Core Java Topics You Should Master

1. Basic Syntax and Data Types

 Variables, literals, and keywords

 Primitive vs reference types

 Type casting and wrapper classes

2. Control Flow Statements

 if, else, switch

 Loops: for, while, do-while

 break, continue, and labels

3. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

 Encapsulation: using access modifiers

 Inheritance: extends, method overriding

 Polymorphism: compile-time vs runtime

 Abstraction: abstract classes and interfaces

4. Exception Handling

 try, catch, finally, throw, throws

 Checked vs unchecked exceptions

 Custom exceptions

5. Java Collections Framework

 List, Set, Map, Queue

 ArrayList vs LinkedList

 HashMap vs TreeMap

 Iterators and enhanced for-loop

6. Multithreading and Concurrency

 Thread creation: Thread vs Runnable

 Synchronization and locks

  wait(), notify(), notifyAll()

 Executor framework

7. Java 8+ Features

 Lambda expressions

 Functional interfaces (Predicate, Function, etc.)

 Streams API

 Method references and Optional

8. Memory Management

 Stack vs heap

 Garbage collection

 finalize() method (deprecated in newer versions)

9. Access Modifiers and Keywords

 public, private, protected, default

 static, final, this, super, transient, volatile

10. File I/O and Serialization

 Reading/writing files using FileReader, BufferedReader, etc.

 Object serialization with Serializable interface

String Methods

 length() – Returns the number of characters in the string.

 charAt(int index) – Returns the character at the specified index.

 substring(int begin, int end) – Extracts a portion of the string.

 equals(String another) – Compares two strings for exact match.

 equalsIgnoreCase(String another) – Compares two strings ignoring case.

  compareTo(String another) – Lexicographically compares two strings.

 contains(CharSequence seq) – Checks if the string contains a sequence.

 indexOf(String str) – Returns the index of the first occurrence.

 lastIndexOf(String str) – Returns the index of the last occurrence.

 startsWith(String prefix) – Checks if string starts with prefix.

 endsWith(String suffix) – Checks if string ends with suffix.

 toLowerCase() / toUpperCase() – Converts case.

 trim() – Removes leading/trailing whitespace.

 replace(char old, char new) – Replaces characters.

 split(String regex) – Splits string into array using regex.

📦 Array Methods (java.util.Arrays)

 sort(array) – Sorts the array.

 toString(array) – Converts array to string.

 copyOf(array, length) – Copies array to new length.

 copyOfRange(array, start, end) – Copies a range.

 equals(arr1, arr2) – Compares arrays.

 fill(array, value) – Fills array with value.

 binarySearch(array, key) – Searches sorted array.

 stream(array) – Converts array to Stream.

 asList(array) – Converts array to List.

📋 ArrayList Methods

 add(element) / add(index, element) – Adds element.

 get(index) – Retrieves element.

 set(index, element) – Updates element.

  remove(index) / remove(object) – Removes element.

 size() – Returns size.

 isEmpty() – Checks if empty.

 clear() – Removes all elements.

 contains(object) – Checks presence.

 indexOf(object) / lastIndexOf(object) – Finds index.

 subList(start, end) – Returns sublist.

 toArray() – Converts to array.

 sort(comparator) – Sorts list.

 forEach(action) – Iterates with lambda.

🧠 Math Methods (java.lang.Math)

 abs(x) – Absolute value.

 max(x, y) / min(x, y) – Max/min.

 pow(x, y) – Power.

 sqrt(x) – Square root.

 round(x) – Rounds value.

 ceil(x) / floor(x) – Rounds up/down.

 random() – Returns random double.

 log(x) / exp(x) – Logarithmic/exponential.

 sin(x) / cos(x) / tan(x) – Trigonometric functions.

🧵 Thread Methods

 start() – Starts thread.

 run() – Defines thread logic.

 sleep(ms) – Pauses thread.

 join() – Waits for thread to finish.

 interrupt() – Interrupts thread.

  isAlive() – Checks if running.

 yield() – Suggests thread scheduler to switch.

📚 Object Class Methods

 equals(obj) – Compares objects.

 hashCode() – Returns hash code.

 toString() – String representation.

 getClass() – Returns runtime class.

 clone() – Creates copy.

 finalize() – Called before garbage collection.

🔐 System Class Methods

 System.out.println() – Prints output.

 System.currentTimeMillis() – Time in ms.

 System.exit(status) – Terminates JVM.

 System.gc() – Suggests garbage collection.

 System.getenv() – Gets environment variables.

 System.getProperty() – Gets system properties.

🧾 File I/O Methods (java.io.*)

 read() – Reads byte/char.

 write() – Writes byte/char.

 close() – Closes stream.

 flush() – Flushes stream.

 available() – Bytes available to read.

 mark() / reset() – Marks and resets stream position.