Finally got around to sitting the XML exam. I had to set a date to really force myself into action, so last week I got on the Thomson Prometric site, pulled out the credit card (Visa, 4940� hang on!) and chose a time.
I guess working on XML based trading systems all day made me a little complacent, but coming into study for the exam I didn�t think there�d be much to do. Needless to say, XML is such a broad topic, that there were several areas I didn�t know anything about (XLink anyone?) and my depth of semantic knowledge in other areas was more than a little lacking from an exam perspective.
Anyway, the exam took me a little over an hour, and I passed with 83%. I�d hoped for more, but I�m not disappointed considering my preparation.
Time spent in preparation:
* about 3-4 hours a week for six weeks
* about 8 hours a week for next two weeks
* about 8 hours total over last weekend
Study materials:
* Mastering XML - this was the main book I used at the beginning. Unfortunately it is rather out of date in many areas, and didn�t cover some topics like XML Schemas that hadn�t become W3 recommendations at the time of writing.
* XSLT - I�d read that this book my Michael Kay would be invaluable when studying for the exam, but the truth is I�m not sure I even opened it!
* XML Bible - by Elliotte Harold. This was a worthwhile book, but again, my edition was a little out of date. It was more useful than Mastering XML
* Processing XML with
Java - Elliotte Rusty Harold - this book was irreplaceable for learning about DOM and SAX. Anyone learning XML should read this book (whether they work in Java or not)
* w3schools.com - an excellent resource for delving into XML, particularly in the areas of XSLT, XSLFO and XML Schema. Very highly recommended.
* Javaranch XML Certification forum - Another excellent resource. Questions asked in this forum and the XML forum are always promptly responded to, and users like Hari Vignesh Padmanaban have a very detailed knowledge on the tricks required to become certified.
* WhizLabs exam simulator - this was essential, I would not have been ready for the exam without it. However, I think some of the XML Architecture questions must have been written by someone who has not architected a commercial XML application/system, as they were not clear and in some cases incorrect. Aside from that, it was an excellent resource
* XML Certification Success - Part 1
* XML Certification Success - Part 2
* XML Certification Success - Part 3
Many people (and IBM) had recommended the WROX book Professional XML, but I couldn�t find a new copy anywhere, and from my experience I don�t think its necessary to track one down. There are plenty of other good resources on XML these days.
The Exam:
Lengthwise, the exam took me a little over an hour. There was even a noisy course being run in the room next door. The 90 minutes given is very generous for this exam.
As noted elsewhere, the most important areas to learn are XSL, XML Schema, SAX and DOM. I would say that 60-70% of the exam was covering these areas.
Overall, I feel a lot more versed in XML now than before, particularly from a system design standpoint and with some semantics. Most importantly, when I don�t know the answer to something, I at least know how to find out, which is often half the battle.