Hi everyone,
I got certified on Fri. and I would like to thank all the people who helped me, not only by replying to my posts, but also by clearing others's doubts.
I think the best way for me to say thanks is to share my experience about
SCJP exam here.
The only discussion group I joined is javaranch. I know there may be more good sites, but it is the best place for me to clear any doubts in
java, not just for exam. I checked the topics in the current page. It is amazing to find that I could have scored higher if I just have had gone through all the CURRENT discussions carefully. Other sites I would like to suggest is Marcus' page and maha's exam list. In fact, they are all I know.
Participating actively and reading posts carefully in this site will surely be helpful!
The only book I read is RHE. One time on old version, one time on the new version(2000). The new one is better. THe new final exam and three bonus exams are excellent! However, I believe you can pass if you just read any one of the books that others recommend. For myself, I think RHE COULD garantee >61% if you REALLY understand the book and the explanation to every question they give you. (though many people, as me, ususally do not really understand it even after you think you do
. Read it (or any other book you have) three times beofer taking the exam, my suggestion!)
I started my first mock exam last Sun. To encourage you, I list the scores of all mock tests I have taken
:
Sun RHE final ~50% JQ+ 1 ~40%
Mon JQ+ 2 ~40% Jammi ~65%
Tues JQ+ 3 ~50% RHE Bonus 1 ~70%
Wed. Marcus 1 ~80% (so frustrated, decide to try Marcus and decide not to cancel the exam at the end.)
JQ+ 4 ~50%
Thurs. Marcus 2 ~80% JQ+ 5 40%
Fri. 2 hrs before the exam, tried RHE 2 first 25 questions 15/25 (
).
(I finished every mock exam in about 1 hr. no double check.)
About JQ+: it is a wonderful software!
My JQ+ is the old one. I have thought to buy a new one on Wed, but I dislike the trial version because they gave the # of correct answers for each question, which makes it easier. However, it is tough and very informative. I wish I started to use it earlier, not for exam, but for reinforing my knowledge in Java. Unfortunately, for the OLD one, it was very agitaing to find even a single error in the answer, after you got only 40% the day before the exam.
I am pretty busy, so one week intensive work is the most I can afford. However, I found this site at the beginning of this year and already started to clear my questions in reading even before the mocks.
My final score is almost same as Marcus ( i did not try 3 because I have no time and Marcus himself said its format is not quite similar to the real exam). Anyway, great job, Marcus! I felt the real exam is very easy, unlike the old JQ+, no question make me totally lost. However, it is tricky (otherwise, I should get >95%
)! I have been lost in one "simple" question and thought Sun made a mistake, until I run the real program at home (how stupid I am >-( ! ). I think the exam is tougher than Marcus actually, but Marcus give no information about the # of right answers, so that is a balance. Jammi's exam is excellent, too. However, it is hard to retrieve a specific question so it makes it harder for me to review.
In addition, I tried Sandeep's selftest on
String (
http://www.tipsmart.com/javacert/selfreview/objequiv.htm ) the day before my exam. Thank God! I got so many questions String related and I got 100% in java.lang! BTW, I think you do NOT need "" when you fill your answer. For example, you want fill result as the answer, just fill it as it is.
At the end, any advices I gave are not valid for the people who want to score >90%. But I think I could probably reach it if I have another three weeks and have gone through all exams I have taken two times (include the rest of JQ+, RHE bonus 2&3 and Marcus 3). Everything, almost, is in them!
Hope it is helpful! Thanks again and I am expecting to learn more from you guys in the future.
Have a good weekend
Chris
