I finally took the exam today. It feels good to be done! I learned a lot from participating in the JavaRanch Programmer Certification forum. Thanks to all who posted questions and answers.
The hardest part of preparing for this exam was not learning
Java. I had problems memorizing stuff, and kept getting
test questions wrong even though I knew the basic material. Taking your suggestions to make flash
cards solved the first problem. Taking lots of mock exams solved the 2nd. Dan Chisholm's exams fit the bill here! Practice makes almost perfect
I didn't get the "Kathy and Bates" book(or is that the Sierra and Bert book?)until I was already familiar with most of the material for the exam, but I still found it very useful. The book is very focused on teaching you what you need to know for the exam. The exam watch notes explain all the ways that the examiners will try to trick you. The review questions are very similar to the ones on the real exam.
Some exam taking tips:
As the HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy said, Don't panic! 2 questions out of the first 3 were the hardest on the test. There were a lot of easier questions after that, and I had time to go back and review the questions I was unsure about. If you have time left, I recommend that you review all your answers. I found that I had checked the wrong answer for one of the easier questions.
The question I got wrong was in the Flow control, assertions, and exception handling section. I got all the Threads and GC questions right, and then missed an easier one!
Thanks, JavaRanch.
