain Time: 12 p.m.
Central Time: 1 p.m.
Eastern Time: 2 p.m.
See more time zones

Exam conflicts

If you have two makeup exams at the same time, you’ll be able to take one in the makeup testing window and the other in the final exception testing window in late June.

Exam timing

On exam day, you'll click on the link in your e-ticket 30 minutes before the start time for your exam and fill in some information.

A timer will show how much time remains until the start of the exam.

Once the exam starts, the first exam question will automatically appear, and another timer will start counting down.

Your timer will show 30 minutes. You should take 25 minutes to read the question and work on your response, and 5 minutes to submit it. When the timer gets to 5 minutes, an alert will show. Stop working at that time and begin to submit your response. Once your response to Question 1 has been submitted, you can’t go back to it.

When your submission for Question 1 is complete, the second exam question will appear and the timer will show 20 minutes. You should take 15 minutes to read the question and work on your response and 5 minutes to submit it. Again, the timer will give you an alert when 5 minutes remain. Stop working at that time and begin to submit your response.

What to have ready on exam day

Required

  • e-ticket email (you’ll receive this two days before your exam)
  • Completed Exam Day Checklist, including AP ID
  • Device: laptop, tablet, smartphone, desktop computer
  • Browser: Chrome (recommended), Firefox, Safari, or Edge
  • Internet or cellular connection
  • Assistive technology and devices (if applicable, for students approved to test with accommodations)
  • Java Quick Reference (.pdf/378.99 KB)

Recommended for students typing responses

Permitted

  • Your class notes or study guides
  • Textbooks and other classroom resources
  • Previous assignments or assessments
  • Interactive Development Environment (IDE) or compiler

Questions

Question 1 (25 mins.)

% of exam weight (rounded)

65%

Question name

Array / ArrayList

Question description

Question 1 assesses students’ ability to do the following:

  • Write program code to satisfy method specifications using expressions, conditional statements, and iterative statements
  • Write program code to create, traverse, and manipulate elements in 1D array or ArrayList objects

Corresponding free-response question (FRQ) type in the course and exam description binder

FRQ 3, with modifications to include an open-ended question part.

Question 2 (15 mins.)

% of exam weight (rounded)

35%

Question name

Methods and Control Structures

Question description

Question 2 assesses students’ ability to do the following:

  • Write program code to create objects of a class and call methods
  • Write program code to satisfy method specifications using expressions, conditional statements, and iterative statements

Corresponding free-response question (FRQ) type in the course and exam description binder

FRQ 1, with modifications to include an open-ended question part.

What’s covered

Units eligible for 2020 exam: Units 1–7

Units not included in 2020 exam: Units 8–10

Other course-specific info

An Interactive Development Environment (IDE) or compiler is not required for the 2020 AP Computer Science A Exam, and students will not have an advantage if they use one. However, students may use an IDE or compiler if they choose.

Sample Questions for the 2020 exam

Download example questions (.pdf/668 KB) similar to what you'll see on the 2020 AP Computer Science A Exam.

Resources