Hi Nithin Kumar,
First of all, a warm welcome to CodeRanch!
Nithin Kumar wrote:2) What is the difference in associate and programmer level certification?
Since Java 7, Oracle has split the certification in 2 parts: the OCA one is the entry-level exam and covers java and OO basics. The OCP is the more advanced exam and covers a lot of advanced topics (generics, threads, concurrency,
jdbc, file i/o, nio2.0,...). So you need to pass 2 exams to become OCPJP certified. Before Java 7 you only needed to take just 1 exam (OCPJP6) to become OCPJP certified, but this exam (of course) covers both java and OO basics and the more advanced topics (generics, threads, file i/o,...). So it's harder to pass for the OCPJP6 than it would be for the OCAJP7 or OCAJP8.
Nithin Kumar wrote:1) I am currently reading the 'Sun certified programmer for java 6 ' by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates. At first i thought of taking java 8, and then i read that i need to be atleast java 6 Certified if i take on java 7/8. What is the exam that i need to take on before i get into java 7/8.
If you want to become an
Oracle Certified Professional, Java Programmer, you can currently choose between 3 paths: OCPJP6 or OCAJP7+OCPJP7 or OCAJP8+OCPJP8 (there are no prerequisites for either of these exams). For the first one, you only have to pass one exam (as mentioned earlier); for both other paths you need to pass two exams (an entry-level and an advanced level). In
this thread you'll find an overview of all possible paths (OCPJP6, OCAJP7+OCPJP7 or OCAJP8+OCPJP8) you could take to become an OCPJP certified Java programmer. And
this thread also contains some valuable information about which OCA version to choose. So I would advice to read these threads and if you still have questions or doubts, just hit the reply button and let us know!
But if you don't have any specific reasons,
you should just go with OCAJP8 (and OCPJP8).
Another possible path is to take an upgrade exam. But this exam requires you have already a prior OCPJP (or
SCJP) certification. You can upgrade to OCP, Java SE 7 Programmer from any OCJP or SCJP version. And you can also upgrade to Java SE 8 OCP from Java SE 7 OCP or from Java SE 6 and all prior versions. More information can be found
here.
Nithin Kumar wrote:3) I am not sure whether to ask this in the forum, but since i am new to this community,I thought of writing this as well. Exam 310-065 is what is given in the material for java 6. I tried to search the https://education.oracle.com with this code, but i dint find any. However i found 1Z0-851 as the alternative for this. Are both exam courses same?
The
acquisition of Sun Microsystems by Oracle Corporation was completed on January 27, 2010. Now all the certifications are renamed: the equivalent of the SCJP is now the OCPJP certification exam. And also the exam numbers are renamed/changed. Exam 310-065 (old Sun exam) is exactly the same as
Exam 1Z0-851 (current Oracle exam).
In the
OcajpFaq (besides other very useful information) and
this thread you'll find an overview of all available resources (study guides, mock exams,...) to thorougly prepare yourself for the certification exam. And on the
OcajpWallOfFame you'll find plenty of (links to) experiences from other ranchers (including resources they have used). So it can be useful to determine which resources are useful (and which are not).
Hope it helps!
Kind regards,
Roel