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SCJP 1.5 tips - re-post

 
Greenhorn
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I posted this topic once already, but when I click on the link it takes me to a different post? Moderators, pls fix

Here it is once again:

Hello everyone,

I passed the SCJP 5 exam today with 72%.

Here are my observations and some tips you may find useful:

In the beginning of the exam, you are required to answer several questions about your Java experience, which is not included in your test time. However, when you start the exam, you need to answer a few more questions and accept the terms and conditions - this time IS PART OF YOUR EXAM TIME! It can be confusing, but now at least you know it.

I used Phil Heller's book to prepare. When I bought it, it was the only book covering the new 1.5 stuff. Warning: reading this book is not enough. There are a lot of questions on the exam about stuff, which this book does not cover! I guess the authors wanted to be the first ones to publish a 1.5 preparation book - it still focuses on 1.4 topics, the new topics are only briefly covered, sometimes contradicting other text in the book. (E.g. at one place the book mentions the new covariant returns, but at several other places it says that the return type of the overridden method should always match the type of the super method, which is not true in 1.5). Moreover, the book is supposed to prepare you for the SCJP 5 exam but there are sections about bit shifting and the Math class, which are not part of the new exam.

Another thing about the exam: It has been mentioned before here, but now I know it for sure - if you try to review/correct a drag-and-drop question, your previous answer is gone. Be careful with this. I dont understand why Prometric dont fix this in the exam application... It is totally unacceptable! But the application itself is quite old, I guess - the interface looked like good ol' Win 3.11

There were A LOT of questions concerning the new topics! If you know the 1.4 stuff well, but only know the basics of 1.5, you will probably fail. In this case, you should probably go for the 1.4 version. But for those who have decided to take the 1.5 exam - I strongly advise everyone to get a good grip of the new things - generics, enums, variable arguments to methods etc... I didnt study them enough and this is reflected in my score...

Unfortunately, I cannot give you examples of questions that I got on the real exam, although I can assure you there are some really tricky ones. When I was doing mock-exams and came across a tricky question, I always thought that this is too tricky/difficult to be on the real exam. Boy, was I wrong The authors should be ashamed of themselves for including such questions on the real exam!

Finally - I have only less than a year of "real" Java experience. I have coded some Java before though, when I was studying at the university. I used approx. 2 months of preparing, mostly studying at home for an hour or so in the evenings.

Good luck, and I'd be glad to answer any questions!
 
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Congrats!
Thanks for your tips.
I have prepared to take 1.5 by the end of April and feel your tips are very helpful.
Have a nice time
 
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Many congrats guidance! for passing the exam...and thanks for your guidance.
 
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Hey congrats for ur score.
Since u have already given the exam u must have prepared with the help of a few mock tests. what did u do abt the mock exams i have been searching everywhere for a free mock exams based on scjp5 but not found any. can u please help! if u have some mock exams available for scjp5 please send them to me at darshane@gmail.com

Once again congrats.
 
Yavor Markov
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I couldnt find any free mock exams for 1.5 I just made the tests in the book after each chapter, although they are much easier than the questions on the real exam.

You can download a demo version of the Whizlabs 1.5 study guide, they have about 15 trial questions, most of which cover the new 1.5 stuff.

Otherwise, I think the links with mock exams on JavaRanch should be revised. Many of them cover 1.2 (who's taking this today??) and many of them are too easy or with wrong answers...

Good luck with your preparations.
 
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Hello Yavor,

Thanks much for your tips. They are very useful!

Just one quick question. What did you mean that changing/reviewing
answer of one drag-and-drop question affect the answer of the previous one?
Is it that once examinees make their choice (in a drag-n-drop question),
then there's nothing they can do about changing it?

Originally posted by Yavor Markov:
Another thing about the exam: It has been mentioned before here, but now I know it for sure - if you try to review/correct a drag-and-drop question, your previous answer is gone. Be careful with this. I dont understand why Prometric dont fix this in the exam application... It is totally unacceptable! But the application itself is quite old, I guess - the interface looked like good ol' Win 3.11

 
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Do you all find the questions at the end of each chapter in K&B much easier than the real exam?? oh noooooooo - it's on wednesday.....
 
Yavor Markov
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Originally posted by C Law:
Hello Yavor,

Just one quick question. What did you mean that changing/reviewing
answer of one drag-and-drop question affect the answer of the previous one?
Is it that once examinees make their choice (in a drag-n-drop question),
then there's nothing they can do about changing it?



If you try to review a drag-and-drop question, that you have already answered, you lose your answer and have to drag and drop the correct boxes in the correct positions again. Strange that they cannot update their exam software to take care of this annoying thing, but that's how it is... In any case, you get a warning when you try to change a drag-and-drop answer.
 
Yavor Markov
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Originally posted by Tamara Lopez:
Do you all find the questions at the end of each chapter in K&B much easier than the real exam?? oh noooooooo - it's on wednesday.....



I was referring to the questions in the book I was using (the Sybex book) and to 1.4 mock-exams. The 1.5 exam was denitely more difficult than I expected...
 
ranger
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"Ravinder"

Please click on the My Profile link above and change your display name to match the JavaRanch Naming Policy of using your real first and real last names.

Thanks

Mark
 
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Hi guys,

I prepared for the SCJP 1.4 exam, but now would like to upgrade to the SCJP 1.5 version. I have no idea about what books and material I should use. Could you please help with what you think is a complete book for the 310-055 exam today?

Thanks,
Deepti.
 
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