The exam's FRQ shape

Section II: four free-response questions, 90 minutes, 45% of the exam score — 22.5 minutes per question on average. All four assess writing Java on the digital exam (typed, no handwriting). The four question types, fixed every year:

Q1 — Methods and Control Structures. Two methods (or a constructor plus a method) from a provided context. Simulation or processing logic. The most algorithmic of the four.

Q2 — Class Design. You complete or write a class: fields, constructor, and methods per a spec table. Explicitly graded on encapsulation choices.

Q3 — ArrayList / data analysis. One method of a provided class that processes an ArrayList of objects or values. Counting, filtering, aggregating are the verbs.

Q4 — 2D array. One method over a grid. Position logic, traversal, neighbors.

Each is worth the same — 9 points raw — so pacing is simple: do not let Q1's story text eat Q4's grid time. Scoring guides award points per behavior: partial credit is real and systematic. A method with correct traversal but a broken final computation earns most of its points. This shapes strategy: write SOMETHING correct for every part — a correct loop with a wrong return beats a blank.