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Need Help

 
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I studied an average of 4 hours a day for 6 months using RHE, Exam Prep and others. I consistently scored 100 on round up and in the 80s and 90s on the mocks. Yesterday I took the real exam and managed only 35%. I've never scored this low on any mock even in the beginning. I'm looking for advice on how to prepare for the exam because I'm not doing something right. I did pass the Java2 exam on brainbench.
Thanks
 
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willie.........why did that happen???was the exam very very tough...6mths prepration is very long....anyways donot loose heart..try again and you will suceed..
Please share the knowledge about the exam...were the ques tricky what was the reason???
Harpal
 
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Willie,
It sounds like you put a lot of work into preparing for the exam! And you must have a good foundation in Java since you scored so highly on the Roundup and mock exams. I am sorry to hear that you did not pass the actual exam on your first attempt. But please don't give up, that happens to a lot of people. It is a very difficult exam!
It was smart of you to use RHE and to take lots of mock exams. You asked what to do different to achieve a better score. I can think of a few things:
(1) You say you studied about 4 hours per day for six months. Was that studying mostly reading the books and taking mock exams? If so, it would really help you alot to actually write some code. You learn things by trial and error when coding that you do not learn just from reading books. Also, since many of the questions on the exam have sample code and ask you about it, you will do much better if you have written this sort of code yourself to see how it behaves.
(2) Perhaps you were very nervous at the actual test. That would be understandable because taking tests can be very stressful. Especially when it costs lots of money to take and there is a lot riding on the result. If this was the case, you'll need to find a way to relieve this stress so you can concentrate on the questions.
(3) Visit this forum often. Try to read as many posts as possible. Lots of people are in the same boat as you. They will tell about confusions they had and you can learn from their mistakes like we all do.
Anyway, I am sure you will do better on your next attempt! Then you will have an advantage over other people. You will know exactly what sort of questions are asked, because you already did it once. Don't give up!
Stephanie
 
Harpal Singh
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willie ..
stephnie is correct...but it will be great if you can share your experience with everyone......RELAX...
Harpal
 
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Willie,
Like Harpal Singh mentioned if you could provide us with some information about the test that may be helpful, other than the answers, it would be greatly appreciated. During the test how did you feel about your performance? Did you feel that you understood the questions correctly? Based on the certification guides and your studying, what do you think you could have studied more to do better on the exam?
Anything at all would be helpful.
 
willie blue
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I got to the exam site 30 minutes early but they didn't get me started until about five minutes after the start time. From the beginning of the exam all of the questions seemed foreign to me. Even though I had studied hard on threads, I only got 14% on threads. I was consistently scoring 100% on threads in mock exams. I don't recall seeing any questions on the exam that were similiar to the ones in the mocks. There were at least six on i/o and I only got 60% on them. This was another area that I thought I'd studied well. I also scored 0 on gc and I also think I understand it too. I'm really shocked as are some others who had studied with me. My highest scores happened to be in areas that I thought I may be weak such as awt. I do remember that all the code seemed to run together and it took a while for my nerves to settle. I've also got friends that have had trouble with the exam on brainbench but I cleared that one.
Does anyone know of any mocks with the new format? It seems like 90% of my exam was reading code. It took a lot of time going back and forth to the answers and my mind just went totally numb. Now I'm really scared because I don't have a good strategy. What I tried didn't work at all. I just feel terrible about this.
 
Harpal Singh
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hey willie,
Cheer up dude...I know it feels bad but comeon this is not end of the world....You got to do it again........and you will succeed.....Relax,things do go wrong but we cannot take it to heart.......prepare again.....and this time aim for 100%,since you have had experience of the real thing.....you can do it much better...
Harpal
 
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It took a lot of courage to come back in here and admit that you didn't make it. I have a feeling you are right and that the question on the real exam have a different feel from the questions in the mocks.
But let me make a few comments on the Mock exams:
1.) Getting a 85-90% on a mock that you take every day in my opinion means very little. Unless you truly learn from your mistakes then you are bound to repeat them.
2.) Use the mocks to find your weaknesses. Often if I encounter a question that I am unsure of I will mark my final answer(and not change!!) then I will look up the correct answer in Khalid's book. That way I pay the penality for getting the answer wrong but I still learn.
3.)I love the RoundUp exam but to be honest a 100% means very little in reference to the real exam. It should almost be a given.
4.) Go to the Sun website and take a look at their sample questions they are not all that hard but they have a different "feel" then most mock exams. Since there are only 8 then you need to get at least 5 right(To pass..).
5.) Use Khalid's test!! Why? Because it is very difficult and the only way to find out the correct answers is to actually look them up. If you can get 90% on Khalid's test then you are actually doing something. My highest score is still a 62% and from what I'm told it's actually harder than the Real exam.
Just my .02,
Travis M. Gibson
(Future SCJP - Nov. 19, 2000)
 
Travis Gibson
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It took a lot of courage to come back in here and admit that you didn't make it. I have a feeling you are right and that the question on the real exam have a different feel from the questions in the mocks.
But let me make a few comments on the Mock exams:
1.) Getting a 85-90% on a mock that you take every day in my opinion means very little. Unless you truly learn from your mistakes then you are bound to repeat them.
2.) Use the mocks to find your weaknesses. Often if I encounter a question that I am unsure of I will mark my final answer(and not change!!) then I will look up the correct answer in Khalid's book. That way I pay the penality for getting the answer wrong but I still learn.
3.)I love the RoundUp exam but to be honest a 100% means very little in reference to the real exam. It should almost be a given.
4.) Go to the Sun website and take a look at their sample questions they are not all that hard but they have a different "feel" then most mock exams. Since there are only 8 then you need to get at least 5 right(To pass..).
5.) Use Khalid's test!! Why? Because it is very difficult and the only way to find out the correct answers is to actually look them up. If you can get 90% on Khalid's test then you are actually doing something. My highest score is still a 62% and from what I'm told it's actually harder than the Real exam.
Just my .02,
Travis M. Gibson
(Future SCJP - Nov. 19, 2000)
 
With a little knowledge, a cast iron skillet is non-stick and lasts a lifetime.
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