IBM test 286: Be Afraid, be very afraid.

[Alan Google]

Does anybody know if IBM releases statistics about how many people pass the 286 "Application Development with IBM WebSphere Studio, V5.0" exam? I have talked to a lot of people who have taken that exam, and almost everybody has failed it. I haven't talked to anybody who was able to score higher than 70%, and a couple people scored in the 30's. I just failed it myself for the second time.
Both times my score was in the low 60's, just missing a passing grade by 2 or 3 questions. I do have experience with WSAD and I studied for that test for many weeks. I certainly feel that I know WebSphere Studio well enough to be certified.
I have searched this forum for messages from people who have taken the exam to see what kind of scores they got. I could find only two: One person says he passed with a score of 68, and the other passed with a score of exactly 65.
I have taken and passed two of Sun's Java certification exams. Studying for Sun's exams is a learning experience. Sun's sample exam gives you the answers at the end so you can learn from your mistakes. That is not true of the IBM 286 sample exam. You can take the sample exam to see what kind of score you get, but you won't learn from taking the sample exam because they don't tell you what the correct answers were. And the 286 sample exam is not all that similar to the real exam anyway. (I passed the sample exam, by the way).
I won't be surprised if IBM makes changes to the 286 exam, either changing the exam or lowering the passing score.

[Howard Kushner]

Hello Alan,
I am unhappy to hear of your frustration. I am sure I would feel the same way it that were to happen to me.
I can tell you that there are excellent study guides available for both the 285 and the 287 tests, but unfortunately no one has done one for the 286. Maybe some day... :roll:
Gary Craig and Peter Jakab wrote an excellent study guide for the 285, and I was the lead author and editor for the 287 study guide, both of which are under the IBM Press imprint and are available on Amazon.com, and others. The link to my book is in my sgnature block, and from that one you can navigate Amazon to locate the book by Gary and Peter. I can also tell you that IBM asked my employer (CrossLogic) to do the 287 study guide, and I was selected to head up the effort. It was a lot of work (14 months), but it is starting to pay off, not in money, but in recognition.
In closing, I would encourage you not to give up. Some things in life are worth stiving for.

[Rajeev Anchal]

Nope. I passed WSAD 286 in last April itself with 78%. Yes, it was tough but the standard was almost the same as IBM's other exams.

[Mahesh Chalil]

I also passed this test in May with 79%. It was tough but I found it as tough as WSAD 4.0 Exams.

[Alan Ford]

Well it would be helpful to give some guide to those that cant pass
the test with such high score. She did write post to get help after all.
So help her if you can. Rest of us would like to hear from you and get
some directions.
Please

[Alan Google]

How did you manage to get a 79% on an exam that has 56 question? Interesting.

[Mahesh Chalil]

I Passed IBM's WSAD 157 and WAS 158 during last year and I felt WSAD 286 was almost of the same standard. If you have worked on WSAD 4.0 and study WSAD 5.0 PDF (Programing Guide), you should be very well through to the exam.
I will definitely suggest you guys to focus on the topics internally very well. There were lots of questions which were not straight forward as in other IBM questions, which made the exam tough.
Anyway, I am preparing an Practice exam to come up with a great kit for those who are preparing those exam. I am trying to reconstruct from my memory some questions similar to those which help anyone who is planning to take the exam.

[Alan Google]

Mahesh,
How is it possible that you scored a 79%? The exam has 56 questions. So if you got 44 correct your score would be 78%; If you got 45 correct your score would be 80%. That is curious indeed.

[Alan Ford]

Credibility issues.

[Mahesh Chalil]

Hi Alan
You got me there and made me to check my bunch of certification marklists again. You were right. I got only 78%. Sorry for making wrong assumption in the post.

[Mahesh Chalil]

Originally posted by Alan Ford:

Credibility issues.

HI.. I wish I could show you all my marklist to prove that I dont have to make wrong remarks to make you all trust me!! Do I gain anything from the same? I dont think so!

[Alan Ford]

Hi
1. Well many of your posts could go into blunt advertising.
2. You will have to be especially careful what you say since
you have special interest (selling those guides)
3. It is strange to me that someone will pay you $60 for
135 questions. Are you affiliated with TestKing?
4. Please go and see real help.

[Mahesh Chalil]

Hello Alan
I hear you. Doesnt want to make any argument on the same here. But correct yourself that our products doesnt cost $60.00 for 135 questions but it only cost $40.0 for 135-150 questions. (Now we have both products with 150 questions. 135 is not coming in picture.). Also wondering how did you make that wrong statement blindly? Also, number of questions doesnt matter but what matters is the quality of the questions. I can provide you 1000 questions for the same amount but will find that it wastes your time more than our time!!
But here are my breakup of my exam result for 286 (Site Number CA 148, Exam 286 Application Development with Websphere Studio), to make sure that I wasn't doing some blunt advertising.
Workbenchbasics - 100%
Application Development Basic Practices - 100%
Java Development - 75%
Web Development - 69%
Running Applications - 57%
Profiling Applications - 100%
Data - 66%
It comes to 77.77% (Can I say 78%)

[Alan Ford]

Good luck with your Enterprise.
Thanks for info.

[jason adam]

Guys, hate to butt in, but this topic is starting to degenerate into something that would be better suited in the Blantant Advertising forum.
While I've considered commenting on it before Mahesh, I figure most users probably don't frequent that forum, so I turned a blind eye to your occasional "Good job, have you tried our product?" type posts in the hopes that they may help people.
Let's keep with the topic at hand. If y'all wish to debate the validity of exam-simulators.com, let's do it in the proper forum/post and not by hijacking a thread
Thanks y'all!!

[Alan Ford]

Originally posted by Mahesh Chalil:
HI Alan
It was little bit disturbed after our email conversation yesterday and thought will post this feedback on this site about our Websphere Product, which I received just now. (One of many good feedbacks we are receiving.)
"
New Feedback

Hello Mahesh Chalil,

You've received a new feedback from Mr/Ms XXXXX.

The following data was submitted:

First name : XXXXXX
Last name : XXXXXX
E-mail : [e-mail]
Country : New Zealand
Informational
brochure :
Yes, please send.
Please contact me by : E-mail
Comments :
I passed my Websphere Application Server Administration Certification
Exam Test 340 with very good score. Thanks for such a wonderful product.
It really makes life easier when you know what is going to be asked?
Your kit helped me a lot to feel confident regarding the exam. More than 50% of the questions were from your Question Set. Your study tips are
handy too. I am now looking forward for your Portal kit. Keep up the
good work guys.

Javaranch Policy
When you take a certification exam, one of the things that is agreed on is nondisclosure of exam questions. All exam questions are covered by US and International Copyright laws.
We at JavaRanch support all organizations Copyrights.
Do not post questions from the actual certification exams. To discuss a question from a mock exam, please mention which mock exam and the question number (if provided) so we know it's not from the real exam.
Do not ask for real questions. Posts of this type will simply be deleted!
Study Hard and Good Luck!
It is not only blunt advertising but iligal advertising. You should be reported to IBM for doing this and they will remove your certifications for disclosing this information.

[Mahesh Chalil]

HI Alan
I respect what you said. We in our question set didnt copy IBMs questions. We read their objectives and created questions out of it. If we were copying IBMs questions as it is, why shouldn't we get all these questions? We rsepect their copy right protections and everything but also believe that we can mockup questions based on their requirements.
As we said, these are all practice questions, which we believe that will be covered in the exam.
All Certification Simulators are doing the same without copying original questions from the exams.

[Mahesh Chalil]

Originally posted by jason adam:
Guys, hate to butt in, but this topic is starting to degenerate into something that would be better suited in the Blantant Advertising forum.
While I've considered commenting on it before Mahesh, I figure most users probably don't frequent that forum, so I turned a blind eye to your occasional "Good job, have you tried our product?" type posts in the hopes that they may help people.
Let's keep with the topic at hand. If y'all wish to debate the validity of exam-simulators.com, let's do it in the proper forum/post and not by hijacking a thread
Thanks y'all!!

Hi jason
I hear you and I am stopping this thread here.

[Alan Ford]

Hi
You still failed to explain how come that:
More than 50% of the questions were from your Question Set
It is like 2 students turning in same code and explaining:
well it probability...
Thanks for stoping the tread (I hopw that you will stop selling
real questions since I would like to take those tests and
have industry that still consider them waluable.

[Alan Ford]

Hi Harpreet,
I have just passed my Test 340 with 80%. I purchased the Study kit from the Certification guide and was very very helpful. The Sample question kit they have is immensely useful. I got most of the questions from there.
I think just like there are heaps of sites offering Microsoft n Sun certification guide we now have one for the IBM software.
Believe me you will benefit a lot.
N Choksi
IBMC-WASv 4.0 & 5.0
Websphere Admin 340 Practice test thread
Good work Mahesh Chalil

[Alan Google]

Rajeev and Mahesh both work for the same company. If anybody who has taken that exam who isn't selling something would post their scores I would be very interested.

[Mahesh Chalil]

Originally posted by Alan Ford:
Hi
You still failed to explain how come that:
More than 50% of the questions were from your Question Set
It is like 2 students turning in same code and explaining:
well it probability...
Thanks for stoping the tread (I hopw that you will stop selling
real questions since I would like to take those tests and
have industry that still consider them waluable.

HI Alan
You forced me to reply to your thread once more:-) Yes, 50% of the questions might be there as I am just able to produce only those much for the exam from my sample practice questions which are similar to the real exam questions based on my understanding on the objectives.
If you look at my sample product of WSAD 285, (I didnt even write the exam) I have questions which are based on my understanding of the objectives and sample questions in IBM test. If you look at many exam simulators in the market, it is obvious that they are all PUTTING A BIG WRAPPER OVER THE REAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH LOTS OF OTHER QUESTIONS WHICH ARE NO WHERE NEAR TO THE REAL EXAM. Also, before I got into this business, I checked many simulators from Sun, Microsoft, and found that they are all doing the same business "Selling questions with wrapper questions over the real exam questions". I am sure, if this is not the case, Exam simulator industries wouldn't have survived and exam simulator companies cant say "99.99% success rate"
Anyway, as I mentioned before, for me it is a hobby business and I am enjoying it puttting my hardwork behind it. If I think, I am doing something wrong, I will never hesitate to let my customers know it.
Bye guys. Im on my trip to India.

[Alan Ford]

Originally posted by Mahesh Chalil:

If you look at my sample product of WSAD 285, (I didnt even write the exam).

Didn't write exam? Why not. Your guides are not helping you?
You do not understand how much you are hurting all of us on forums like this that are trying to help each other learn. If for $60 I can get
certified then that certification does not have any value when you go to look for job.

[Mahesh Chalil]

Right or wrong:

I stopped this website and no more providing service to anyone! Better not to take these kinds of thread on my head!

Thanks
-Mahesh

[Geoffrey Chu]

Took two years though.