Decoding AP Computer Science A: For a High Schooler, By a High Schooler: Jawa, Moksh: 9781514381564: Amazon.com: Books

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Customers say

Customers find the book surprisingly comprehensive in its examples and great at explaining information, with one customer noting it includes practice tests in each chapter. The writing style receives positive feedback for being refreshing, and customers find it easy to understand. However, several customers report the book contains too many errors that make it confusing.

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18 customers mention knowledge level, 17 positive, 1 negative

Customers praise the book's comprehensive examples and clear explanations, with one customer noting it includes practice tests in each chapter.

Amazing book with complete insight was the first reaction from my niece. I gifted it to her and happy to get attention to study AP Computer Science....Read more

This books does a great job explaining information at a student's initial level....Read more

...for the APCS test and was delighted to see that it had multiple realistic practice tests. Definitely recommend it!Read more

Excellent book from an high schooler. Good practice tests and lots of examples....Read more

6 customers mention writing style, 6 positive, 0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, finding it refreshing and well-suited for high school computer science students.

This is a very well written and structured book. It is clear, concise, offers lots of examples, problems and pratice tests.Read more

...the book... quite easy to understand and I find the writing style to be refreshing, compared to other books"Read more

While it is very impressive that this book was written by a high-school student, there are many errors in the examples, sample questions and answers....Read more

Really like that the book is written from the perspective of a high schooler and look forward to using it for next years test!!Read more

6 customers mention ease of reading, 4 positive, 2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's readability, with some finding it easy to understand and clear, while others report it being difficult to follow along.

"Just started reading the book... quite easy to understand and I find the writing style to be refreshing, compared to other books"Read more

...The many mistakes make it very confusing and difficult to follow along. We will look for another book.Read more

This is a very well written and structured book. It is clear, concise, offers lots of examples, problems and pratice tests.Read more

Just starting reading it... very well organized and easy to understandRead more

5 customers mention errors, 1 positive, 4 negative

Customers report that the book contains too many errors that make it confusing to read.

...As a result, it contains too many mistakes to be a good resource.Read more

...this book was written by a high-school student, there are many errors in the examples, sample questions and answers....Read more

This book badly needs editing. The many mistakes make it very confusing and difficult to follow along. We will look for another book.Read more

...It is clear, concise, offers lots of examples, problems and pratice tests.Read more

Top reviews from the United States

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars The only AP CompSci textbook you need

    Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2016

    This is a required book for everyone taking AP Computer Science. There's no better textbook for the class, and it will prep you for the AP exam. The book is written by an AP Computer Science student, so it's written for high school computer science students. Not only will you have the best textbook, you get access to an online video course with lectures that will help you understand complex topics. There are practice tests in each chapter and prep questions for the AP exam.

    This course (like AP CompSci) is based on Java. If you aren't taking the course but want to learn Java programming, this book is for you, too.

    One person found this helpful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars Covers course content well

    Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2016

    I teach AP Computer Science and I congratulate Moksh on producing an excellent book. It covers the APCS-A course content well, and is clear and easy to read. Coupled with the Barron's APCS review book, any student will have very good resources to help them achieve. I plan to recommend this book to my students next year.

    5 people found this helpful

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  • 5.0 out of 5 stars Great for the basics and really helps

    Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2018

    I'm a highschool senior, and this book has been a tremendous help. Put simply, I'm was already programming in Java and have the rules memorized a few days later! This book really makes it fun and easy to learn AP Computer Science. Thank you!

    One person found this helpful

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  • 2.0 out of 5 stars Nice effort, but far too many errors

    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2017

    While it is very impressive that this book was written by a high-school student, there are many errors in the examples, sample questions and answers. For instance: On figure 9.7, page 268, the figure atempts to illustrate how Mergesort works but while text says the result is sorted, the list in the figure remains unchanged. Another example -- there are at least two errors in the code for chapter 9 question 21 ("for" loop of j should start at i instead of 1 and that "for" loop never swaps the very last element). And one more (although there are many): The Answer Explanations for chapter 9, questions 22 is an answer for another question.

    Again, I comment the author for his efforts and kind heart. (He nobly states early on that he hopes to provide free copies of the book to anyone who can't afford it.) However, if you need to use this book to prepare for the AP Test, you are better off with Barrons. (I purchased both for my twin sons and we wound up purchasing a second copy of Barrons)

    6 people found this helpful

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  • 3.0 out of 5 stars Many errors.

    Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2017

    This book badly needs editing. The many mistakes make it very confusing and difficult to follow along. We will look for another book.

    4 people found this helpful

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