2025 AP CSA FRQ 2: SignedText Solution + Rubric

May 2026 exam uses a NEW point structure — tap for details

This page shows the original 2025 FRQ 2, which the College Board scored on a 9-point rubric. The May 2026 exam uses a NEW point distribution and structure — the patterns and traps on this page still apply, but expect different point values and formats on test day.

FRQ 1: 7 points (2 parts: Part A 4pts + Part B 3pts) — Methods & Control Structures

FRQ 2: 7 points (single part) — Class Design

FRQ 3: 5 points (single part) — Data Analysis with ArrayList

FRQ 4: 6 points (single part) — 2D Array

Total Section II: 25 points = 45% of exam score. Only Question 1 has two parts on the 2026 exam; Questions 2, 3, and 4 each have a single part.

Sources: Official College Board CED, Exam Overview (page 145) · Skylight Publishing CED Sample FR Solutions (page 161 reference)

2025 AP CSA FRQ 2: SignedText — Complete Solution & Rubric

Step-by-step solution to 2025 AP CSA FRQ 2 (SignedText) with the official 9-point rubric, common mistakes that cost points, and a built-in 22-minute practice timer. Written by an AP Computer Science teacher whose students earn 5s at more than 2x the national rate.

By Tanner Crow | AP CSA Teacher · 11+ years · 1,800+ verified tutoring hours (5.0 rating) | Last reviewed: April 2026
Year: 2025 Question: 2 of 4 Points: 9 Topics: Class Writing, Constructors Difficulty: Medium
Recommended pace: 22:00 per FRQ 22:00

The Official 2025 FRQ 2 Question

The complete prompt is in the PDF below. Use the recap above the editor to keep the key requirements in mind while you write your response.

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Write Your SignedText Class Response

Read the prompt above and write your response in the editor. The real AP exam in Bluebook gives you the prompt and a blank editor — no requirement summary, no hints. Practice like that here. When you’re done, click Reveal Solution & Scoring Rubric below to compare your code against the official rubric.

SignedText.java Tab indents | Enter auto-indents | Brackets auto-close
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Ready to self-grade? Compare your code against the official 9-point rubric below. AP FRQs are graded by trained human readers, so we don’t auto-score — you’ll learn more by checking your work against the rubric criteria yourself.

What the Prompt Was Asking

Before reading the solution, check whether your response covered each of these requirements:

Write: public class SignedText, with two methods: public String getSignature() and public String addSignature(String textStr)

Required behavior:

  • Class skeleton: public class SignedText, private instance variable(s), constructor SignedText(String, String) that initializes from BOTH parameters, two public method headers with correct String return types.
  • getSignature: if first name is empty, return just lastName; otherwise return firstInitial + '-' + lastName. Use substring(0, 1) — with TWO parameters — to get the first letter.
  • addSignature: use indexOf to find the signature in textStr. Three cases — not found (append), at start (move it to end), at end (return unchanged). Return a String in every case.

Sample Solution & Rubric

Verified solution coming soon. See the official College Board scoring guidelines for the complete solution and 9-point rubric. The prompt, common mistakes, and key insight on this page are still accurate — only the worked sample solution and per-point rubric breakdown are pending verification.
// Verified solution coming soon
//
// While we finalize this solution against the official
// 2025 College Board scoring guidelines, please refer to
// the primary source (linked above) for the complete worked
// solution and rubric breakdown.
//
// In the meantime, the prompt, common mistakes, sample
// solutions from past students, and the key insight below
// will help you understand what the question is testing
// and how to avoid the most common point losses.
//
// Last updated: April 27, 2026

Official 9-Point Scoring Rubric for SignedText

Pts Criterion
? Verified rubric coming soon. See official College Board scoring guidelines for the complete 9-point rubric breakdown for this FRQ.

Common Mistakes That Cost Points on FRQ 2

Mistake 1: Forgetting private on instance variables. Sample 2B in the official commentary lost Point 2 because the instance variables firstName and lastName lacked the private keyword. Encapsulation is a structural rubric requirement — even a perfect-logic class loses Point 2 if instance variables are package-private. Always write private as the first word of every instance variable declaration.
Mistake 2: Missing return type on the addSignature method header. Sample 2A in the official commentary lost Point 4 because the response wrote public addSignature(String text) instead of public String addSignature(String text). When you copy the constructor signature pattern (which intentionally has no return type) as a method template, you must add the return type back in. Methods need a return type; constructors don't.
Mistake 3: Class header includes parentheses and parameters, treating it like a Java record. Sample 2C in the official commentary lost Point 1 because public class SignedText(String firstName, String lastName) is record syntax, not class syntax. The class header is JUST public class SignedText. Parameters belong on the constructor header (a separate line), not the class header.
Mistake 4: Off-by-one error in the match-start substring call. Sample 2B in the official commentary lost Point 9 because it wrote signature.substring(s + 1) where s was the signature length. This skips the first character after the matched signature. The correct call is signature.substring(s), since substring(s) already starts at index s — the position immediately after the matched signature.
Mistake 5: Using substring(0) instead of substring(0, 1) to get the first letter. Sample 2C in the official commentary lost Point 6 for this exact reason: 'the one-parameter substring call returns the substring that begins at the specified index and continues to the end of the string.' substring(0) returns the WHOLE string. To get just the first character, you need substring(0, 1) — start index inclusive, end index exclusive.
Key Insight: The SignedText problem teaches what 'complete class' means on the AP CSA exam: header + private instance variables + parameter-using constructor + correctly-headed methods. Points 1 through 4 are the 'class skeleton' — they account for nearly half the rubric (4 of 9 points) and they reward STRUCTURE before correctness. A student who writes a perfectly skeletal class with completely wrong method bodies can still earn 4 points just by getting the headers and private keywords right. This is huge strategically: on every Class Writing FRQ, write the skeleton FIRST — class header, private instance variables, constructor that uses both parameters, method headers with correct return types. Lock in those 4 points, then write the logic. A second insight: the College Board officially offers TWO equally-valid canonical solutions — one stores firstName + lastName separately (computing signature on demand), the other stores a precomputed signature String. The rubric rewards CONSISTENCY between your storage choice, constructor, and getSignature implementation, not any particular storage design.

FAQs About 2025 AP CSA FRQ 2

What does 2025 AP CSA FRQ 2 SignedText test?

SignedText tests writing a complete Java class with private instance variables, a parameter-using constructor, and two methods that use String operations like substring, indexOf, and equals. The hardest single point is Point 9: addSignature must return the correct String in all three cases (signature not found, at start, at end). Points 1 through 4 reward STRUCTURE — header, private fields, constructor, method headers — independently of whether the method logic is correct.

How many points is FRQ 2 worth?

9 points, awarded across the rubric criteria. FRQ 2 makes up about 11% of the AP CSA exam score.

What is the most common mistake on 2025 FRQ 2 SignedText?

Forgetting to declare instance variables as private. Sample 2B in the official Chief Reader commentary lost Point 2 for exactly this — writing String firstName; instead of private String firstName;. Encapsulation is a structural requirement on every AP CSA Class Writing FRQ; the rubric refuses the point even if the rest of the class is correct. The fastest fix is to make private part of your 'class skeleton' muscle memory: write public class X { private ... ; private ... ; } before you write any logic.

How long should I spend on FRQ 2?

Aim for 22 minutes per FRQ. The AP CSA free-response section is 90 minutes for 4 questions, so 22 minutes per question leaves a 2-minute buffer to review.

Is SignedText still relevant for the 2026 AP CSA exam?

Yes. The current AP CSA 4-unit curriculum still tests complete class writing with constructors and instance variables, so SignedText is excellent practice for the 2026 exam format.

Where can I find the official scoring guidelines?

College Board publishes the official scoring guidelines as a PDF on AP Central. The rubric on this page mirrors those criteria. You can download the official scoring guidelines here.

Related AP CSA FRQs to Practice Next

If you found SignedText useful, work through these next to lock in the same Java concepts:

Why 2025 FRQ 2 Still Matters for the 2026 AP CSA Exam

The 2026 AP CSA curriculum reorganized the topic list into 4 units, but the FRQ types stayed the same. 2025 FRQ 2 (SignedText) tests complete class writing with constructors and instance variables, which is still a core part of the exam. Practicing this question prepares you for the Bluebook digital test format and builds the muscle memory you need for the exam on Friday, May 15, 2026.

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