OCPJP Java SE 8

[Jude Niroshan]

Hi All,
I want to do the Java Certification exam for java 1.8. I don't have any experience in these exams. I want to know is this certification is available and will i be able to do it online? I have some knowledge in java, but java 8, i've still only heard the name.So i need to learn the newly added features before i sit for the exam.Is there anyone who has done it online?

Thanks in Advance!

[Roel De Nijs]

Hi Jude,

You can't take the exam online! That would be easy to pass: you click on a link and one of your java guru friends answers the questions for you. You have to take the exam in a Pearson Vue exam center.

Your topic title suggests you want to take the OCPJP8. That requires also taking and passing the entry-level OCAJP8 exam. As you can see here, the OCAJP8 isn't released yet. And for the OCPJP8 exam the whole process (defining the exam objectives, creating and the beta exam) has not yet started. When the beta exam is released you can take it for 50$. After you took the beta, you have to wait several months before you know if you passed the exam. So if you really want to stick to OCPJP8 you can do only 2 things: wait for the exams to be released and prepare yourself in the meanwhile.

The OCAJP7 and OCPJP7 exams are already released. So maybe that's an alternative. For these exams you have also some study guides available (have a look at OcajpFaq and OcpjpFaq). And when you have passed both exams, you can take the upgrade exam to become OCPJP8 certified.

Hope it helps!
Kind regards,
Roel

[Jude Niroshan]

Hi Roel,
Thanks for the reply. I would think that it would be better to do java 1.7 certification. Because i want to have a java certification in a hurry before my semester starts. (Spending my semester break now ) I live in sri lanka and i searched and found, all the places where i can do the certification is only doing it for java 1.6. You mentioned about 'Pearson Vue exam center'. I could find one place near to my place. How this all happening. I have no idea about this. Will they conduct online lectures? or only provide the facility to sit for the exam?

Regards,
Jude

[Roel De Nijs]

It all depends on your needs. If you want training/courses to prepare yourself for the certification exam, you can look at oracle's website for certification discount packages. These packages are offered in different formats: self-study, live virtual class, classroom,... These packages are not cheap at all and include a voucher to take a certification exam.

If you want to prepare yourself using a study guide and/or online resources (like these excellent forums ), then you'll need the pearson vue website to schedule your exam.

[Tina Smith]

The Pearson Vue exam center's job is to provide the facility to sit for the exam, and supervise you while you are writing. Any exam preparation is your responsibility. As Roel says, you can take certification preparation classes from Oracle (or others), or you can purchase a study guide, use online resources like these forums or use Oracle's Java tutorials. It depends on money available and preferred learning method. I like study guides + practice, but that is my preference. There are practice tests available for purchase as well to give you an idea how well prepared you are before actually writing the exam.

To pass either of these exams, practice is very important. The exams are multiple choice, but most of the questions require you to read and interpret Java code. There are very few "pure theory" questions.

There are two exams that most people write to get their Java 7 certifications. (or 1.7 if you prefer, they're the same)
The first is the Java 7 SE Programmer I (also called OCJA7 or OCJAP7). Passing this exam gives you the designation of "Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 7 Programmer". This is the "basic" Java exam; it tests entry level Java/programming knowledge. Programmer I Exam Details

The second exam is the Java 7 SE Programmer II (also called OCJP7 or OCPJP7). If you pass this exam, you earn the title "Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 7 Programmer". It's considered to be a more "advanced" certification and deals with Java-specific features. In order to write this exam you must have passed the Programmer I exam. Programmer II Exam Details

Once you've prepared for each exam, you need to log onto the Pearson VUE website to schedule the exam. When you schedule, choose the exam center you wish to write at, the time to write (from available times), and pay for the exam. When your appointment arrives, you show up at the exam center, sign in (bring your ID), and write (and pass) the exam .

[Roel De Nijs]

Tina Smith wrote:The second exam is the Java 7 SE Programmer II (also called OCJP7 or OCPJP7). If you pass this exam, you earn the title "Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 7 Programmer". It's considered to be a more "advanced" certification and deals with Java-specific features. In order to write this exam you must have passed the Programmer I exam. Programmer II Exam Details

I like to add 1 small correction to an otherwise excellent post. There is no set order to complete the exams. So you can take the OCPJP7 exam before the OCAJP7 exam. Because of contradictory statements on the official certification exam webpages, I asked the Oracle Certification Program team and posted their answer here. That's why I know

[Jude Niroshan]

Hi All,
Thank you for all your valuable answers. I asked from a very senior Java architect and he advised me to do the Java 8 exam. I'm really sorry if you feel i'm changing my topic. I looked in oracle site they say the beta exam will be available in next few months. Kathy Sierra's Java certification exam book for java 8 is also not available as oracle hasn't officially released the exam for java 8. I decided to do the java 1.8 certification exam. (OCJP).
I don't have any other certifications yet. Can someone please suggest me good books(Java 8) for me as i'm still new to java?
Thanks,
Jude

[Roel De Nijs]

Jude Niroshan wrote:I asked from a very senior Java architect and he advised me to do the Java 8 exam.

If you are not stuck to some time frame (let's say 1st quarter of this year), there's no problem at all to take the Java 8 exam. You should know it might require a long time, before you get OCPJP8 certified. If we have a look at the OCA 8 exam (the entry-level certification, part I): the beta version was announced/open on August 31, 2014. You could take the beta exam until November 15, 2014. People who took the beta exam will know if they failed/passed approximately January 26, 2015. So with the same periods for the OCP 8 exam (the advanced certification, part II), you'll probably not get your certification before mid 2015.
On the positive side: you have plenty of time to prepare yourself thoroughly without rushing yourself to get certified as soon as possible. So you get the most out of your certification!

Jude Niroshan wrote:I don't have any other certifications yet. Can someone please suggest me good books(Java 8) for me as i'm still new to java?

For OCA 8, this one is as far as I know currently the only one on the market. Available as ebook, but soon to be released as paperback as well I believe. For OCP 8, no exam objectives, no (beta) exam yet, no study guides.

Hope it helps!
Kind regards,
Roel