Passed Spring Certification with 88%

[Gavin Lasnitzki]

Hi,

I passed my Spring 3.0 Certification today with a mark of 88%.

Here is my story...
1. In March I passed my SCBCD and decided to follow it with a Spring certification. I applied to Spring via the Grandfather route. I think I must have been one of the last to be accepted via this path.
2. In July I started on my Spring 2.5 certification. I began by reading the reference doc and summarizing it.
3. My studies took a back seat until October, when I found Jeanne's Blog (super big thank you!!) and I switched to Spring 3.0
4. Using her notes as a base, I studied most weekends in Oct and sat the exam today.
5. Passed with 88%

My impressions...
The certification was MUCH easier than the Sun ones. The questions tend to concentrate on features and concepts and do not ask syntax and implementation.
The "difficulty" is the lack of resources (mock exams, notes, etc) which makes it very hard to tell what is in scope and what is not. Spring 3.0 was much better in this area as it had clear objectives.
The exam itself was of a good standard. Questions were clear, but a little tricky (especially with the use of negatives).

My wish...
SpringSource should open this certification up to anyone who pays for the voucher. Linking it to the training is a pretty poor effort. I passed the exam without going on the training. I now have a very good idea of how to use Spring and its many wonderful features. Come on SpringSource!!!

For the resources I used (and gathered) as well as my last minute study notes (based on Jeanne's notes), check out the link in the JavaRanch Spring Cert FAQ (http://faq.javaranch.com/java/SpringCertificationFaq)

Finally, a big thank you to all those who help me along by providing mock exams, hints and guidance. A special thank you to Jeanne!!

Cheers
Gavin

[Mudassar Hakim]

Congrats Gavin , I do hope the same if they could scrape the training from the certification its really expensive, hope they do that soon so that I too can go ahead for it , It would be really nice if you could share your notes since it would be better collated & compiled specifically for the exam, once again congrats

[Gavin Lasnitzki]

Hi,

If you want to look at my notes go to: http://springcert.sourceforge.net/
There are plenty of tips, resources, etc. at this site.

Please note that I have not gone back and updated my notes after the exam (other than reformatting them). The content is my guess "prior" to the exam. Also, there may be a large question database and I may only have see a very small sample. Best way to pass is to have a good understanding of all the "objectives" published by Spring Source.

As far as opening up the certification, I suggest you contact your local Spring Source representative and ask them why you have to attend the course before taking the exam.
Try http://www.springsource.com/content/contact-form-general-inquiries
or
The SpringSource Certification Program Coordinator: [email protected] or dial [phone]
(or both!!)

Cheers
Gavin

[Roberto Perillo]

Congrats for the achievement, Gavin! This is indeed a good certification to have! And it is nice to know that it is easier than Sun's ones.
I am now considering to go for it more seriously!

Now, I also agree that there's a lack of resources for this certification. I think it would be a good idea to update the SpringCertificationFaq and add a link to your study notes. You can edit it as it is a wiki. And thanks for sharing your experience with us!

[Jan Cumps]

Congratulations. And thank you for sharing your experience.

[Sevvel Kannan]

Congratulations !!! great score .

[Joe San]

Congratulations!