OCA/OCP Preparation

[jeetendra Choudhary]

Hello All,

I am preparing for OCA and OCP 8. I have OCA/OCP Java SE 7 Programmer I & II Study Guide by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates. I have couple of question regarding the preparation -

Is it good idea to use above mentioned book for preparing for OCA-8 & OCP-8 ? Can I prepare for both the exams from the same book and later cover the delta part of Java 8 from other sources? If yes what sources do you recommend. If no should I purchase a different set of book for the exam?

I have completed couple of chapters from the above mentioned book and done with the questions of those chapters. Is it a good idea to invest in enthuware exam kit and start doing objective wise mock test from now itself or should I wait to complete the course (Book) and then buy the exam kit. I will buy the exam kit anyways but the question is should I start using it from the beginning as supplementary material?

Thanks & Regards

[Roel De Nijs]

jeetendra Choudhary wrote:Is it good idea to use above mentioned book for preparing for OCA-8 & OCP-8 ? Can I prepare for both the exams from the same book and later cover the delta part of Java 8 from other sources? If yes what sources do you recommend. If no should I purchase a different set of book for the exam?

For the OCAJP8 exam you will probably be able to use the OCA part of K&B7 and then cover the few additional exam topics using other (free) resources. But for the OCPJP8 exam that's not recommended at all, because there are tons of additional exam topics you need to know and there might be some small differences between Java 7 and Java 8.
In the OcajpFaq (besides other very useful information) and this thread you'll find an overview of all available resources (study guides, mock exams, video courses,...) 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). You might consider the OCA / OCP 8 Programmer Certification Kit.

jeetendra Choudhary wrote:I have completed couple of chapters from the above mentioned book and done with the questions of those chapters. Is it a good idea to invest in enthuware exam kit and start doing objective wise mock test from now itself or should I wait to complete the course (Book) and then buy the exam kit. I will buy the exam kit anyways but the question is should I start using it from the beginning as supplementary material?

In this post you can read the advice I always provide regarding the Enthuware mock exams. If you are using Enthuware mock exams (or any other mock exams), it might be very useful to read this thread as well. So you don't make the mistake of rushing through all the mock exams (or going through the object-wise tests first). The difference between standard and objective-wise tests is well-explained here. And here you'll find some valuable information about how to prepare for the exam using Enthuware tests. Here you'll find another post with similar advice and another bunch of useful links. If you are from India, it seems you can purchase a package offer which includes exam voucher, free retake and 30-day access to Kaplan tests.

Hope it helps!
Kind regards,
Roel

[jeetendra Choudhary]

Thanks Roel,

Roel De Nijs wrote:
In this post you can read the advice I always provide regarding the Enthuware mock exams. If you are using Enthuware mock exams (or any other mock exams), it might be very useful to read this thread as well. So you don't make the mistake of rushing through all the mock exams (or going through the object-wise tests first). The difference between standard and objective-wise tests is well-explained here. And here you'll find some valuable information about how to prepare for the exam using Enthuware tests. Here you'll find another post with similar advice and another bunch of useful links. If you are from India, it seems you can purchase a package offer which includes exam voucher, free retake and 30-day access to Kaplan tests.

With the above advice I take that I should complete the study from books and material and then only I should take tests, is my understanding correct?

Thanks & Regards
Jeetendra

[nick woodward]

the tests are *very* accurate in terms of how they replicate the exams, so you don't want to waste them.

i would only take them when you think you are ready. if you then take one and do poorly, DONT look at the answers - learn from another source, or even re-read the same book, and take the mock again later.

Nick

[Roel De Nijs]

jeetendra Choudhary wrote:With the above advice I take that I should complete the study from books and material and then only I should take tests, is my understanding correct?

Yes, definitely!

You should first study and prepare thorougly using the books and materials you have. Then you'll take the first Enthuware test like it was the actual exam: finish the test within the time limit and use nothing but a pencil and paper. The next step depends on your score.
1/ If you score +80% you seem to have a good, solid understanding of all exam concepts. You can review all questions and answers, study a bit more on your weaker points and proceed with the next test.
2/ If you score +60% your understanding of all exam concepts is not yet at the required level. If you want you can review all questions and answers. But before you proceed with a next test, you must study your books and materials again, write lots of code snippets, and so on to improve your understanding of the exam concepts first. Once you have finished studying all materials (for another 2-3 weeks or a month) and you feel ready again, you can proceed to the next test (or if you didn't review the answers of the first test, you can take this test again).
3/ if you score poorly on the test (less than 60%), I agree with Nick: don't look at the answers at all, but start studying again using the same books and materials. Or you could buy another study guide or Java book or any other valuable resource. After you have completed this additional studying (probably 4 to 6 weeks) you can retake the first test again.

Hope it helps!
Kind regards,
Roel

[jeetendra Choudhary]

Thanks Roel,

It is properly detailed and well explained I appreciate your help. Looks like now I have a proper game plan.

BR

[Roel De Nijs]

jeetendra Choudhary wrote:Looks like now I have a proper game plan.

Great! And if you are having doubts/questions during your journey, just let us know by creating a new topic and we try to provide some great advice.

Happy studying!
Kind regards,
Roel