conquered with 91%!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kelly Aus]

fellas congratulate me!!! today I am happier than ever before!!! I got the score I never expected (never dreampt of even!!). I love you fellas...I love you!!! Now before I get lost into the euphoria let me thank people who deserve the credit for this success! here I go.....
1) Javaranch - You are my love folks!!! The journey began with you, moved with you and will continue with you....from the point of coming to know of XML certification till this success, you have been there! always! thanks for that! truly!!! it made a big difference! your suggestions, links, discussions are the pillars of my success! three cheers for javaranch!!!
2) XML Bible - the author has done a really good job! as suggested by Ajith I read the book cover to cover and the effort was all worth it!! though no material on SAX and DOM but that's required at a very basic level and that can be managed through various tutorials at www.w3schools.com and you will get enough material at www.xml.com www.xml.org and a number of them.
3) XMLWhiz - Well these folks truly deserve the credit for this high score!! thanks fellas, a fabulous product and the only place where I could get 300 questions for practice. had i not used xmlwhiz i wouldn't have scored above 70, heads off to xmlwhiz!! (hope whizlabs guys are hearing!!)
below is how it all went...
I came to know of this certification around 4 months back and after some research I got clear that XML is the next thing after SCJP, so immediately jumped for it, most of the people suggested 3 months as i didn't know anything about XML and i completely agree with that, you need at least that much time if you are new to the whole thing. after reading ajith's suggestion i strated reading XML bible and read it thoroughly and wrote some small XML documents and style sheets, DTD's and Schema's (the book didn't have material about schema's but again xml.com was of great help, but don't worry it's not much in the test)...after gaining the basic confidence I moved on to making a bit bigger applications using XML SPY (a really good IDE!!) and kept browsing through various sites (www.xml.com www.vbxml.com www.xmlpitstop.com.....and others)....these sites are amazing..anything you want about xml just name it and they have it....the problem is not of less but of more....i asked for one tutorial on DOM and it had 20! so effort is required to choose not to find...now was the time I finalized the date of my exam and only thing i required to put things in perspective and focus on issues related to certification, the thing i was looking for most was some practice of the mock tests and questions but i was really disappointed in the beginning as i could not find much questions on the net (it's not the same as SCJP!!).....of course i took IBM sample test at http://www-4.ibm.com/software/ad/certify/adcdxmv1.html but that was only 40 questions (half of the mock test !!)....i took the quiz at www.w3schols.com also but wasn't quite satisfied. then the most fabulous thing happened to me and some one pointed me to xmlwhiz at www.whizlabs.com/products/xmlwhiz/xmlwhiz.html ....it filled all the missing links!! gave me a lot of practice of the questions which helped me clear my concepts to a much deeper level and also the questions were quite relevant to the actual exam and made me at home with that kind of questions. then i went for the test and am currently sharing my experience with you.....if you are getting bored don't worry i am going...but before that few facts and suggestions:
1) Level of questions - Not very difficult but you got to be thorough if you want to score good (passing is quite low just 50%)
2) Design questions need good understanding and attention so write some apps yourself to be clear about the design concepts
3) Distribution of the questions:
design - 18%
information modelling - 23%
xml processing - 25%
xml rendering - 10%
xml query - 5%
implementation and testing - 19%
4) Last but not the least practice, practice and practice and practice and practice....
OK bye fellas....don't hesitate in writting to me...i am gonna be around..after all i owe it all to you and there is so much more to take from you....
cya
all the best!!
love you lots!
Kelly

[L Goundalkar]

Hi,
I am happy for you.
CONGRATS

[Ajith Kallambella]

Congratulations Kelly! Very impressive score.
------------------
Ajith Kallambella M.
Sun Certified Programmer for the Java�2 Platform.
IBM Certified Developer - XML and Related Technologies, V1.

[Aravind Ravi]

Congratulations!! Great score!!

[Louis Fegun]

Kelly-
Congratulations!!!. That was really really impressive. I wish you the best in your future endeavors. I have a question for you: How useful was XML handbook to you?. Hope to hear from you.
Louis.

[Praveen Zala]

Hello !
Thats an impressive score !
I hope I can beat that !!
Hey !! I am haapy for you Kelly !
Just the shot in the arm that's required at this stage for me !
Regards,
Praveen Zala

[Kelly Aus]

Thanks Louis for your support and appreciation!! I still remember that you said I may get the highest score ever. I don't know whether i did that or not but i am more than happy!! as far as XML handbook is concerned it is good book to see practical applications of XML, helps in design questions but be a little cautious as it has much more than you need for certification. But overall good book if you are planning to stay with XML beyond certification!
Praveen, thanks for sharing my joy! wish you all the best!! I am sure you will come out with flying colors with much more score than mine and i will be much more happier for you!!!
Love you lots!!
Kelly

[Anna Smith]

Wow!!! that's amazing Kelly...I have never heard of that good a score!! and thanks for taking time to share your experience. One request to you. Can you please provide a consolidated list of resources with exact links as I find quite difficult to find for the relevant material for certification.
congrats!!
anna

[Kelly Aus]

Thanks a lot anna!! I thought why work when people have already done the task. Go to the following list of resources below:
http://www.javaranch.com/ubb/Forum31/HTML/000268.html by Ajith
http://www.whizlabs.com/products/xmlwhiz/ibm-xml-faq.html by whizlabs
I am sure these two lists will be more than sufficient for all that you need for certification.
Wish you all the best!!
Kelly

[Rishab Narula]

Hey that's awesome Kelly and thanks for sharing yourself with us!!!
It helped

love
richab

[Anna Smith]

Thanks Kelly! the links are really useful!
take care
anna

[Mapraputa Is]

Congratulations, Kelly!

[Kelly Aus]

Thanks Mapraputta!!!
Love
Kelly

[Sonalika Kapoor]

Congrats Kelly!! I am happy for you and thanks for sharing your thoughts, it helped.

love
sonal

[Kelly Aus]

Thanks Sonal!
Cheers!!
Kelly

[Tanya Rawat]

WOW !!! This is an outstanding score.....
I think you can help me better now... :-)
MANY-MANY CONGRATULATIONS !!

[Kelly Aus]

Thanks Tanya! Please give me some time for solving your problem. busy uptil neck these days!

Love
Kelly

[Tahir Mansoori]

Impressive Score ... Congratulations Kelly.
Tahir Mansoori

[Kelly Aus]

Thanks Tahir! Your stemina is amazing! keep it up...
Kelly

[Anna Smith]

Hey Kelly,
Can you tell me how is Inside XML from certification point of view? I already have XML bible and XML@Whiz. Do I still need to go for it? Please respond ASAP...also I got 63% in the diagnostic test of XML@Whiz, how would you compare it with the real thing? Please suggest...
Love,
Anna

[Kelly Aus]

Dear Anna,
I can't say much about Inside XML as I have't read it as yet but yes I have heard that it is good. As far as whether you need it or not is concerned I don't think it will make much difference considering that you already have XML Bible and XMLWhiz. As far as your score in XMLWhiz diagnostic is concerned I would say that it is close to the score you can expect in real exam, and it would be good to keep a margin as well. Now you can evaluate where you stand and if you are looking at a higher score I would suggest that you prepare a little more, analyze the test you have taken, pay special attention to the explanations provided they are really good and would certainly improve your score. Also try and make some sample applications, they help you understand the whole thing more than anything else.
Hope it helps!
Please don't hesitate to ask anything...
Love
Kelly

[Anna Smith]

Thanks a lot Kelly for the help. I am certainly looking forward to a good score and I would now focus on making some sample programs. I also found the explanations in XMLWhiz really good...
Thanks again
Anna

[SaiPrasad Jukalkar]

hi kelly
Congratulations!!:-)
!!thats really a good score.!! I am preparing for IBM's certification in XML and related Technologies and i hope you would give me suggestions for the exam.
you wrote that this exam contains a percentage of questions from each topic like design, Information modelling, rendering. I would like to ask you some of the sample questions in these topics, so that based on these sample questions, i can make some research on these topics. Currently i have Professional XML and XML Whiz and iam going through all the sites which are given in the list from previous discussions. Do you think i need an XSLT book for this exam?
waiting for your reply.
thanks in advance
Saiprasad

[Kelly Aus]

Hi Saiprasad,
Thanks for the appreciations.
True, Professional XML and XML@Whiz is a great combination. But i would also say that do refer XML Bible, its another great book. I believe these 3 sources along with the discussions at this great site is more than sufficient.
You will get the detailed info in the books and Good questions in XML@Whiz.
Hope it helps. Do ask me if you need any more info.
All the best
love
kelly

[Ali Shair]

hi
i m planning to take XMl paper on 20th of this month . i have got XMLWhiz and IBM questions , i want to ask whether the real paper is of standard of IBM sample paper or much difficult , my friend appeared last week , he told that it is much much difficult than sample paper , is it true ? i don't believe him :-)ha ha ha
Ali

[Kelly Aus]

Dear Ali,
Don't believe your friend ;-) it's not more difficult than the sample paper by IBM. The only thing is practice a little more about design questions and if you have done a little work with XML I think that's enough. Also go through XMLWhiz thoroughly, it will help a lot. Please don't hesitate in asking anything further...
Cheers!
Kelly

[SaiPrasad Jukalkar]

hi kelly,
thanks for your reply :-). I am studying the books mentioned by you, for the exam. I hope all your best wishes are with me.

thanks kelly
Saiprasad.

[Shreya Menon]

Kelly,
The score is really awesome.
Continue your learing, so that you can score high scores on some more tests.
Maya

[Kelly Aus]

Thanks a lot SaiPrasad and Maya!! Of course my wishes are with you SaiPrasad! I am sure you will come out with flying colors!! and Yes Maya, I will continue my learning (that's why I am here ;-) )....and you continue to encourage me ;-)
Loads of love
Kelly

[Anna Smith]

Dear Kelly,
I am planning to take the test on 20th of this month. What do you suggest for these last days? My score in 3 mock tests of XMLWhiz has been 63%, 72% and 74%. I plan to take the final test in the last 2-3 days. Please suggest as to how can I take my score further? I am finding it hard to move any further.
Looking forward to hear from you ASAP!
Love
anna

[Ali Shair]

thanx for reply
i want to know that whether i have to read thoroughly CSS level1 and level 2 from bible, they are very boring , are they included in much detail in paper ? how much dom and sax ? how is tutorial of XML whiz ? how much XSLT ? i have listened that design problems are difficult as it seems also from WHiz s/w . what abt timing factor in paper , i gave IBM UML paper of 2 hrs and had to answer only 54 questions so what's going 2 be there?
some of questions of whiz are very length ,nearly 30-40 lines of code , are such sort of paper included in paper ?
waiting 4 yr reply
Ali

[Ali Shair]

One again i m back with query
my friend also told me that it is useless to read book as only 8-10 questions were of systax and all other were of designing questions . is it true ???

[Ali Shair]

is there any need to read XML formatting object of BIBLE from exam pt of view, i don't find spirit in myself to read that , it's so boring .....

[Baseer S]

Congrats Kelly-- what is your next goal?

[Ali Shair]

i m still waiting for reply .......

[Kelly Aus]

Dear Ali,
I am really sorry for not replying to your query! busy with clearing all the back log as I had taken some time off for my preparation. Anyways...let me answer your queries one by one
1. CSS - No you don't have to go in details of CSS. Just be clear about the capabilities and functionalities of CSS. Syntax n'all is not at all important.
2. XMLWhiz - Tutorial of XMLWhiz is for basics. I would say it is very good for some who is new to XML and just starting, but cannot be relied upon for thcertification preparation.
3. XSLT - This is much more important. Be clear about the capabilities and functionalities of XSLT. This is much more complex than CSS but veyr powerful. Be clear about the use of XSLT in various scenario's. But here also don't try to memorize the syntax n all.
4. Design Questions - Yes design questions are the most challenging part of the exam but not that difficult once you have hands on experience of working with XML. The problems posted by Ajith on this Forum and XMLWhiz are good resources for that, but they are not a replacement for the hands on experience.
5. Timing - Yes timing is important, but don't worry if you are prepared well, you will be able to answer questions very quickly. But yes it is not in luxury as in SCJP where you get 2 hours for a paper where you need not more than 1.5
6. Lengthy Questions in XMLWhiz - Well some of their questions are really lengthy and ask intricate things about XSLT and stuff. These type of questions are not there in the exam but don't try to avoid them. These questions are really superb and cleared lots of my doubts. They were a tremendous help in learning XML. So if you are looking at association with XML for a long time, give attention to these questions and go through the explanations even if you answered them right. You will find worth for your effort.
7. Your friend - Well a little exaggeration! yes as I told you above most of the questions are based on design, capabilities and functionalities of various technologies involved like XML, XSL, CSS, SAX, DOM etc but how do you think you will learn the design without going through the book. Yes, the syntax is not important (as I told you above) but books discuss a lot more than Syntax (at least XML bible does!) so learn those discussions.
8. XSL formatting objects - Well, they are not going to ask these in very detail but you can't avoid them altogether. And hey stop being lazy! learn to have fun with XML, it's really powerful and will go a long way in your development as a software professional.
In the end all I want to say to you Ali is don't go for the exam just for the sake of it and obtaining another feathur in the CAP, that won't take you much further. The best would be to learn the language and grow your knowledge and understanding of the whole thing. It will take you leaps and bounds up in your career.
If you any other queries/comments please don't hesitate in asking/sharing with me. It's my pleasure to be of any help to you.
Loads of love
Kelly

[Kelly Aus]

Dear Ali,
I am really sorry for not replying to your query! busy with clearing all the back log as I had taken some time off for my preparation. Anyways...let me answer your queries one by one
1. CSS - No you don't have to go in details of CSS. Just be clear about the capabilities and functionalities of CSS. Syntax n'all is not at all important.
2. XMLWhiz - Tutorial of XMLWhiz is for basics. I would say it is very good for some who is new to XML and just starting, but cannot be relied upon for thcertification preparation.
3. XSLT - This is much more important. Be clear about the capabilities and functionalities of XSLT. This is much more complex than CSS but veyr powerful. Be clear about the use of XSLT in various scenario's. But here also don't try to memorize the syntax n all.
4. Design Questions - Yes design questions are the most challenging part of the exam but not that difficult once you have hands on experience of working with XML. The problems posted by Ajith on this Forum and XMLWhiz are good resources for that, but they are not a replacement for the hands on experience.
5. Timing - Yes timing is important, but don't worry if you are prepared well, you will be able to answer questions very quickly. But yes it is not in luxury as in SCJP where you get 2 hours for a paper where you need not more than 1.5
6. Lengthy Questions in XMLWhiz - Well some of their questions are really lengthy and ask intricate things about XSLT and stuff. These type of questions are not there in the exam but don't try to avoid them. These questions are really superb and cleared lots of my doubts. They were a tremendous help in learning XML. So if you are looking at association with XML for a long time, give attention to these questions and go through the explanations even if you answered them right. You will find worth for your effort.
7. Your friend - Well a little exaggeration! yes as I told you above most of the questions are based on design, capabilities and functionalities of various technologies involved like XML, XSL, CSS, SAX, DOM etc but how do you think you will learn the design without going through the book. Yes, the syntax is not important (as I told you above) but books discuss a lot more than Syntax (at least XML bible does!) so learn those discussions.
8. XSL formatting objects - Well, they are not going to ask these in very detail but you can't avoid them altogether. And hey stop being lazy! learn to have fun with XML, it's really powerful and will go a long way in your development as a software professional.
In the end all I want to say to you Ali is don't go for the exam just for the sake of it and obtaining another feathur in the CAP, that won't take you much further. The best would be to learn the language and grow your knowledge and understanding of the whole thing. It will take you leaps and bounds up in your career.
If you any other queries/comments please don't hesitate in asking/sharing with me. It's my pleasure to be of any help to you.
Loads of love
Kelly

[Kelly Aus]

Thanks Baseer for your appreciation!!! next for me would be SCWCD.... since you are already SCWCD...what do you suggest for me...I have fair amount of exposure to Java and XML now...I am SCJP with 96% and XML with 91%
I heard that whiz chaps have a good product for that too...have you used it? Please suggest...
Looking forward to hear from you...
Love
Kelly

[savita jadhav]

Hi
Wow,Its a great score kelly.
I want to know about the xml whiz from where can I get it.
Congrats Again
Thanks for providing me alink
Savita

[SaiPrasad Jukalkar]

hi kelly,

i wanted know how many questions are expected from Xpath and Xpointer in IBM XML Certification exam.
thanx in advance
Saiprasad.