Goal acheived!

[A Beland]

Well, I passed the programmer exam and met my goal, although the grade is nothing to write home about - I did meet my goal (80% - aka 79% if you're picky). But hey, I'm pleased - I've only been programming in Java for 3 months. I wanted to fast-track it mainly to update my resume (hint, hint) . But I knew C++ before commencing.
I read Mughal and Rasmussen cover to cover and wrote chapter summaries. The book is a pretty good Java primer that covers most - if not all - of the important stuff and provides a solid foundations (although some chapters were harder to read then others). This was my primary reference.
To prepare for certification, I used the RHE book. I too found that the exam focused a lot on the basics of the language. However, I went in knowing only the essentials of threaded programming (well, I could have done better...). I had plenty of time to finish, and reviewed some questions afterwards.
The recommendation to do as many mock exams as you can is justified: I knew my fundamentals and wrote coding exercises. However, this doesn't suffice for the exam. For me, the questions helped provide an "uncharted context" that chalenged me to put my knowledge to use. I learned a lot by reviewing questions. And, doing more mock exams. Reading/Studying. And doing more mock exams... I repeated this cycle for each key topic.
I also used JQ+ which is - to my knowledge - the best testing software out there: it's cheap (20$), has pretty good functionality, is very well documented, and comes with 3 tutorials/e-books! (I cannot - in my opinion - recommend JCertify 5).
Other resouces included CJHQ (Markus) and Java Ranch.
I used to be a private pilot and we say that this licence is a licence to learn. That's how I take the SCJP. Next book - Core Java Avanced features probably...
But first time to update my resume. Which reminds me, is your company looking for good Java programmer?

[Rob Ross]

Congratulations A Beland.
Good work!

[Paul Anilprem]

Congratulations, A Beland! And thanks for your appreciation.
By the way, what e-book are you talking about? We don't provide any tutorial or ebook! We do provide Study Notes though!

[Holmes Wong]

Congrats: A Beland. Wow, you are a fast pilot.
Hey Paul, can your JPLUS drive me through SCJP?

Originally posted by Paul Anil:
Congratulations, A Beland! And thanks for your appreciation.
By the way, what e-book are you talking about? We don't provide any tutorial or ebook! We do provide Study Notes though!

[Ghulam Rashid]

Congrates

[Kim Hamilton]

Congrats! You learn quickly!

[Valentin Crettaz]

Good job A Beland

[Paul Anilprem]

Originally posted by Holmes Wong:
Hey Paul, can your JPLUS drive me through SCJP?

You bet

[A Beland]

My apologies. I miss represented the facts regarding the software packages I mentioned.
It is JCertify that comes with tutorials and e-books. JCertify 5 comes with a Java Glossary, Thinking in Java e-book, Richard Baldwin tutorials and Markus Green tutorials. The Richard Baldwin tutorials are excellent - he's a university professor that teaches the stuff. Markus Green tutorials are also good reading. However, I stand by my opinion that the software could me improved.
JQPlus does not come with tutorials/e-books. The JQPlus web site does have a good cram sheet. What I liked about JQPlus is the fact that I have full control over the testing that I want to do. For example, once my reading was done (and when I thought I understood) I was realized that I was weak in once section (a.k.a. objective). JQPlus allowed me to test in only that section. You can also select the level of difficulty of the questions. The software simply has a very nice GUI.
The mock exam generator found on the Mughal & Rasmussen website is excellent as a "final" examination. However, it only gives you results by section and you can't know which questions you answered wrong (kind of like the real exam!). I also used the RHE exam software.
Note to the wise: please don't get the impression that to pass you only need to remember answers by heart :roll: . In final analysis, you still need to know your stuff�

[Valentin Crettaz]

Note to the wise: please don't get the impression that to pass you only need to remember answers by heart :roll: . In final analysis, you still need to know your stuff

Excellent comment, I couldn't agree more. The stuff one learns by heart usually stays in mind for a very short period, a day or 2 (in the so-called short-term memory or RAM ). On the other hand, practicing (coding) tends to store stuff in mind for good (in the long-term memory or HD ).

[M farhan]

Excellent Job
---------------
M.farhan

[Ajith Kallambella]

Congratulations A Beland.

[Andrew Kwong]

Congratulations!!