Use Logic

For many of the "non-pseudocode" APCSP exam questions you can often use your "logic" and test-taking skills to answer. Here's some additional sample questions and some advice on how to approach them.

Logic Gate Questions

Logic "gates" are shown with diagrams featuring circles for values and squares for the logic gates (AND, OR, NOT).

• For AND both inputs have to be true for the output to be true
• For OR either of the inputs OR BOTH can be true for the output to be true
• For NOT, there is only one input -- and the output is the opposite of the input (true --> false or false --> true)

(5 min)

Logic It Out -- Even if you don't "know it"

There are many questions often set in "real world settings" (about systems monitoring a building or about a "database" that keeps track of information (about students or purchases or website use). Don't let the word "database" or a specific term like "social media messages" make you think "I don't know about that specific thing, so I can't answer this.

In these cases, just apply your general logic skills, knowledge of how computers store data, and the problem's description of the data to "logic it out". They will give you all the information about how the specific "thing" works -- there's no expectation you have memorized knowledge about databases or facebook or whatever.

(8 min 30 sec)