SCJP 310-035 Test Validity

[rachel keaton]

Hi,

I have been reading about the new upcoming SCJP exam, and I'm a little confused.
I have been preparing for the 310-035 exam for 2 months now, and I'm concerned about losing the chance to register for it. I wouldn't want to have to prepare for a new test now.
Does anyone know if there is a limit date to register for the current test?
Thanks,

Rachel

[Kalyani Marathe]

Hi Racheal,

I am not sure and I don't think there will be any limit as old exams are still available and they have upgrade exams too.
You can purchase a exam voucher which is valid until one year from the day you purchase, if you have plan to take it soon. Else you can wait.

Thanks.

[Nicholas Cheung]

I guess you dont need to worry about this, because you can see that, even SCJP 1.4 has been released for around 2-3 years, you can still take SCJP 1.2.

Thus, I guess even SCJP Tiger released, SCJP 1.2 and 1.4 will still be available.

Nick

[rachel keaton]

Thank you so much. Now I can study in peace!

[David Brafford]

You do not have to worry if you are preparing for
the 1.4 level exam.

They keep the older ( N - 1 ) version active
for situations like yours.

However, when the J2SE 5 version comes out, I'd
expect to see the 1.2 level exam disappear in 60 - 90
days, that is how it has worked in the past when new
versions were introduced.

Once J2SE 5 is out, there will be J2SE 5 and
the 1.4 level offering - the 1.2 version will
be retired ( that is how it was worked in
the past ).

Regards,

David Brafford

[Pete Knecht]

I have a concern related to Rachel's post.
For those of us about to take the 1.4 test very soon, would it be better to wait, study yet more, and take the new test?

Will there (eventually) be an upgrade test from 1.4 to 5?

I would like some practical advice on this, as I am virtually ready to take the 1.4 test, and will be seeking employment this summer using that cert (plus some ms certs), and I don't want to be rendered moot in Java as soon as I get certified. Another way to ask this, I suppose, would be to ask: will there be a significant lag time from an employment perspective before the new SE 5 exam becomes mandatory(or strongly preferred) as opposed to having passed 1.4? Some of you may well know of this from previous versions/exams.

I feel a bit of a conundrum: on the one hand I've put months into prepping for 1.4 and really want to get on with it, but on the other hand I don't want to submit a resume come July/August and have the majority of the responses be: oops, we need SCJP 5. Thoughts?
[ April 17, 2005: Message edited by: Pete Knecht ]

[Nicholas Cheung]

For those of us about to take the 1.4 test very soon, would it be better to wait, study yet more, and take the new test?

It depends on the needs. Up till now, there is no books for SCJP Tiger, and thus, you wait need to wait, say, for 1/2 year to start your study because you need to wait for the book as well. So, if you are hurrying in getting SCJP in order to go further, it is better to get SCJP 1.4.

Will there (eventually) be an upgrade test from 1.4 to 5?

Yes. The upgrade exam might come out around 1-2 months after SCJP Tiger is released.

Nick

[Pete Knecht]

Nick,
Thanks for your thoughts. Yes, good prep materials are a consideration...esp. for those of us who are very close to taking 1.4 now and don't want to wait too long. It's hard enough w/ good books (like K&B).

Just curious, what materials did you use to study for the beta version, then?

[Nicholas Cheung]

I used JLS together with the book
Java: The Complete Reference J2SE 5.0 edition

Nick