Author/s : Mark Cade, Humphrey Sheil
Publisher : Prentice Hall
Category :
Java Certification
Review by : Jeanne Boyarsky
Rating : 9 horseshoes
I read the Cade & Sheil study guide in preparation for the
SCEA 5 exam. The book is short; only 189 pages; but contains a lot of info. What struck me was how little of the content was obscure. It serves as a good plan for studying/reviewing. I used it for reviewing since the content wasn't new. Most of the book covers the part 1 objectives along with sample multiple choice questions. The rest is for parts 2 and 3. I liked the notes about what differs in practice and the answer explanations about the exam creators think.
I didn't like the sample questions format. It was way too easy to see the correct answer while looking at the question making it difficult to see where you stand. It would have been nice to have them on a different page or in an appendix. Also, one of the answers was wrong. This is obvious from reading the answer explanation of course. I also felt the "background reading" sections were too thorough. It says the successful candidate must read the
EJB spec. This is malarkey. The successful candidate must have a high level view of EJB rather than know every detail of the spec.
When I read the book, I thought the questions were too easy. After taking the exam, I can say they were spot on in difficulty. Overall, I do recommend the book. It served its purpose well "to be a concise guide to getting ready for the exam".
