First off, I do enjoy many of the other certification books and respect the authors of each greatly. Jeanne and I tried to be very precise about what you need to know for the exam, focussing on building a strong foundation that leads up to the objectives. It can be tough at times, though because some topics, while out of scope, are quite interesting, so some pages do end up on the cutting room floor. Overall, we tried to present the material in as interesting and organic a way as possible, while still preparing you for the exam.
As we were also cognizant of the kinds of tricks and subtleties the exam writers tend to use, we strived to provide a solid understanding, such that if you grasp the material well, you shouldn't be surprised by anything you see on the exam. And if you can successfully answer our practice questions, we're confident you'll do well on the exam. Like some other authors, we tried to write them slightly harder than the real exam questions, to better prepare you for the real exam. For example, in many questions we say "Which statement is true about the following code? (Choose all that apply)" without telling you if there or 1, 2, or 5 correct answers.
Keep in mind, we are at present one of the few
Java OCA 8 certification books available.
Finally, if none of that interests you, we tried to use Zoo animals as often as possible in examples.