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SCJA Prep

 
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Hey all,

I'm getting ready for the SCJA, which I have scheduled for Monday morning. I thought I'd create a thread on it to get some feedback on what my weak points are, and as to whether or not I am ready. For $300 and with no free re-take coupon, I HAVE to get this right the first shot.

Preparation: Started studying Java about three months ago with some previous programming experience(learned procedural C in high school). Have finished Head First Java, Head First OOA&D, and am halfway through Head First Design Patterns. I feel as though I've got a decent grasp on the language, in my opinion beyond the scope of the SCJA. However, my downfall is that because I learned relatively quickly and on my own I missed out on a lot of the nitty gritty. Additionally I picked up an IDE almost immediately, so that made my learning process a little bit...different.

In order to rectify the aforementioned two obstacles, I picked up Cameron's study guide. I've read through it once, and skimmed through it once. Let me just say that I'm very thankful (especially because of the J2EE stuff) that I picked this up prior to the exam.

The point: I'm going to use this post to document further my preparation. I'm currently taking Cameron's online mock exams, and if you guys don't mind I'm going to let you know how it goes, and which questions I get wrong. Any and all feedback is GREATLY appreciated. (Also: Thank you very much to the JavaRanch community. I have learned much from you all. And thank you Cameron, I definitely would have wasted $300 without your book.)

Update post-exams: I didn't do as well as I thought I would. Granted I am quite fatigued at the moment, and most of my mistakes outside of server/client technologies were carelessness, those two categories are nonetheless clearly trouble areas. I'm now feeling a little bit less cavalier, and a little bit more frightened. Luckily, I have literally nothing else to do for the next few days until the test. Except study.

My scores:
JDK Fundamentals: 90%
Java and UML Modelling: 80%
Java and OO Design: 80%
Server Technologies: 46% (Ouch!) =(
Client Technologies: 58% (Nearly-Equivalent-But-Not-Quite-Ouch!) =/
=, == & dot equals(): 80%
Total: 72% (Required: 68%?)

Missed Questions:

1. What is the result of running the following code:
String s1 = new String("www.examscam.com");
String s2 = "www.examscam.com";
System.out.print(s1.equals(s2));
System.out.print(s1==s2);

A. truetrue
B. truefalse
C. falsetrue
D. falsefalse

(Correct Answer: B)
(I chose A, figuring that s2 would know to pick up "www.examscam.com" from the common pool. Let me guess, a string doesn't go into the common pool if it has a non-literal creation?)

2. The challenge of updating and deploying new versions of J2SE desktop applications is made easier by:
A. browsers automatically downloading new applets as they are developed
B. browsers rendering the latest HTML served to them by Servlets and JSPs
C. Java Web Start Technology
D. Windows Update

(Correct Answer: D)
(Windows Update caters to JRE? Cool.)

3. Repeated form validation, where input data from the client is validated on the client side through JavaScript, and then validated again on the server side by a web based J2EE component, is required due to the fact that:
A. validation routines often fail
B. data can change between the client and the server
C. clients can accidentally submit forms twice
D. JavaScript can be turned off

(Correct Answer: D)
(I guessed A. I mean, I -really- guessed.)

4. Sizeable download times and a lack of control over the client environment are common drawbacks to a large scale distribution of which technology:
A. HTML
B. JavaScript
C. Java Applets
D. Java Portlets

(Correct Answer: C)
(I chose A. I suppose I see now why C makes more sense.)

5. Validation of HTML forms on the client side, before invoking a Servlet or JSP running on a server, should be performed by:
A. JavaScript
B. Java Applets
C. JavaBeans
D. HTML

(Correct Answer: A)
(I chose D. I don't know a thing about javascript =/)

6. Which of the following two are associated with distributed EJBs? (Advanced Question)
A. ties
B. stubs
C. skeletons
D. marshals

(Correct Answer: AB)
(I chose B and C. They sounded familiar.)

7. A number of complex, database interactions that need to be both transactional, and invoked by remote, network clients, should be organized and managed by:
A. a stateful session bean (SFSB)
B. a stateless session bean (SLSB)
C. a container managed persistence entity bean (CMP)
D. a bean managed persistence entity bean (BMP)

(Correct Answer: B)
(I chose C. I think that the word 'database' in this question was a deliberate red herring. I fell for it.)

8. Which of the following technologies have been plagued with the stigma of not being reliable in a workload managed environment?
A. Message Driven Beans
B. Entity Beans
C. Stateless Session Beans
D. Stateful Session Beans

(Correct Answer: D)
(This is a tough one. I know the function of all of these EJBs, but I certainly don't have a concept of their reputation.)

9. White pages, yellow pages and green pages are associated with which web services technology?
A. SOAP
B. WSDL
C. JAX-PRC
D. UDDI

(Correct Answer: D)
(I'm noticing a pattern here. I understand that SOAP WSDL and UDDI are involved with web services, and that they all ride on the magical carpet of SOAP, and that UDDI has to do with discovery, and that WSDL carries specific information about the XML, but I don't know anything more than that about them.)

10. Which of the following technologies typically work together to provide email capabilities?
A. SMTP
B. JAF
C. JMS
D. JavaMail

(Correct Answer: ABD)
(I don't know what JAF and JMS are. I'll check.)

11. XML is:
A. largely based upon HTML
B. a human readable format for transmitting data
C. decipherable by many diverse programming languages and environments
D. textual, as opposed to being binary or compiled

(Correct Answer: BCD)
(Er...hmm. I wasn't sure what XML was based on. I did ACD.)

12. Which of the following technologies helps to make Servlet and EJB technologies available to other Java platforms components, as web services?
A. SOAP
B. UDDI
C. JAX-RPC
D. WSDL

(Correct Answer: C)
(I don't know what JAX-RPC is. I'll check.)

13. Which of the following ideas provide for the most flexible API development:
A. instance variables should always be concrete classes
B. method parameters should be as general as possible
C. method return types should be as general as possible
D. interfaces should be factored out of classes with common methods

(Correct Answer: BCD)
(Honestly I couldn't quite figure out what D was getting at. I figured it was a test on whether or not I knew to use abstract classes instead of an interface when child objects have common methods, so I chose A)
[ July 10, 2008: Message edited by: Alex Birmingham ]
 
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hello and thank you for your valuable feedback.

I did the scwcd 2 years ago. Perfect preperation with
head first book and online exams, 3 months. I had Java knowledge
up to 6 years. But failed with score 60%, 62% is a must.

2 points, nobody mentioned:
- in the beginning they asked me 10 questions regarding my background.
since nobody ever mentioned that I m asking myself if this generates the
level.
- in opposition to 4 answer possibilities, I had between 5 and 7.

did you make similar experiences?

since this is something we have to deal with, I wanted to mention that to help others. I will now prepare for SCJA because I m convinced now 8 years
Java experience MUST have a cert. All the best for you, feedback welcome!
 
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Hi Alex
abt question 1:-
your are right, string doesn't go into common pool if it has a non-literal creation. when you create String using 'new', a new object is created and reference variable (s1) would contain memory location of that object
which would be different then the memory location of 'common pool' of string. remember == only compare bits (memory location of obj they are refering) in two variable.
if you not clear with my explanation, please go through chapter 10 (String comparisons) in Cameron study guide. I am confident it would be clear then
 
Vishal Gupta
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about question 13
I think D means - we should take out common methods from classed and put them in interface so that you need not to extend a class for common methods.
Also when you are going to write a new class which is in different class hierarchy, you can implement those common methods by implementing an interface hence giving flexibility
 
Vishal Gupta
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about question 10
JAF - JavaBeans Activation Framework
JMS - Java Message Service

as per correct answers you have mentioned, how JAF is involved to provide email capabilities?? I thought only SMTP and JavaMail are enough!!
Can someone help us?
 
Vishal Gupta
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about question 12
I though answer is ABC !!
JAX-RPC is Java API for XML based Remote Procedure Calls (please see Cameron study guide - chapter 4- J2EE protocols and Services)
but if you google JAX-RPC you would probably get this page - http://java.sun.com/webservices/jaxrpc/overview.html
and to understand it fully it seems we have to have webservices experience
 
Alex Birmingham
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Thanks a lot for your answers Vishal. I really hope someone else clears up some of these discrepancies before my test tomorrow! Wish me luck!
 
author and cow tipper
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Wow!

I put those questions online, but I never knew anybody ever paid any attention to them!

Thanks for the feedback. I'll punch those questions and answers up a little bit to make them even clearer. I love such feedback!

-Cameron McKenzie
 
Alex Birmingham
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PASSED! 70%!

Thanks Cameron!

FYI all: One thing that caught me off-guard was the term 'thin web client.' I'm not quite sure what this indicates, but it seemed to somehow be included in the phrasing of almost every J2EE-related question.
[ July 14, 2008: Message edited by: Alex Birmingham ]
 
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Originally posted by Alex Birmingham:
PASSED! 70%!

Thanks Cameron!

FYI all: One thing that caught me off-guard was the term 'thin web client.' I'm not quite sure what this indicates, but it seemed to somehow be included in the phrasing of almost every J2EE-related question.

[ July 14, 2008: Message edited by: Alex Birmingham ]



Congratulations!
Going for SCJP now?
 
Alex Birmingham
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Thanks Raphael.

I'm not sure about the SCJP. I'd love to have the certification, but I'd also love to have job experience, and at this point I need to start working towards one or the other... plus I've taken a hiatus from work over the last couple months to learn Java, but my savings are dwindling.

On the other hand, I'm looking over the SCJP objectives and I'm familiar and have written code implementing everything on the list. However, if the SCJP is anything like the SCJA, I need to be more than 'familiar' with these concepts. I need to know the nit, the grit, and everything in between.
 
Vishal Gupta
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Hey Alex ...This is great newz

Congratulations!!!

 
Cameron Wallace McKenzie
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Congratulations!

-Cameron McKenzie
 
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In regards to your missed question number 2...

2. The challenge of updating and deploying new versions of J2SE desktop applications is made easier by:
A. browsers automatically downloading new applets as they are developed
B. browsers rendering the latest HTML served to them by Servlets and JSPs
C. Java Web Start Technology
D. Windows Update

(Correct Answer: D)

In Cameron McKenzie's Mock Exam Questions Book for CX-310-019 on page 163 that very question is asked but the answer is given as C, Java Web Start Technology. I think there is a mistake in one of these places and I believe it's the online questions. Just a warning for anyone confused by this as I was! As Cameron writes in the book, "Sun's Java Web Start Technology makes it possible to update installed J2SE desktop applications, over a network, with just one click!"


By the way, CONGRATS on passing! I hope to do the same soon.
 
Cameron Wallace McKenzie
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Windows is never the right answer, no matter what the question is.

-Cameron McKenzie
 
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