Welcome aravind,
There are a lot of answers in the frequently-asked questions in this SCJA forum:
JavaRanch's SCJA FAQ Pay close attention to Sun's SCJA Exam Objectives.
Sun's SCJA Exam Objectives You buy an exam voucher from Sun. You can study using the materials of your own choosing. Sun has classes and you can rent their website for 6 months to a year but it is WAY expensive.
The $100.00 for the exam voucher (maybe more in your Locale) doesn't include any study materials. The fee only includes the two-hour exam, a certificate, a lapel pin, rights to the SCJA logo, and Sun keeps track of your certification in their dtabase.
I bought both of Cameron's books and Sun's ePractice exams ($35.00 USD). (I got 94%).
Get the latest printing of Cameron's books directly from him because he improves them with every printing.
Buy Direct And Get the Best Editions After I took my exam at the Prometric testing center in my Locale, they gave me my score, but told me to wait until 4 weeks after passing to get my packet which includes my certificate and lapel pin etc. I was able to download the SCJA logo though and am going to put it on my resume.
I liked Cameron's books because they are the only books available that specifically cover the SCJA (unless you want to spend $600 to $2000 USD for Sun's materials or courses).
I liked Cameron's books too because they are a good overview of Java EE, UML, designing using interfaces, and programming to an interface.
I have a similiar background as you, having a CS background and having studied Core Java. Core Java covers the Java Language and the core of the Java SE API.
If money is tight, you can resell Cameron's books on Amazon.com and get most of your money back.
My exam voucher was good for a year and the ePractice exames (the $35.00 ones from Sun) were good for 6 months.
Kaydell
[ June 07, 2007: Message edited by: Kaydell Leavitt ]