AP Computer Science A: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Advanced Placement course and exam in Java programming}}

{{Advanced Placement}}

'''Advanced Placement''' ('''AP''') '''Computer Science A''' (also known as '''AP CompSci''', '''AP CompSci A''', '''APCSAAP CSA''', '''AP Computer Science Applications''', or '''AP Java''') is an [[AP Computer Science]] course and examination offered by the [[College Board]] to [[high school]] students as an opportunity to earn college credit for a [[college]]-level [[computer science]] course. AP Computer Science A<ref>[http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/4483.html AP Computer Science A Home Page], The College Board</ref> is meant to be the equivalent of a first-semester course in computer science. The AP exam currently tests students on their knowledge of [[Java (programming language)|Java]].

AP Computer Science AB, which was equal to a full year, was discontinued following the May 2009 exam administration.<ref name=CSABdiscontinued>{{cite web | url = http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/195948.html | title = Important Announcement about AP Computer Science AB | work = AP Central | publisher = The College Board | year = 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080409195847/http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/195948.html | archive-date = April 9, 2008}}</ref>

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====GridWorld case study (2008-2014)====

'''GridWorld''' is a computer program case study written in [[Java (programming language)|Java]] that was used with the [[AP Computer Science]] program from 2008 to 2014.<ref>Horstmann, Cay. [http://gridworld.info/ "GridWorld".] ''horstmann.com''. Accessed September 15, 2008.</ref> It serves as an example of [[object-oriented programming]] (OOP). GridWorld succeeded the [[Advanced Placement Computer Science#Marine Biology Case Study|Marine Biology Simulation Case Study]], which was used from 2000–2007. The GridWorld framework was designed and implemented by [http://horstmann.com Cay Horstmann], based on the Marine Biology Simulation Case Study. The narrative was produced by Chris Nevison and Barbara Cloud Wells, [[Colgate University]].

The [[GridWorld]] Case Study was used as a substitute for writing a single large program as a culminating project. Due to obvious time restraints during the exam, the GridWorld Case Study was provided by the College Board <!-- commented out direct link just in case it can be used as a reference in the future [http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/GridWorldCode.zip]--> to students prior to the exam. Students were expected to be familiar with the classes and interfaces (and how they interact) before taking the exam. The case study was divided into five sections, the last of which was only tested on the AB exam. Roughly five multiple-choice questions in Section I were devoted to the GridWorld Case Study, and it was the topic of one free response question in Section II.

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*'''Actors'''

**The GridWorld Case Study employs an Actor class to construct objects in the grid. The Actor class manages the object's color, direction, ___location, what the object does in the simulation, and how the object interacts with other objects.

**Actors are broken down into the classes "Flower", "Rock", "Bug", and "Critter", which inherit the Actor class and often override certain methods (most notably the Act method). Flowers can't move, and when forced to Act, they become darker. Flowers are dropped by Bugs and eaten by Critters. Rocks are also immobile and aren't dropped or eaten. Bugs move directly ahead of themselves, unless blocked by a rock or another bug, in which case the Bug will make a 45 degree turn and try again. They drop flowers in every space they occupy, eat flowers that are directly on their space of grid, and are consumed by Critters. Critters move in a random direction to a space that isn't occupied by a Rock or other Critter and consume Flowers and Bugs.

*'''Extensions'''

**The Case Study also includes several extensions of the above classes. "BoxBug" extends "Bug" and moves in a box shape if its route is not blocked. "ChameleonCritter" extends "Critter" and does not eat other Actors, instead changing its color to match the color one of its neighbors. "Crab Critter" moves left or right and only eats Actors in front of it, but otherwise extends the "Critter" class.

**Students often create their own extensions of the Actor class. Some common examples of student created extensions are [[Four Lords of the Diamond|Warden organisms]] and SimCity-like structures, in which objects of certain types create objects of other types based on their neighbors (much like [[Conway's Game of Life]]). Students have even created versions of the games [[Pac-Man]], [[Fire Emblem]], and [[Tetris]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Horstmann|first1=Cay|title=Extending GridWorld|url=http://www.horstmann.com/gridworld/extending-gridworld.html|website=Extending GridWorld|access-date=22 February 2016}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=March 2025}}

*'''Known issues'''

**The version that is available at the College Board website, GridWorld 1.00, contains a bug (not to be confused with the Actor subclass Bug) that causes a SecurityException to be thrown when it is deployed as an [[Java applet|applet]]. This was fixed in the "unofficial code" release on the GridWorld website. Also, after setting the environment to an invalid BoundedGrid, it will cause a [[Null pointer|NullPointerException]].

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The AP exam in Computer Science was first offered in 1984.

Before 1999, the AP exam tested students on their knowledge of [[Pascal Programming Language|Pascal]]. From 1999 to 2003, the exam tested students on their knowledge of [[C++]] instead. Since 2003, the AP Computer Science exam has tested students on their knowledge of computer science through [[Java (Sunprogramming language)|Java]].

===Format===

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!2003

!2004

!2005<ref name=GradeDistrib2005>{{citation | url = http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/studentgradedistribut_47038.pdf | title = STUDENT GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS | year = 2005 | format = PDF | publisher = College Board | access-date = January 30, 2017}}</ref>

!2006<ref name=GradeDistrib2006>{{citation | url = http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/ap06_student_grade_distribs.pdf | title = STUDENT GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS | year = 2006 | format = PDF | publisher = College Board | access-date = January 30, 2017}}</ref>

!2007<ref name=GradeDistrib2007>{{citation | url = http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/2007_STUDENT_GRADE_DISTRIBUTIONS.pdf | title = STUDENT GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS | year = 2007 | format = PDF | publisher = College Board | access-date = January 30, 2017}}</ref>

!2008

!2009<ref name=GradeDistrib2009>{{citation | url = http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/student-grade-distributions-09.pdf | title = STUDENT GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS | year = 2009 | format = PDF | publisher = College Board | access-date = January 30, 2017}}</ref>

!2010<ref>"[https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/Student-Score-Distributions-2010_1.pdf Student Score Distributions]" (PDF). Retrieved January 12, 2024.</ref>

!2010

!2011<ref>"[https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/AP-Student-Score-Distributions-2011_1.pdf Student Score Distributions]" (PDF). Retrieved January 12, 2024.</ref>

!2011

!2012<ref>{{cite web | url=http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap12_comp_sci_A_ScoringDist.pdf | title=AP Computer Science A 2012 Score Distribution | publisher=College Board | access-date=12 January 2014}}</ref>

!2013<ref>{{cite web | url=http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/apcentral/ap13_comp_sci_A_ScoringDist.pdf | title=AP Computer Science A 2013 Score Distribution | publisher=College Board | access-date=12 January 2014}}</ref>

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!2017<ref>"[https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/research/2017/Student-Score-Distributions-2017.pdf Student Score Distributions]" (PDF). Retrieved January 12, 2024.</ref>

!2018<ref>{{cite web|url=https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/research/2018/Student-Score-Distributions-2018.pdf | title=Student Score Distributions, AP Exams - May 2018 | website=The College Board | access-date=December 24, 2022}}</ref>

!2019<ref>{{Cite web|url="[https://wwwsecure-media.totalregistrationcollegeboard.netorg/AP-Exam-Registration-ServicedigitalServices/AP-Exampdf/research/2019/Student-Score-Distributions.php?year=2019|title=-2019.pdf AP ExamStudent Score Distributions|last=Total]" Registration|date=June(PDF). Retrieved 14January 12, 2019|website=www2024.totalregistration.net|access-date=2019-06-17}}</ref>

!2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS|url=https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/digitalServices/pdf/research/2020/Student-Score-Distributions-2020.pdf|access-date=June 9, 2021}}</ref>

!2021<ref>"[https://reports.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/2021-ap-student-score-distributions_1.pdf Student Score Distributions]" (PDF). Retrieved January 12, 2024.</ref>

!2022<ref>"[https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-score-distributions-by-subject-2022.pdf Student Score Distributions]" (PDF). Retrieved October 1, 2023.</ref>

!2023<ref>"[https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-score-distributions-by-subject-2023.pdf STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS]" (PDF). Retrieved January 12, 2024.</ref>

!2024<ref>{{Cite web |last=Total Registration |date=2024-06-25 |title=2024 AP Exam Score Distributions |url=https://www.totalregistration.net/AP-Exam-Registration-Service/AP-Exam-Score-Distributions.php |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=www.totalregistration.net}}</ref>

!2025

|-

!5

Line 159 ⟶ 161:

|24.2%

|24.7%

|2726.07%

|25.6%

|23.9%

|27.3%

|26.8%

|24%

|25%

|-

!4

Line 181 ⟶ 185:

|20.5%

|20.9%

|21.32%

|2221.19%

|21.7%

|21.9%

|20.4%

|22.4%

|22%

|22%

|-

!3

Line 204 ⟶ 210:

|23.1%

|21.9%

|21.78%

|2021.80%

|23.2%

|19.3%

|19.9%

|18.8%

|20%

|20%

|-

!2

Line 227 ⟶ 235:

|12.5%

|11.5%

|11.89%

|11.89%

|12.8%

|12.1%

|10.4%

|9.5%

|11%

|10%

|-

!1

Line 250 ⟶ 260:

|23.1%

|21.5%

|20.54%

|18.34%

|16.8%

|22.8%

|22.1%

|22.5%

|23%

|23%

|-

!|% of scores 3 or higher

Line 265 ⟶ 277:

|57.3%

|62.1%

|6465.90%

|63.9%

|63.5%

Line 273 ⟶ 285:

|64.5%

|67.0%

|67.78%

|69.96%

|70.4%

|65.1%

|67.5%

|68.0%

|66%

|67.2%

|-

!|Mean

Line 297 ⟶ 311:

|3.15

|3.18

|3.2826

|3.26

|3.12

|3.20

|3.21

|3.13

|3.18

|-

!|Standard Deviation

Line 325 ⟶ 341:

|1.50

|1.50

|1.48

|

|-

!|Students

Line 339 ⟶ 357:

|31,117

|39,278

| 48,994

|57,937

|60,519

Line 348 ⟶ 366:

|77,753

|94,438

|

|93,124

|}

Line 418 ⟶ 438:

|70.6%

|71.2%

|73.10%

|76.0%

|-

Line 446 ⟶ 466:

|5,064

|4,995

|35,881105

|}