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Sharing my experiences

 
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Hi guys!
Here is a complement to the previous topic I posted yesterday:

The questions of the real exam does not look like the questions from the sample exam.
The sample exam is easier. Unfortunately I did not found many XML simulators in the Internet.
WizLabs simulator is not very good to test your knowledge. The real exam requires you much more.
An important tip: in some real exams, there are about 3 questions identical from the sample exam from IBM. So, do the sample exam a few times, until you memorize all the right answers.
I just bought a single book called "Professional XML - 2nd Edition". It is a great book. I read it 3 times and could learn a lot of things. The most important chapters are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 20, 24, 27. Beyond this book, I also downloaded a lot of articles and sample chapters. Read as many documents as you can. A single book is not enough.
I did not have any experience with XML. I started from the scratch. I never participated on a project involving XML. I decided to study by myself. And I did it! Some people say: it is essential that you have practical experience with XML, but this is not true. Of course it helps so much, but anyone who wishes to learn XML will learn. You just have to organize your time! In the last 4 months I studied about 4 hours a day (everyday).
The cause of my failure in the first attempt - well, I can say it is because I did worry with litle syntax details, I got too nervous because the time is too short, only 1 hour and half. And, to finalize, I did had not memorized all DOM and SAX classes and principal methods. There are many questions about DOM and SAX, and you have to know well them.
Many questions asking what is the best technology you can apply in a given problem. What is better, DOM or SAX? What is better, DTD or XML Schema? What is better, XSL-FO or CSS?
Study very much XML Schema! Read Roger L. Costello's articles about XML Schema and XSLT. Ther are very good!
About "Testing and Tuning" - some questions about ID, IDREF, KEY, KEYREF - when you should use these types.
The proportion of syntax questions to knowledge based question: syntax questions +- 40%, knowledge based questions: +- 60%.
Most of syntax questions were about XML Schema, DTD, XPath and XSLT.
Don't be afraid of don't pass in the first attempt. I confess the exam from IBM is quite different from the exams from Sun. They involve many concepts in a given question, and you have to know well all the possible solutions for that. Sometimes you have to know what is the BEST, wjat is the MOST applicable solution. When I was studing for the Java exam I found many test engines, but with XML it was different.
My next plan? Well, I don't know yet. All I need is have a rest now. Maybe I think about a new certification after some months. I guess now my resume became very good. I want to practice XML with Java in deep.
Read JavaRanch notes everyday! They contain very important tips and diverse experiences.
Read JavaRanch suggested sample chapters!

That's it, mates! I hope have helped all you.
And thank you very much!
Luciano Queiroz (lucianoqueiroz@yahoo.com)
Brazil
IBM Certified Developer - XML and Related Technologies
Sun Certified Web Component Developer for the Java 2 Enterprise Edition Platform
Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 2 Platform
 
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Thanks for providing detailed information.
Vasudha
 
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Thanks Luciano!
 
With a little knowledge, a cast iron skillet is non-stick and lasts a lifetime.
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