AP® Computer Science A glossary

Multiway selection

Also called: if-else-if, else if

Course: AP® Computer Science A Shows up in: Unit 2: Selection and Iteration

An if-else-if chain that runs at most one segment of code: the one for the first expression that evaluates to true, or the trailing else if none is true.

Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 2.4.A.3

Order matters: once one expression is true, the rest of the chain is skipped. Without a trailing else, it is possible that no segment runs.

int score = 84;
if (score >= 90) {
    System.out.println("A");
} else if (score >= 80) {
    System.out.println("B");
} else {
    System.out.println("C or below");
}

Output:

B

Related terms

• if-else statement
• Nested if statement
• if statement
• Boolean expression