Ha! I also just passed the SCBCD with %88

[Tonio Morelli]

Yes! Now on to Web Services.

For those considering studying for this one, here's what I did:

For materials I used ONLY the Head First book and flashcards (Oxford index cards) that I made as I went. The study time was exactly twelve days - the same as I took for the web components test. I created flashcards for any piece of information that I had even a marginal chance of forgetting as I read the book, and I ran through the flashcards each morning before beginning to study, and in the evening before bed. I had about 400 cards at the end. I covered about 50 - 70 pages a day depending on the topic. I spent maybe half a day reviewing after finishing the book, and I did not do any mock tests other than the one at the end of the book (which I got %70 on). The test is for two hours, but I finished in about 55 minutes. I could tell I was going to pass after the first 10 questions, so the rest of the test was a breeze (whew!).

I had full time to study, so you probably couldn't do this if you, say, work for a living, unless you are already somewhat familiar with the material (I knew nearly nothing about EJB's before beginning)

I hope this helps those of you considering this one!

[Nishshanka Silwathge]

Congrats Tonio Morelli
-Nishshanka Silwathge

[Victor Barcan]

Congratulations !

If I understand correct it took you 12 days full time to pass the exam. How many ours did you study by day?

[Wolfgang Stein]

Originally posted by Tonio Morelli:
...
For materials I used ONLY the Head First book and flashcards (Oxford index cards) that I made as I went. The study time was exactly twelve days
...

Sorry for that stupid question, I am geman, and Google's results were somewhat unspecific.

What the hell are 'Oxford index cards' ?
Is there a specific learning system behind or are they just small enough to take them with you into the final exam ?

Cheers,
Wolfgang

[Tonio Morelli]

Oh, sorry, Wolfgang. Oxford index cards are just plain white cards. I just write a question on one side and the answer on the other. Stuff like, "What 'bean things' can you NOT do in the ejbActive() or ejbPassivate() of an Entity bean?" When I review my stack of cards I just try to get the correct answer. If I get it right, I put the card on the 'answered' stack, if not, I put the card on the back of the 'not yet answered' pile. I keep going through the cards until I answer each one correctly. I just do this so that by the time I get to the end of the book I haven't forgotten what I learned at the beginning!

To answer Victor's question, I studied between 6 and 8 hours a day, not including the frequent breaks and exercise. I would have studied longer, but by the end of each day my brain was mush - I could hardly think at all. At the beginning of the day I would do a four hour session, then take a long walk or go work out, then do one to two hours of study, then take a short walk and if my brain was still working try another half hour to hour.

[Dilip Gamage]

Congrats Tonio

I also pass SCBCD 88% in this month

What next ??

[Tonio Morelli]

Congratulations, Dilip!

I think I'm going to start studying for the Web Services test, and probably the Enterprise Architect after that. Both of those are going to take a lot longer, so I'll probably have to actually find a job before I get too far. I'm trying to get as many certs as I can before heading back to work. I'm hoping to get a good six month project here (in the US) and then start looking for a job in Europe.

Does anyone know if these tests carry real value in Europe?

[Victor Barcan]

Hi Tonio,


I will respond to your question based on my French experience (I�m working in France, since august 2000).
The true think, I don�t think I ever seen a job announcement in France that specifically requires a certification.

To answer your question, it�s really depend on the company your working with. The management staff generally appreciate that for two reasons:
1 ) You are more marketable. My certifications played more than once an important role in our commercial team projects negotiations.
2) It shows your commitment. Since is France very few company actually requires that their consultants pass certifications, a individual who actually pursue certifications in order to do a better his job is highly appreciate.

For your point of view :
1 )It will help you with your interview :I have passed tests at interviews that required that knowledge.
2) Been certified , will get you more credit from your management staff ,and your colleagues.

I wont get stared in the �certification debate�, but some individuals won�t appreciate the true value of your certifications, it may be your responsible, yours peers, or even a client. Don�t let them discourage you. I personally used 95 % of stuffs that I learned in preparing certs in real projects. For my point of view they are 100% worthwhile. Passing this kind o message to recruiters will help you.

What is really important is how you play that cert card during interviews.

I hope that�s help .Good luck in your job seeking.

[Vagner Freitas]

Congratulations Tonio.
Good luck on finding a job.

Vagner

[Bert Bates]

Tonio -

Well done! We're glad the book helped.

- Bert

[Tonio Morelli]

Victor, thanks for the European perspective. I agree with all of that. I shouldn't need the certifications actually to get a job as I already have a fair amount of experience on my CV, but I'm taking the certs on the off chance that it will move my CV up a few places on the pile at a potential employer and hopefully get me an interview. I just took the last couple of years off to study a bunch of non-technical stuff at the local university (French language, culture, history, and philosophy), so I also need to have at least something on there to tell a potential employer that I still know what I'm doing technically.

Thanks to everyone for their responses - and thanks to Bert and Kathy for their book. I wish you were planning a Head First for web services! I estimate I'll have to soak in at least three times the amount of material for that one since there is no full focused guide book like yours available. (Ugh!)

[Ajith Kallambella]

Congratulations and best wishes for your future endeavors.