AP Computer Science
Principles 2026 | Study
Guide, Practice Questions,
Answers, Rationales &
Exam Review | Complete
Ethics Study Guide
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
,Agile software development An approach to software development that emphasizes a flexible and ready
response to meet a shifting target.
Benchmarking Running a program on many data sets to be sure its performance falls within
required limits; timing the same algorithm on two different machines.
Code library A collection of thoroughly tested object code for various useful tasks.
Coding The process of translating the detailed designs into computer code.
Divide-and-conquer A program design strategy in which tasks are broken down into subtasks, which are
broken down into sub-subtasks, and so on, until each piece is small enough to code
comfortably. These pieces work together to accomplish the total job.
Empirical testing Designing a special set of test cases and running the program using these test
data.
Executable module The resulting object code after a linker inserts requested code from code libraries.
External documentation Any materials assembled to clarify the program's design and implementation.
Feasibility study A step in the software development life cycle that evaluates a proposed project and
compares the costs and benefits of various solutions.
Integrated development environment (IDE) A collection of programs that support software development, such as debuggers,
editors, toolkits, and libraries, that lets programmers perform several tasks within
the shell of a single application.
Integration testing After unit testing, integration testing is done to see that the modules communicate
the necessary data between and among themselves and that all modules work
together smoothly.
Internal documentation Documentation that is part of the program code itself.
, Logic error An error in the algorithm used to solve a problem.
Object code Machine language instructions.
Pair programming Involves two programmers at a single workstation. At any given point in time, one is
writing code and the other is actively observing, watching for possible errors
but also thinking about the overall approach.
Problem specification A step in the software development life cycle that involves
developing a clear, concise, and unambiguous statement of the exact problem the
software
is to solve.
Procedural language A program written in a procedural language consists of sequences of statements
that manipulate data items.
Program design phase A step in the software development life cycle that plans the structure of the software
to be written.
Program maintenance The process of adapting an existing software product due to errors, new system
requirements, or changing user needs.
Program verification Used to prove that if the input data to a program satisfies certain conditions, then,
after the program has been run on these data, the output data satisfies certain other
conditions.
Regression testing If anything is changed on an already-tested module, regression testing is done to be
sure that this change has not introduced a new error into code that was previously
correct.
Runtime error An error that occurs when the program is run using certain sets of data that result in
some illegal operation, such as dividing by zero.
Principles 2026 | Study
Guide, Practice Questions,
Answers, Rationales &
Exam Review | Complete
Ethics Study Guide
Updated 2026 Questions and Answers
100% Verified Exam Prep and Comprehensive
Rationales
Included
,Agile software development An approach to software development that emphasizes a flexible and ready
response to meet a shifting target.
Benchmarking Running a program on many data sets to be sure its performance falls within
required limits; timing the same algorithm on two different machines.
Code library A collection of thoroughly tested object code for various useful tasks.
Coding The process of translating the detailed designs into computer code.
Divide-and-conquer A program design strategy in which tasks are broken down into subtasks, which are
broken down into sub-subtasks, and so on, until each piece is small enough to code
comfortably. These pieces work together to accomplish the total job.
Empirical testing Designing a special set of test cases and running the program using these test
data.
Executable module The resulting object code after a linker inserts requested code from code libraries.
External documentation Any materials assembled to clarify the program's design and implementation.
Feasibility study A step in the software development life cycle that evaluates a proposed project and
compares the costs and benefits of various solutions.
Integrated development environment (IDE) A collection of programs that support software development, such as debuggers,
editors, toolkits, and libraries, that lets programmers perform several tasks within
the shell of a single application.
Integration testing After unit testing, integration testing is done to see that the modules communicate
the necessary data between and among themselves and that all modules work
together smoothly.
Internal documentation Documentation that is part of the program code itself.
, Logic error An error in the algorithm used to solve a problem.
Object code Machine language instructions.
Pair programming Involves two programmers at a single workstation. At any given point in time, one is
writing code and the other is actively observing, watching for possible errors
but also thinking about the overall approach.
Problem specification A step in the software development life cycle that involves
developing a clear, concise, and unambiguous statement of the exact problem the
software
is to solve.
Procedural language A program written in a procedural language consists of sequences of statements
that manipulate data items.
Program design phase A step in the software development life cycle that plans the structure of the software
to be written.
Program maintenance The process of adapting an existing software product due to errors, new system
requirements, or changing user needs.
Program verification Used to prove that if the input data to a program satisfies certain conditions, then,
after the program has been run on these data, the output data satisfies certain other
conditions.
Regression testing If anything is changed on an already-tested module, regression testing is done to be
sure that this change has not introduced a new error into code that was previously
correct.
Runtime error An error that occurs when the program is run using certain sets of data that result in
some illegal operation, such as dividing by zero.
