How "authentic" are the Whizlab compared to the real exam

[Oddbjorn Lona]

Hi guys,

Anyone know how authentic the questions from whizlabs are compared to the questions at the exam?

Keep up the good work!!

[S Ali]

I hear they are a bit easier than the real thing

[Oddbjorn Lona]

Damn it

[Lucas Smith]

S Ali wrote:I hear they are a bit easier than the real thing

I heard that opposite

[Paul Anilprem]

You may also want to try Enthuware's JQ+. Attached is a list of scores that people have scored on JQ+ tests and the actual test, which will give you an idea of the relative toughness.

[Ken Truitt]

This is an interesting question--I don't think they are any more difficult in terms of logic than the real test.
What makes them tougher, and most of these 3rd party test prep packages, is that, in order to try and make
their product as valuable as possible, they include more of the api than is presented in K&B. I think I had a
question on ConcurrentHashMap, for instance. Then there's the two-argument version of String.split(), and so
on. These kinds of questions are guarranteed to keep your mock scores humble. But's that's not the worst thing in
the world, is it?

[Ankit Garg]

I feel that mock exams are usually harder than the real exam. Usually mock exam questions try to trick you on 2 or 3 concepts (like mixing generics, autobixing etc), but the real exam generally tries to trick you on one topic. So by trying different mock exams, you will know what type of pitfalls you can face on the real exam...

[medhaj hambi]

Does the real-exam cover questions on concurrentskiplist interface ?? The reason I was asking is they did include a few questions about that on the whizlabs software..

[Ankit Garg]

medhaj hambi wrote:Does the real-exam cover questions on concurrentskiplist interface ?? The reason I was asking is they did include a few questions about that on the whizlabs software..

No, it won't be asked on the real exams. Some of the questions in the mock exams are beyond the SCJP objectives, so you can ignore them. I guess they add these type of questions to make it more difficult as Ken said . But I believe that apart from questions like these, they are a good source to know all the traps and pitfalls that you might face...

[S Ali]

okay how about the pre assessment quiz on sun site ? how authentic is that

[avi sinha]

S Ali wrote:okay how about the pre assessment quiz on sun site ? how authentic is that

i think you are talking about the free proficiency test for scjp5.0 on sun's site. in my opinion the questions in the test are of the same level as that of real exam. you must get around 32-35 question correct in that for scoring good marks in the real exam.

i had scored 36/42 and got 91% in the real exam.

avi sinha

[S Ali]

i think you are talking about the free proficiency test for scjp5.0 on sun's site. in my opinion the questions in the test are of the same level as that of real exam. you must get around 32-35 question correct in that for scoring good marks in the real exam.

i had scored 36/42 and got 91% in the real exam.

avi sinha

nice to know ,thnx avi .

[avi sinha]

one more thing ,as per i know two questions in that test are related to topics which are not included in the real exam(scjp5.0).so don't worry about them.

avi sinha

[Sudeepa Basu]

I dont think Whizlabs ansering this question will make much difference right people. As my answer will be too biased, yet i shall make an attempt

We the difficulty level of Whizlabs mock tests are seen by different people differently as it depends on the individuals preparation level.

Hence my suggestion would be to take a free trial before you go for the full version: http://www.whizlabs.com/scjp-certification/scjp.html



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[Oddbjorn Lona]

Hey guys, thanks for many insightful answers!

Now, my real problem is this: I have taken all the exams bar the final test. I have gone through the objective test, scoring about average 50% on the first try on the objective tests. Reading the answers and learning heaps. Now, taking the tests i am scoring around between 70-90% on the mock exams, but i realise that all the questions in the mock exam appeared in the objective tests. I am trying to understand all the questions and answers, but i think my memory plays a trick on me since i do remember what the answers are on most of the questions - and therefore i am not sure how i will fare in the real thing....

Got 4 more days to study before taking the exam , so anyone have any good recommendations on an approach to nail this stuff ... ?

Cheers

[Henry Wong]

I am trying to understand all the questions and answers, but i think my memory plays a trick on me since i do remember what the answers are on most of the questions - and therefore i am not sure how i will fare in the real thing....

This is, IMO, a major concern. If you are taking the same mocks, over and over again, then even with tons of optional questions, there is a chance that you are merely getting higher scores because you are memorizing the questions and answers.

You *really* need to be honest with yourself, and ask do you really know the answer? -- and why is it the answer?

How "authentic" are the Whizlab compared to the real exam

This doesn't solve your problem -- in fact, it may hurt you.

If you happen to only memorize the answers, and if the real exam is different, then you'll fail, and have to go back to studying. This may be a *good* thing.

If by luck, it is close enough for you to pass, then you'll move on... not really understanding the topics. This means that you will fail later -- either during another test as a job candidate (or during the interview).

Got 4 more days to study before taking the exam , so anyone have any good recommendations on an approach to nail this stuff ... ?

IMO, instead of worrying about "nailing" the test, you may want to worry about understanding the subject.

Henry

[Monu Tripathi]

I concur with Henry here.

[I am just expressing my opinion here; if you are not interested please ignore]

You should remember not the question that helped you realize a thing or two above java but the syntax and semantics of the language construct instead. Dont waste your time wondering how accurately they model the real exam questions.

One of the aims of learning should be that the information gained should become natural, a second nature (like your name). Once, you've given the exam and cleared it, what you scored hardly matters. You wont even get it printed on the certificate. What matters is whether or not you understood the concepts and are able to apply them or understand their applications in programs. There are people who are certified yet they dont understand the language and then there are people who know the language better without even having the certificate.

All the best!

[Oddbjorn Lona]

Absolutely interested in opinions. What i was trying to say, is that i think i understand most of the concepts - obviously i fall into some of the traps, and keep mixing something, but most of the time i will be able to explain it to myself.

The thing i am concerned about, is that i guess there are topics that the mock exams won't touch, but will be there on the real exam. For example, there are only a couple of questions in relation to IO (f.ex BufferedWriter, PrintWriter) and I keep mixing these up. I sort of get the hang of the few that are tested on the mock exams, but concerned about the others..

And there is a bunch of other classes in relation to writing/reading to files which I don't really have the overview over (character streams. I mean, there is a lot of stuff to cover and there are alot of tiny details - for example which of the classes override hashCode (String, StringBuffer, Number, Byte).

Oh well, guess i am just nervous...

[David M. Anderson]

My own experience was that Sierra & Bates covered essentially everything that was on the SCJP exam. Regarding the APIs that you are unsure about, instead of looking for a mock exam that tests them, try writing some sample programs that use the various classes without looking anything up. Do it from memory. Writing code--and fixing the inevitable mistakes--will really reinforce your learning. (Use a regular text editor, not an IDE that serves as a crutch, and the command line tools, of course. You'll be tested on them, too.)

[Vinay Singh]

Read the Cathy Sierra and Bert Bates book.
The practice tests are meant to test your knowledge. Mock tests at Whizlabs, Enthuware, Skill Guru are meant for this purpose.

Try out these tests

Free SCJP 5 Mock test

SCJP 6 Mock test

Good luck.

[Dave Buchanan]

I am on Mock test III of the Whizlabs test for OCP Java 6 and I'm averaging 50%. I have taken 2 weeks annual leave in order to complete my studying and take the exam. Should I cancel my exam I only have 5 days left. I ask this question as the Whizlabs site states that my last mock result was a fail and I need to study more!. However it also states that 99% of people who purchased the preparation service PASSED. Though in a column next to my result it says "Percentage of total users who performed below you in the test. Percentage = Total Number of People who scored less than or equal to you x 100/Total number of people who took the test" Which has a value of 90.78%. Does this mean I am on track and should just keep pressing on??

I feel sick. Can anyone who has knowledge of these test Mocks enlighten me! Should I cancel my exam until I am getting 61% on these Mocks??? Feels like a tall order as this is my second attempt at the exam last month I failed by 1 mark. I kn ow I have gained alot more knowledge but the mocks don't reflect this am I kidding myself???


Please help!