Unit 03

Class Creation

Build MonsterBattle — a turn-based fight you can play — starting with the Monster class underneath it, written by you from nothing, deciding what an object knows, what it can do, and what it refuses to let anyone touch.

10–18% of the AP Exam~20–22 CED periods~10–12 blocks here9 topics

AP Computer Science A · members' unit

Class Creation is behind a locked door

Units in AP Computer Science A are for people taking the course. Getting in takes a link or a key — signing in on its own doesn't do it.

What's in this unit · 27 min read

  1. The projects · Monster, then MonsterBattle
  2. 3.1 · Abstraction and program design
  3. 3.2 · Impact of program design
  4. 3.3 · Anatomy of a class
  5. 3.4 · Constructors
  6. 3.5 · Methods, and how to write them
  7. 3.6 · Passing and returning references
  8. 3.7 · Class variables and methods
  9. 3.8 · Scope and access
  10. 3.9 · The this keyword
  11. Finishing the projects
  12. Where this goes next

26 quick checksstepperobject reference diagramsobject instantiation yardcode exercisesdebugging drills

1 Sign in

With your school Google account. This is how your work reaches the gradebook — it doesn't open the unit by itself.

2 Get in

Open the class link your teacher posted — that's the usual way, and it enrols you on the spot. Or paste an access key if you were handed one.

A key unlocks this browser and keeps your progress here; signing in keeps it with you across devices. Either way the key itself is only ever checked as a hash. Manage all of this on your account, read what signing in stores, or go back to AP Computer Science A.

Sources

  • College Board — AP Computer Science A Course and Exam Description, Effective Fall 2025
  • Gilmour Academy — Course structure and standards adaptation