From SCJP 1.4 to OCP 8 ?

[Giovanni De Stefano]

Hello guys,

I hold a SCJP 1.4 (yes I am that old...) and I would really like to freshen up my skills and certifications.
My goal is to pass Exam 1Z0-809 (OCP 8).

I understand that I can sit for this exam directly as I have already an older certification, is this correct?
What do I need to provide as proof of my older certification? Or does Oracle already know?
Considering I passed SCJP 1.4 in 2004, I have no idea where I put my certificate... :-(

My strategy at the moment is to go through both books:
OCA: Oracle Certified Associate Java SE 8 Programmer I Study Guide: Exam 1Z0-808 (in progress)
OCP: Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 8 Programmer II Study Guide: Exam 1Z0-809 (yet to buy)

And after I am done with them practice as many mock exams I can find.

Do you think this approach is efficient? Is there anything else you would recommend?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Cheers,
Giovanni

[Scott Selikoff]

Giovanni De Stefano wrote:I understand that I can sit for this [1Z0-809] exam directly as I have already an older certification, is this correct?

Not exactly. Yes, you can take the 1Z0-809 exam but you would not be granted the OCP title if you only took the Java 1.4 SCJP.

You have two paths forward:

- Take the 1Z0-813 OCP 8 Upgrade exam. It's a modified version of 1Z0-809 for those holding a Java 1.6 or earlier certification
- Take the 1Z0-808 (OCA 8) and 1Z0-808 (OCP 8) exams

Obviously, taking a single exam is cheaper/less time consuming than taking two exams. That said, the OCP exams are significantly more difficult than the OCA exam, so it might not be a bad idea to take the OCA 8 exam as a way to prepare you for the harder exam.

As far as validating your previous certification, I'd login to Oracle Certview service and see if it shows up. A lot of things changed hands when Oracle bought Sun, but if you saved your previous certification information or number, you should be able to get it loaded there. My old 1.4 cert still shows up, although I think I had to contact customer support. Either way, make sure the 1.4 cert shows up before signing up for the 1Z0-813 certification, else the title won't be granted.

Lastly, Jeanne and I updated our OCP 8 book right before it went to print to include a 50+ page appendix for those taking the 1Z0-813 upgrade exam. In short, there are topics on this exam, not found on the full exam. Some make sense (they are on the OCA 8 exam)... some do not (they are on the OCP 7 exam but not the OCA/OCP 8 exams).

[Giovanni De Stefano]

Hello Scott,

Thank you very much for your clarification.

I could log in but there is no trace of my SCJP 1.4 certification...not that I could find anyway...

I will continue studying for OCA and in the meantime perhaps I will even find my old certificate (my mum perhaps has it :-)).

Thanks again!
Giovanni

[Scott Selikoff]

Do you have any emails or papers from when you originally took it? My memory's a little blurry, but I believe Sun issued you an ID number of some time when you passed it.

You could try contacting Oracle Certview support, they are sometimes able to locate and attached it to your account.

[Giovanni De Stefano]

I just checked my dear Gmail account and I can see emails all the way back to 2006...so it looks like I deleted emails older than that...

But I will definitely keep your advice in mind in case I find the paper certificate.

[Giovanni De Stefano]

Hello Scott,

My mum found the paper certificate, it looks a lot like this one that I have found on the net:

As you can see there is no id :-(

I will try asking Oracle Certview support...you never know.

If I manage to get my certificate show up on Certview, I will go for 1Z0-813 OCP 8 Upgrade exam.
Do you think this (your) book will be enough? OCP: Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 8 Programmer II Study Guide: Exam 1Z0-809

Cheers,
Giovanni

[Scott Selikoff]

Since we have an appendix devoted to those taking the upgrade exam, it should be, although given the breadth of material on the exam I recommend reading some chapters twice.

Pay close attention to the introduction which lays out which objectives are required for that exam, as you can skip certain sections of the book if you are taking the upgrade exam. Also, be sure to check Oracle's exam page as they sometimes add/remove a handful of objectives on newer exams. Keep in mind, that particular exam has only been out a few months and they never did a beta version on it, so it could change a little since we published the book. We also track changes on http://www.selikoff.net/ocp.

Good luck!

[Ahmed Bin S]

Giovanni De Stefano wrote:

As you can see there is no id :-(

I will try asking Oracle Certview support...you never know.

If I manage to get my certificate show up on Certview, I will go for 1Z0-813 OCP 8 Upgrade exam.

I did the SCJP 1.4 in Feb 2006 (I think, maybe 2005?) - those exams used to be held at Prometric testing centres, Oracle will have a record of you having done it, and they'll migrate your details over into CertView once you contact them - that's what they did for me.

Good luck.

[Giovanni De Stefano]

Hello Amhed,

I just created a Service Request through the Oracle Certification Program (OCP) Support Form.

I noticed a "SunWin# 123456" identifier at the bottom right corner of the paper certificate: I included this in the ticket.

Thanks.
Giovanni

[Giovanni De Stefano]

Scott Selikoff wrote:
Lastly, Jeanne and I updated our OCP 8 book right before it went to print to include a 50+ page appendix for those taking the 1Z0-813 upgrade exam. In short, there are topics on this exam, not found on the full exam. Some make sense (they are on the OCA 8 exam)... some do not (they are on the OCP 7 exam but not the OCA/OCP 8 exams).

I usually buy tech books on either Amazon France FR or Germany DE (I live in Belgium). For your book I see that Amazon reports a different number of pages (696 in FR and 720 in DE) and a different publication date (January 12th 2016 in FR and January 1st 2016 in DE).

Those are the 2 links, which one should I buy? I just need to make sure I get all info on 1Z1-813.

http://www.amazon.de/OCP-Certified-Professional-Programmer-1Z0-809/dp/1119067901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457824850&sr=8-1&keywords=Oracle+Certified+Professional+Java+SE+8+Programmer+II+Study+Guide%3A+Exam+1Z0-809

http://www.amazon.fr/OCP-Certified-Professional-Programmer-1Z1-809/dp/1119067901/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1457824907&sr=8-1

Thanks!
Giovanni

[Ahmed Bin S]

Giovanni De Stefano wrote:
Those are the 2 links, which one should I buy? I just need to make sure I get all info on 1Z1-813.

http://www.amazon.de/OCP-Certified-Professional-Programmer-1Z0-809/dp/1119067901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457824850&sr=8-1&keywords=Oracle+Certified+Professional+Java+SE+8+Programmer+II+Study+Guide%3A+Exam+1Z0-809

http://www.amazon.fr/OCP-Certified-Professional-Programmer-1Z1-809/dp/1119067901/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1457824907&sr=8-1

Thanks!
Giovanni

They are both the same book. Amazon Deutschland incorrectly states it is 720 pages, if you actually click on the book cover, it brings up the book (with a lot of pages obviously filtered out), but if you scroll down to the bottom, you see it is 670 pages (the same as the French one). You will also see that Appendix C is for Upgrading from Java 6 or Earlier, so this book contains all that you need.

Good luck!

[Giovanni De Stefano]

Hello Ahmed,

Thanks! I bought it from the Amazon Germany.

I am eager to start studying from it!
Cheers,
Giovanni

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

The different date probably refers to "by country" availability. (In the US, we got it in December). Surprised Germany got it so much before France though. Luckily, at this point, both dates are in the past!

[vu lee]

Hello Giovanni,
How has Oracle assisted you with your old certification? Gotten my java certification back in April 2002.I also want to take the upgrade exam.