Skip to content

Learn Practice Plan Tutors Ask AI

⌘K

Sign in Join freeGet started

Courses Lessons Quick lessons Merit Tutors' Videos

Loading

Every AP course and the SAT, with the best lessons, Merit AI, and a plan for every test.

Learn

Courses
Lessons
Quick lessons
Merit Tutors' Videos
Merit AI

Study

Exam Sprint
Quick session
Learning plan
My schedule
Progress

Tutoring

Find a tutor
Become a tutor
Partner with Merit
For teachers

Merit

About
Pricing
For parents
How ranking works
Privacy
Terms

Videos play on YouTube. AP® and SAT® are trademarks of the College Board, which is not affiliated with Merit.

© 2026 Merit

Learn Practice Plan Ask AI

AP Computer Science A›Unit 3: Class Creation›Class Creation

Passing and Returning Object References

Methods receive copies of references, so a method can change the object a reference points to but not which object the caller's variable refers to.

References vs. primitives
Mutating a passed object
Returning references

Master this topicQuick session · about 12 min

Watch the top lessonJoe Haas Find a tutor

Search AP CSA

Quiz coming up?Connect your calendar: Merit preps you for every quiz and test.Sign up and connect

3 videos ranked by how well they teach

1

Passing Parameters Java AP Computer Science

230 views on YouTube · 6 years ago

AP CSA · Passing and Returning Object References

2

Code.org AP CSA U4L6 Comparing Object References and Data

258 views on YouTube · 4 years ago

Samuel Stafford

AP CSA · Passing and Returning Object References

3

Java == vs .equals() Explained | Object References, compareTo() & AP Computer Science A Wa Lesson 19

7 views on YouTube · 1 month ago

Learn with Kemo: AP CS & IGCSE Programming

AP CSA · Passing and Returning Object References

More lessons from Unit 3: Class Creation

The best-ranked videos for the rest of this unit.

AP CS A 5.8 - Scope and Access

3.8K views on YouTube · 7 years ago

AP CSA · Scope and Access

Scope and Access

557 views on YouTube · 1 year ago

AP CSA · Scope and Access

AP CSA 5.8 Scope and Access

307 views on YouTube · 4 years ago

AP CSA · Scope and Access

Java Classes: Data and Behavior Explained

264 views on YouTube · 2 months ago

AP CSA · Abstraction and Program Design

AP CS A Unit 5 Lesson 7 - Scope and Access

47 views on YouTube · 5 years ago

Jacob MacMillan

AP CSA · Scope and Access

Local Variables, Scope and Access, Java - AP Computer Science A

30 views on YouTube · 2 years ago

AP CSA · Scope and Access

Object-Oriented Programming, Simplified

4.9M views on YouTube · 8 years ago

Programming with Mosh

AP CSA · Abstraction and Program Design

Fundamental Concepts of Object Oriented Programming

1.3M views on YouTube · 5 years ago

CComputer Science Lessons

AP CSA · Abstraction and Program Design

Static vs Non-Static Variables and Methods In Java - Full Simple Tutorial

343K views on YouTube · 3 years ago

Coding with John

AP CSA · Instance Variables, Constructors, and Methods

Decomposition, Abstraction & Algorithmic Thinking

134K views on YouTube · 8 years ago

AP CSA · Abstraction and Program Design

What Is Abstraction in Computer Science

115K views on YouTube · 7 years ago

CCodexpanse with Rakhim

AP CSA · Abstraction and Program Design

Abstraction - Computational Thinking

98K views on YouTube · 10 years ago

RRobotics Academy

AP CSA · Abstraction and Program Design

Quiz on Passing and Returning Object References soon?

Connect your class calendar and Merit lines up the lessons for every quiz and test, days before it's due.

Works with Canvas, Schoology, Blackbaud, Google Classroom, and more.

Sign up and connect

3Class Creation

Abstraction and Program Design
Instance Variables, Constructors, and Methods
Passing and Returning Object References
Static Variables and Methods, and this
Scope and Access

Next topic

Static Variables and Methods, and this

209daysGet the AP CSA score you want.Free diagnostic, then a day-by-day Exam Sprint to exam day.

Best teachers for this topic

1Joe Haas
2Samuel Stafford
3Learn with Kemo: AP CS & IGCSE Programming

Get a AP CSA tutor

Teacher? Add a lesson or guide for this topic

Also called: pass by value, object references