How to fail in SCJP

[Bhushan Chhajed]

How to fail in SCJP?
�Start studying when the exam is just 5 days apart! Imagine that SCJP 6 is just another exam and you do not have to study hard for it.
�As you are a champ in C or Data structures or C++ and as you have prepared for Java paper at your university exams just few months back, you should assume that you will easily cram it!
�Be (over-)confident about your intelligence (in fact you should keep on reminding yourself about all those difficult questions you have solved so easily and all the programming achievements at your college and project (again which should not be in Java!!!)).
�Do not solve the problems practically on your PC, just go on reading them. :roll:
�Presume that the coordinators at the exam center will be very obliging to you and you will be having enough of water to drink and air to breathe in the cabin of examination. You may also suppose that if the testing software throws the �error 708� they will accept that it is an error that can in no way be triggered by the poor chap (of course at exam hour, its you!) who is trying to figure out what�s going on!
�Without appreciating the essence of codes and all the examples, just try to learn the two-minute drill and other stuff from K&B. Become happy when someone keeps on using the term �on the exam�� and do not worry about the overall knowledge you should possess about a given API or any other stuff. Also waste lots of time in understanding the befuddling language used in the book.
�Do not read Khalid Mughal.
�Believe that someone on Javaranch will help you out when you yourself don�t know what the problem is.
�Dream that the dumps you have arranged from your certified friend are the questions that the Sun Microsystems will put on exam!
�In spite of a very strict deadline on your head and a very tense scenario (you know your job depends on this certificate), do not feel stressed. You can still spend hours after hours thinking about the charismatic girl at your workplace whom you like so much�
�Do not forget to hunt for her in her college and at any other place where you might have a glance of her right on the day of exam!!! Her winsome smile and the beauteous moment will do the above mentioned job for you. Even if you are unable to find her, the target is achieved!
�Take keen interest and keep smiling when you see a post like this! Also don�t forget to reply�

[vaibhav mishra]

That's something funny yet insightful
and could you tell me what is error 708

[Theodore Casser]

On the other hand when I took SCJP for the first time (1.2, in March 2001), I only had five days to prepare.... and still passed.

Then again, though, it would have been a success if I'd failed - it had been setup by my superior with the intention of my failing (a very, very long story), but...

[Bhushan Chhajed]

Originally posted by vaibhav mishra:
and could you tell me what is error 708

Only if I would have understood what on earth does it mean!
Anyway, it is nothing to worry about. It was an error(exception!) that was thrown by the testing software when my exam was on the go. I guess it was first time that they were conducting Sun's exam. May be, because it was first time, something might have happened. I was at question 38 when the error occured and when they did lot of RND with the problem, it restarted at question 32! Even the time was rolled back. We were unable to figure out what it was!

[Bhushan Chhajed]

Originally posted by Theodore Casser:
it had been setup by my superior with the intention of my failing (a very, very long story), but...

In order to find out the very, very long story I went through your links and homepage! I was flabbergasted to see so many whopping certifications and such a vast knowledge base!!! I am simply speechless. I wish I could have only 50% of what you have someday. I cant refrain myself from appreciating your superb writing (Especially the "Love is" in your personal writing). I wonder how can there be a person with such a profound technical knowledge and the same passion for his hobbies at the same time. A look at your link can be a great inspiration for javaranchers.

[Saurabh Patil]

Originally posted by Bhushan Chhajed:
How to fail in SCJP?

�Do not read Khalid Mughal.

any specific reason for this??
I thought reading only kathy sierra is enof.

[Marcus Green]

"I thought reading only kathy sierra is enof."
We usually refer to that book as K&B as Bert Bates is one of the co-authors.

Although the Sierra and Bates books is excellent and you can almost certainly pass using only that, most people benefit hugely from using more than one source.

The Khalid Mughall and Rasmussen book contains more material than K&B and in my opinion goes into more depth. So if you are going to risk the cost of taking the exam, go for more than one book.

[Theodore Casser]

Originally posted by Bhushan Chhajed:
In order to find out the very, very long story I went through your links and homepage!

Heh. I don't keep it there, for obvious reasons. Well, the most major reasons are because I happen to dearly like the (now former) supervisor who put me in that circumstance, and I understood (and, indeed, agreed with) the rationale for making me do that.

The short version was this - it was 2001. My company was involved in near-shore outsourcing for Java development, and as a way to distinguish ourselves in the marketplace, the president/CEO of our company thought it important to get everyone certified. The programmers in our office in Mexico, though, were unwilling out of fear that if they failed the exam they would be fired. The solution: make the programmer in the US go take the exam, under circumstances that should ensure he'd fail (namely because I was still a beginner in Java at the time, and 5 days of prep ought not be enough to learn the parts I didn't use), and then keep him on. The theory was sound - my supervisor told me on Monday at lunch that a voucher had been purchased for me and the exam scheduled for that Friday.

The problem was that I passed. I'm not horrifyingly proud of my score, but it was good enough to get the certificate. (The fact that I've recertified since probably ought to prove that, indeed, I know my stuff and that it wasn't quite the fluke it looks like.) I wouldn't recommend the five-day rush though to anyone.

As for the poetry/writing... thanks. Have to do something when the wife yells at me for programming outside of work.

[Joe San]

Good tips for not passing the SCJP!

[Bhushan Chhajed]

Originally posted by Saurabh Patil:


any specific reason for this??
I thought reading only kathy sierra is enof.

It is my personal opinion.
Although, K&B is the most recommended and celebrated book for SCJP, I will appreciate KM&RR much, much more.
The way that the material is cultured is simply awsome! They have discussed everything for basic java with complete justice. If you have to be au fait with basics of Java, you will love to read Khalid Mughal. Actually, it is not available for SCJP 6 (I have searched ABC of Pune too...), but still, the complete understanding of working of operators, the bit manipulations, the philosophies of OO, threads, ..., it is great! I have finished reading it yesterday and I am feeling contented.
Other way round, my friend who had scored 98% was the one who said me that I should thoroughly read Khalid Mughal. Perhaps, while going for certfication, our target is not only to get the certificate but master the subject, isn't it? K&B is good, no doubt about it, but it is too exam centric. I have read the first 4 chapters of K&B twice (only if I would have done it before ) and if I sit to compare, I will grade Khalid Mughal much higher. Actually, who am I to grade? Its clearly a personal opinion.

[Campbell Ritchie]

Originally posted by Bhushan Chhajed:
�Believe that someone on Javaranch will help you out when you yourself don�t know what the problem is.
�Dream that the dumps you have arranged from your certified friend are the questions that the Sun Microsystems will put on exam!

bad luck, but that is one of the best posts I have read recently!

We do try our hardest here at JavaRanch, but we can't guarantee to succeed. And the dumps are not only unreliable, but also breach of copyright, so we make sure not to permit such dumps here on the Ranch.

[Bhushan Chhajed]

Originally posted by Campbell Ritchie:
bad luck, but that is one of the best posts I have read recently!

Thanks a lot!
Regarding dumps: I had no other option under strict deadline. I am preparing hard for SCJP 6 and will try not to go for dumps...

[Saurabh Patil]

Originally posted by Marcus Green:
"I thought reading only kathy sierra is enof."
We usually refer to that book as K&B as Bert Bates is one of the co-authors.

Although the Sierra and Bates books is excellent and you can almost certainly pass using only that, most people benefit hugely from using more than one source.

The Khalid Mughall and Rasmussen book contains more material than K&B and in my opinion goes into more depth. So if you are going to risk the cost of taking the exam, go for more than one book.

Hi Marcus,
I also agree that khalid moghuls book is in depth than KS book, but khalid moghuls book is on java 1.4 right? and not yet released for java 1.5 (correct me if I am wrong) thats why I am reading ks book...otherwise I would have happily read khalid moghuls book.

Regards,
Saurabh

[Bhushan Chhajed]

Originally posted by Saurabh Patil:


Hi Marcus,
I also agree that khalid moghuls book is in depth than KS book, but khalid moghuls book is on java 1.4 right? and not yet released for java 1.5 (correct me if I am wrong) thats why I am reading ks book...otherwise I would have happily read khalid moghuls book.

Regards,
Saurabh

Hi Saurabh,
Khalid Mughal is released for SCJP 5!
I just saw the coverpage yesterday. I think it is available in book stores.
Check it out.

[Marcus Green]

"Hi Saurabh, Khalid Mughal is released for SCJP 5!
I just saw the coverpage yesterday. I think it is available in book stores."

I doubt it is available in the shops yet, I was one of the technical reviewers and I sent in the final chapter review about a week ago so it seems unlikely to have made it through the production/supply chain yet.

However the reason I mentioned the 1.4 version of the book is that Mughall and Rasmussen go into a startling amount of detail and are an excellent resource to cover all material not on the 1.5 and 1.6 exam.

(And by the way the 6 book will be awesome)
[ August 23, 2008: Message edited by: Marcus Green ]

[Ankit Garg]

alas you failed the exam . I also think the Khalid Mughal book is good. I have read it when I was studying for SCJP 5.0. At that time the 5.0 topics were not in the book and were available in a LIGHT version on their site. But now that it is available then one should at least give it a reading....You see both the K&B and Khalid Mughal books are good. But both are incomplete in some sense or the other...So go through one of the books and then the other one will give you information on the topics that are missed in the other....

I recommend to read the K&B book first as it follows a simpler approach of explanation....

[Mayur Somani]

both are incomplete in some sense or the other

I completely agree with you, Ankit. Both books complement each other. So if you are preparing for SCJP then read both books.

and yes somebody rightly said,

Success and failure are greatly overrated. But failure gives you a whole lot more to talk about.

[Marcus Moreno]

Where can I get this book?

Is it this one:
http://www.ii.uib.no/~khalid/pgjc2e/index.html

Well, that one seems to be pretty old, from 2003!?

So is is old version covering 1.4 really worth it if you want to do the 1.6 exam?!

An updated version seems to be released in 2009, but that's to late for me..
:-(

[Mayur Somani]

@Marcus Green

Can you please post the link of the page where you got the info about the khalid Mughal 1.5 book?

Thanks

-Mayur

[Bhushan Chhajed]

Originally posted by Marcus Green:

I doubt it is available in the shops yet, I was one of the technical reviewers and I sent in the final chapter review about a week ago so it seems unlikely to have made it through the production/supply chain yet.

I have confirmed the availability of book.
The book is titled for SCJP 5, but...
It is exactly same as SCJP 1.4 book!!!
How's this paradox?
Actually, the pages are all same, but you are provided with a link for updated topics on the coverpage itself.
This is how it is updated for SCJP 1.5!
I was unable to peep enough inside the book...

I don't remember the link exactly, but may be one of these...
http://www.ii.uib.no/~khalid/pgjc2e/index.html
http://www.ii.uib.no/~khalid/atij/atij-Java-1.5-web/Java-1.5-Light-2x1.pdf
Please correct me if I am wrong.

The book is available in Pune, Mumbai, Nasik... Maharashtra, India.

[Ankit Garg]

Originally posted by Bhushan Chhajed:


I have confirmed the availability of book.
The book is titled for SCJP 5, but...
It is exactly same as SCJP 1.4 book!!!
Actually, the pages are all same, but you are provided with a link for updated topics on the coverpage itself.

I already have that book....It's good for preparing older topics. But the added chapters available on the internet are not that comprehensive. But it's worth one reading before/after the K&B book...

[Marcus Green]

Disclaimer
I do not speak for Mughall and Rasmussen in any way at all, I am just a fan of their writing and I have been (very) slightly involved in reviewing some of their work.

There is no 1.5 book, there is some text provided for owners of the 1.4 book that should be of considerable help with the 1.5 exam but no 1.5 book. Book selling web sites such as Amazon can often be very misleading, for definitive information you should go to to the publishers or authors web sites.

[Sudeepa Basu]

Very insigtful...

[Bhushan Chhajed]

Originally posted by Sudeepa Basu:
Very insightful...

Thank you so much...

[M Kothawade]

Hi Bhushan,
Your post was insightful. I will surely try to get one more source other than K&B.

Let me know if you have come across this book -- http://www.javabeat.net/tips/165-scjp-60-certification-rehearse-it-try-it.html -- and how would you rate it.

By the way, I already have Khalid Mughal's book (for SCJP 1.4) but I want to be exam-centric right now.

Let me know if you have anything else to suggest for better preparation.

[Punit Singh]

Ohhh my god how many books you will read .
Just refer one book and do lots of programming, and do lots of discussion, debates on javaranch, that will only clear all the doubts. Just reading book and giving exam is not enough.

Just try to cover as many mocks as possible. If you are lost in any concept than again go inside the book or ask in javaranch, many concepts that people are asking here like Ruben , are not covered in any books or even JLS.

Just read one book, read JLS also, and for API part read JavaDocs and do lots of programming, make notes of APIs, it is enough.

If you are reading lots of books, you are confusing and harassing yourself.
[ December 29, 2008: Message edited by: punit singh ]

[M Kothawade]

I bought K&B and read it. I bought Mughal but haven't read it. Since I am concentrating only on exam right now, I was planning to have another book which is also exam-centric.
About mock exams, I would be trying all the mock exams provided with K&B. I will also check out mock exams available with Mughal book.
About the JLS and API doc, I guess it would be overwhelming for me right now and also JLS and API would also be covering topics which fall outside the scope of exam.
Anyways, these were useful suggestions and I would have really tried out these if I had plenty of time available.
I ordered exam voucher last week and I got one with expiration date of 4/2/2009. So I am trying to put my time to best use.

[Robin John]

HI All,

Good reasons to fail....

but just one reason to pass.. THE PASSION...

Dont mug things up only because you want to pass... LEARN is the key word... i bet the guys on the top want you to be proficient in that language...

BELIEVE ME...ITS GOOD TO FAIL WITH A LOW SCORE RATHER PASS WITH A MEDIUM SCORE... THIS TIME PASS WITH A GREAT PERCENT.... STUDY HARD...ALL THE BEST!!

ALL -
Javaranch never mentioned to anybody that its the guide to pass the exam...
and K&B's initial pages and disclaimer says its not for learning Java and its concepts, but only for PASSING THE EXAM !!... however it clears your concepts though ... so everybody is right in their places..... so STOP COMPARING !!

Hoping to see many rules to pass from you...

Regards,
Robin.

[Paul Kay]

Nice post Bhushan. So very true.

And the brilliant punchline ...

Bhushan Chhajed wrote:
Take keen interest and keep smiling when you see a post like this! Also don�t forget to reply�

Wish you all the best for next attempt.
- Paul

[Vinay Dinakar]

How about "Thinking in java" by Bruce Eckel. I read K & B , now started reading "Thinking in java" . Its a very good book..

[Aniruddha Ashish Bhattacharya]

I would say this was an awesome post.
Mostly, there are people like me who join this great forum when they start preparing or thinking about certification. Initially, it is only about reading the posts by various people and seeing other's replies. Appreciate the fact that there are people like Ankit and Punit who have gathered so much knowledge and interest that they feature in almost all posts.
I have seen so many posts that tells you how to pass the exam, but this is the first post of its kind which highlighted the mistakes of a common man.
Thanks Bhushan, I think many of us will relate to the mistakes you mentioned and all of us will come out winner one day.

[Antriksh Verma]

Thanks Bhushan Chhajed ..

It was an Eye-Opener to all the SCJP Exam Takers. [For Me Too :idea:]. Really Awesom Post, thanks .
Through this indistinguished post,You have made me more determined .N Most of above you have heaped up the DO NOT DO POints if one wants to clear[Excellently] the exam. REally Thaks Boss!!

Robin John , you are Right its all "PASSION" what matters in everything.

Thanks for all your [Tactical] Boost up ..
Antriksh

If you're not on the edge, you're taking up too much room. -- Bert Bates

[Raza Khan]

i would appreciate Theodore!!! he seems to be an intelligent guy....

[Christina Gacek]

This is such a FANTASTIC post!!!
Genuinely insightful!
I failed in SCJP a week back and was appallingly depressed. Your post, Ms Bhushan, have given me new life and vigour to fight. I now realize that it was my own mistake and also that I am not the only one! I cannot articulate enough how much I owe you.
I wish I could have met you in person to thank you. Thank you so much and thanks a lot to the forum.
I hope you all be with me for my next glorious attempt.

[Prithvi Sehgal]

Hello Christina,

Welcome to JR.

This post is very old. Please for such kind of topics, try to initiate the new thread rather then awakening the dead giant.
It is against the JR policy.

HTH,

[Dishi Jain]

Hi All,

Edit by Bert: It appears that Dishi is pointing to a site where you can illegally get a free copy of copyrighted material that the author spent hundreds and hundreds of hours creating.

REMOVED link to illegal site.

All the best,
Dishi

[Vishal Kashyap]

GREAT!!!
points, don't to remember while preparing for OCPJP Exam.

thanks.

[ujjawal rohra]

Hey Prithvi how are you??
Remember me....
I used to ask questions and you used to answer a lot of them..But from a few days i didnt see your name..

When I read this thread I also liked this post and thought of replying to it but when I saw the date
But I must say its a very nice post specially from the person who has failed an exam..

Thats the spirit..

[Prithvi Sehgal]

Hey Ujjwal,

Great to see you mate. Yes i was kind of struggling with my bad health thats why out of scene.
You still around the forum. Good to see you.

BR,