AP Computer Science A
Study smarter. Score your 5.
AP Computer Science A is a 3-hour digital Java exam — 42 multiple-choice and 4 free-response questions. Nuros gives you the full course: notes for every concept, matched to the College Board's official course outline (the CED), real practice exams that show which concepts are costing you points, and adaptive drilling until you are ready for a 5.
Free to start · No credit card · Aligned to the College Board course outline
ARC · Closed-loop learning
Exam overview
The AP CSA exam format (2025–26)
Language
Java
Format
42 MCQ · 4 FRQ
Length
3 hours · digital
Units
4 units
3 hours, fully digital (taken in College Board's Bluebook app).
Section I — Multiple choice
42 questions · 90 minutes · 55% of score
Section II — Free response (write Java code)
4 questions · 90 minutes · 45% of score
The 4 free-response questions
- Methods and Control Structures — write code using objects, methods, conditionals, and loops
- Class Creation — define a new class that meets a given specification
- Data Analysis with ArrayList — create, traverse, and modify an ArrayList
- 2D Array — create, traverse, and modify a two-dimensional array
Course content
The 4 units of AP Computer Science A
| Unit | Exam weight |
|---|---|
| Unit 1: Using Objects and MethodsCreating objects, calling methods, and using classes like String and Math. | 15–25% |
| Unit 2: Selection and IterationBoolean expressions, if/else logic, and loops that repeat and make decisions. | 25–35% |
| Unit 3: Class CreationWriting your own classes: instance variables, constructors, and methods. | 10–18% |
| Unit 4: Data CollectionsArrays, ArrayList, and 2D arrays — the largest and most heavily tested unit. | 30–40% |
Note: inheritance and polymorphism were removed from the tested content in the 2025–26 redesign. Unit 4 (Data Collections) is the biggest, so it is worth the most practice.
Try it now
Free AP CSA practice questions
Six Java questions covering all four units. Pick an answer to see if you got it right and read the explanation.
Answered 0 of 6 · 0 correct
Unit 1 · Using Objects and Methods
What does this code print?
String s = "COMPUTER";
System.out.println(s.substring(2, 5));Unit 1 · Using Objects and Methods
What is printed?
int a = 7, b = 2;
System.out.println(a / b + " " + a % b);Unit 2 · Selection and Iteration
What is the value of n after this runs?
int n = 0;
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < 2; j++) {
n++;
}
}Unit 3 · Class Creation
A class has a private instance variable `age`, and its constructor's parameter is also named `age`. Which line correctly stores the parameter in the instance variable?
Unit 4 · Data Collections
What does this print? (Watch the removal carefully.)
ArrayList<Integer> nums = new ArrayList<Integer>();
nums.add(4); nums.add(6); nums.add(8);
for (int i = 0; i < nums.size(); i++) {
if (nums.get(i) % 2 == 0) {
nums.remove(i);
}
}
System.out.println(nums);Unit 4 · Data Collections
What is printed?
int[][] grid = {{1, 2, 3}, {4, 5, 6}};
int sum = 0;
for (int r = 0; r < grid.length; r++) {
sum += grid[r][r];
}
System.out.println(sum);The Nuros loop
How Nuros helps you master AP CSA
Nuros isn’t a pile of notes to reread. It’s a complete AP CSA course that teaches every concept, tests you like the real exam, and then closes the gaps you keep missing.
1.Learn the full course
CED-aligned notes for every concept across all 4 units — the exact topics the College Board tests, taught concept by concept. Not a random pile of notes, a complete course.
Variables and Data Types
Named storage locations and the types that classify their values — with Java’s eight primitive types.
Concepts in this note
2.Quiz yourself, then sit a mock exam
Each note breaks into concepts you can quiz to track what you know — then take unit quizzes and a full-length mock exam in the real 2025–26 digital format.
Counter c1 = new Counter(2);
Counter c2 = c1;
c2.add(3); c1 = new Counter(…);3.See exactly where you lost points
A detailed results page, not just a score. Nuros breaks your performance down by unit and by concept, so you can see that (for example) 2D arrays are costing you far more than loops.
Estimated AP score
5 / 5
4.Close the gapWhat makes Nuros different
This is what makes Nuros different. For every concept you keep missing, it re-explains the idea and drills it with fresh questions until you can get it right on your own — the patent-pending adaptive review cycle (ARC). Your score climbs.
Reassigning an object variable points it at a new object — the other variable still refers to the original.
Your AP CSA toolkit
Everything you get for AP CSA
Why Nuros
Why Nuros, not just another study guide
A complete, CED-aligned course
Every concept the College Board tests, taught concept by concept — not a pile of notes to reread or a random question bank.
Adapts to your gaps
Nuros finds the concepts you specifically keep missing and drills those, instead of one-size-fits-all review that wastes your time.
Tested like the real exam
A full mock in the real 2025–26 digital format, graded with a breakdown by unit and concept so you know exactly what to fix.
FAQ
Common questions
What programming language is AP Computer Science A in?
Java. The entire course and exam use Java, so most of your practice is reading and writing Java code.
How many questions are on the AP CSA exam?
42 multiple-choice questions (55% of the score) and 4 free-response coding questions (45%). The exam is 3 hours total — 90 minutes per section.
What changed in AP Computer Science A for 2025–26?
The exam is now fully digital in Bluebook, the multiple-choice section grew from 40 to 42 questions, the course was reorganized from 10 units into 4, and inheritance and polymorphism were removed from the tested content while reading text data with File and Scanner was added.
Is AP Computer Science A hard?
It is one of the more approachable AP courses for students who keep up with the coding practice — there is no prior programming experience required. The difficulty comes from consistency: you learn it by writing and debugging code repeatedly, not by memorizing. The 2025–26 pass rate is among the higher AP exams.
How do I study for AP CSA?
Practice by writing and tracing real Java code, focus most on Unit 4 (Data Collections) since it is 30–40% of the exam, and after each practice set review the specific questions you got wrong. Nuros does this automatically: it finds the concepts you keep missing and drills them until they stick.
Study AP CSA the smart way
Nuros turns your notes into practice, then finds the concepts you keep missing and drills them until they stick. Free to start.
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