Howdy Greenhorn!
Well, you ask someone "
Hey, is the SCEA a good exam?" And that person says "
Yeah, it's a great exam. I totally vouch for that exam." The person that says good things about the exam is the 'voucher.'
Dictionary.com - Vouch
Actually, to take the exam, you buy a 'Voucher' from Sun. You pay for the voucher, and then, using the id associated with the voucher, you go online and book your exam sitting through the
"testing center's" website. You pick the time and location where you want to sit the exam, and when that's finished, the online tool says "what is your voucher id", and you type that in, and then you go and write your exam. The
testing center then uses that 'voucher' id to get some $$$ from Sun to cover the cost of the testing, so you don't actually pay the testing center, Sun does, through the money you paid them for the voucher.
Is it a good system? Well, I'd 'vouch' for it.
Here's some info stolen from the JavaRanch SCEA Faq:
Where can I find information on Cost / Location of exam sites in <your country>?
Go to http://www.2test.com
Select your area of study (hint: IT)
Choose your country and state if applicable and click "Next"
Click "Schedule an appointment"
Select "Sun Microsystems" from "Client", and "Sun Microsystems (310,311)" from Program and click "Next"
Read the information on Sun (NOTE THE CONFIDENTIALITY CLAUSES) and click "Next"
Select "310-051 -- SUN CERTIFIED ENTERPRISE ARCHITECT FOR J2EE(TM) TECHNOLOGY" - The price should be displayed at the bottom of the screen
Click "Next"
See the listing of the testing centers in your Country.
Actually, check out the SCEA Faq. I think you'll find it interesting:
JavaRanch Sun Certified Enteprise Architect Exam Faq
-Cameron McKenzie