Wrote SCEA Beta Test Exam Today - Feedback on the Sun Certified Architect Exam Part 1

[Paul Croarkin]

Bryan,

Can you comment on the depth of JSF knowledge required for the test? In a real life scenario I probably would not pick JSF for the web tier, but rather something like Tapestry or Struts 2 (aka WebWork, but not Struts 1). I think it is important for an architect to be aware of the various frameworks, but not need to know the nitty gritty details of a particular one.

[Cameron Wallace McKenzie]

Quite a few questions on why inheritance is good, and why interfaces are good. Again, basic questions that seemed more appropriate for the SCJA Exam, and I think any of my SCJA students would have aced them.

Not sure how anyone could get the idea from that post that would imply that being able to read my SCJA book is enough for someone to pass the SCEA exam? Certainly not an assertion I was ever trying to make. Sorry to inadvertently confuse so many people.

-Cameron McKenzie
[ October 08, 2007: Message edited by: Cameron McKenzie ]

[Lorenz Baylon]

Hi Bryan, many thanks for answering my inquiries with your best. I think SCEA beta really is a big mystery good luck to all aspirants

[Flavio Oliva]

Since this is the main topic for feedbacks on SCEA 5, i'll be posting my comments here as well. Tomorrow, octuber the 10th, I'll be taking the beta test in Goiania, Brazil.

Wish me luck!

Good luck to me and and everyone else who is taking this test!

Flavio Oliva

[Darya Akbari]

Good Luck

[Konduru Srinivas]

Good Luck Flavio. Waiting for your feed back on the exam.

[Cameron Wallace McKenzie]

Good Luck!

-Cameron McKenzie

[Joseph Hinry]

Cameron -

Appreciate the efforts on this post. Regarding patterns, would you recommend studying the EJB design pattern strategies as well? Or should just focus on the general behavior of the pattern, as well as, benefits and drawbacks?

Joseph

[Flavio Oliva]

Here we go...


Here is my feed back about SCEA 5 beta exam.

Questioner: 15 questions about yout knowledge about the topic of the exam.
Number of questions: 153
Time consumed: 4 hours to answer the exam + 30 to review.

The question appeared on the following order: Security, EJB 3, SOA, scenario based questions, and finally, design pattern questions.

My advices are:

Study what security issues you can control programmatically and/or declaratively.

Don�t Study deployment descriptor.

Study applet access rights. Study what an authorized and an unauthorized applet can do in a client�s machine.

Study the relationship between EJB SLSB and Web Service.

Study the relationship between EJB SFSB and Web Service.

Study JPA. Make sure you know what scenarios you can use it.
When would you use JPA straight on a web container?
Small applications?
Simple application?
Applications needed to be developed fast?
Application used just for a few internal users?

Make sure you know the benefits of using the following architecture:
Web application + Session Bean (SLSB, SFSB) + JPA

Study the Web Service API. Read the definition of JAXB, JAXP, JAX-RPC, JAX-WS, (study what each API do � high level).

Study what is XML over HTTP and SOAP over HTTP.

You don�t need to know RMI port or JRMP port.

Study how CORBA RMI and JRMP get along. There will be questions regarding CORBA and JRMP.

Make sure you have a good understanding of all systems non functional requirements: maintainability, scalability, performance, etc. there will be questions on it.

Study Design pattern. Give special attention J2EE design patterns.

Study the benefits of the patterns.
Study the why people use patterns.
Study Composite View pattern.
Study Visitor Pattern
Study Business Delegate.
Study Value List.
Study Bridge pattern.
Study Prototype pattern.
Study Composite pattern.
Study FlyWeight pattern.

http://www.javacamp.org/designPattern/

On what concerns scenario based questions, well they were quite tough. I don�t really know what I can say about them. The best advices I can do about scenario based question is: read the question first then read the scenario. By doing that you would search on the scenario the information that would help you answer the question.

That�s about it yall.

HTHs!

Good Luck!

Flavio Oliva

[ October 11, 2007: Message edited by: Flavio Oliva ]

[ October 11, 2007: Message edited by: Flavio Oliva ]
[ October 11, 2007: Message edited by: Flavio Oliva ]

[Baskar Tiruchy]

Hi flavio

Appreciate your feedback on the exam . Its really helpful.

what security issues you can control programmatically and/or declaratively?

could you throw some light on this on what I need to study for the above question.

thanks
Baskar

[eduardo ferreira]

Flavio, was there any question regarding Java Web Start?

[Joseph Hinry]

Flavio - thank you for the useful information. I posted a question prior to your post for Cameron. Any thoughts?

Joseph

[Flavio Oliva]

what security issues you can control programmatically and/or declaratively?

I am not totaly sure but by using DD we can control control access right over URL and HttpServlet methods such as doGet and doPost.I think we can also control the roles that have access to URLs and methods.

by the way... make sure you know criptography algorithms both: synchronous and asynchronous. SHA, MD5, 3DES, blowfish, etc. there were questions regarding the usage of those algorithms. Make sure you know witch one are synchronous and asynchronous.

make sure you know the type security threats: man at middle, session capture, etc.

there is nothing on the exam talking about Java Web Start.

[Flavio Oliva]

Focus on patterns definiton, benefits and drawbacks.

Some design pattern question were quite difficult.

there were questions asking you to choose 3 benefits of a given pattern.

In my case, I knew 1 or 2 benefits but 3... well, I ended up guessing one of the benefits.

there were questions giving the pattern's definition and asking you the pattern's name.

best regards,

Fl�vio Oliva

[Joseph Hinry]

Flavio -

Thanks much. I will not concern myself with the j2EE strategies (there so many of them )

From your answer, I assume that I do not have to worry about the class diagrams and pictures of the design patterns. Is this a valid assumption?

Joseph

[Flavio Oliva]

yes;

[Konduru Srinivas]

Flavio,

Thanks for giving very good info about the exam.

[Narendra Dhande]

Hello,

Yesterday I wrote the exam. The exam is not too hard or too easy.
I think the exam pattern is little bit different for each one. I got lot of security related questions (about 30). About 10 on both design pattern. 3/5 on OO. Scenario based questions are tough. You really require some programming experience and deep level technical overviews to solves these problems as all the answers are technically valid and you have to choose the best. I left hardly 13 minutes for review. It is very difficult to concentrate on last 30/35 questions. I loose concentration in last half hour.

Thanks

[Cameron Wallace McKenzie]

Definitely sounds like Narendra, Flavio and I all wrote the same exam. I'm guessing that was the entire exam pool.

Thanks for adding to the post. Flavio's post really filled in many of the gaps that I had left out. I think overall, this is a very thorough and effective look at what the exam is all about.

Remember, of course, this is just beta. Certain topics or questions could be taken out for the final. Certain questions inevitably will.

I certainly agree about losing concentration by the end there!

-Cameron McKenzie

[Michael Work]

Thanks Flavio! Your input on the exam is really helpful. Just one question, in terms of the cryptography algorithm, I am aware of symmetric and asymmetric but don't know what is synchronous/async cryptography algo?

Can you please fill me in on what is synch/async crypto?

Thanks.

[arvin ramon]

You guys are the best... I am just following comments from Cameron and Flavio and tailoring my SCEA preparation since I do not have much days left for my beta test.

[Vijayagopalan Raveendran]

Thanks guys for the posts.

I'm giving the exam on 19 Oct, nice commnets on the areas to look into.

Thanks,