Study tips for 1Z0-815

[Varun Ashok]

Hi all,

I would like to start preparing for the Java SE 11 Programmer I | 1Z0-815 Certification, however, I am a bit confused as to where to start. I had purchased a video course on Udemy titled 'Java Masterclass' which is a pretty good course, taught by a great instructor(I haven't completed the course yet, as I just recently bought it). I am concerned with whether this alone will help me get the certification from Oracle.

I have a book by Herbert Schildt titled 'Java - The Complete Reference' as well but the book I own is updated only upto JDK 8. This is a pretty big book and it will probably take quite a while to go through it entirely.

Could you please guide me on whether taking the complete video course will alone help me to bag the certification, or just the book, or if a mix of them all would be required(This would be a confusing way to go at it though).

My Java knowledge: I am familiar with the basics of Java, such as the architecture, variables, datatypes, loops and OOPS concepts. But I don't have enough knowledge to crack the exam. I haven't programmed or done any projects on Java though.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Varun

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

It's too early for there to be much study material for the Java 11 exam. I recommend taking the OCA 8 at this time.

If you do choose to take the Java 11 part 1 , see the objectives mapping. You'll need to know teh OCA 8 material perfectly and in way more detail. And then study the new topics on your own.

[joseph hu]

OCA 8 is ok

[Paul Anilprem]

Varun Ashok wrote:Hi all,

My Java knowledge: I am familiar with the basics of Java, such as the architecture, variables, datatypes, loops and OOPS concepts. But I don't have enough knowledge to crack the exam. I haven't programmed or done any projects on Java though.

Any advice is much appreciated.

The course or the book will not be sufficient for any of the two versions of the Java certification exam (1Z0-808 or 1Z0-815) but irrespective of which version you decide to go for, it would be good to complete the course if it focuses on the basics and if the instructor is helping you get started with hands on coding.

From Herbert Schildt's 'Java - The Complete Reference' book, you can skip chapters 11 (Multithreading), 12, 13, 20 and all chapters after 20. There are a few things in these chapters that are required for the 1Z0-815 exam but you can learn them from other sources. It covers all the topics that are required for the 815 exam but since it does not focus on the certification, you will not know about all the tricks and gotchas you may encounter in the exam. For that, you can use Enthuware's 1Z0-815 mock exams. You may also want to go through this article about the new Java 11 part 1 exam.

Another approach, of course, is to forget the Java 11 exam and go for the Java 8 exam (1Z0-808) instead. Several books and mock exams are available for this exam.

[Mikalai Zaikin]

Hi,

1Z0-815 exam has a new topic about Modules: Understanding Modules

You can check my free study guide for 1Z0-817 which also covers this objective: http://java.boot.by/ocpjd11-upgrade-guide/

[UPD] You will find in my guide detailed description of this 1Z0-815 topic too: Use local variable type inference

Cheers,
MZ

[Varun Ashok]

Paul Anilprem wrote:

Varun Ashok wrote:Hi all,

My Java knowledge: I am familiar with the basics of Java, such as the architecture, variables, datatypes, loops and OOPS concepts. But I don't have enough knowledge to crack the exam. I haven't programmed or done any projects on Java though.

Any advice is much appreciated.

The course or the book will not be sufficient for any of the two versions of the Java certification exam (1Z0-808 or 1Z0-815) but irrespective of which version you decide to go for, it would be good to complete the course if it focuses on the basics and if the instructor is helping you get started with hands on coding.

From Herbert Schildt's 'Java - The Complete Reference' book, you can skip chapters 11 (Multithreading), 12, 13, 20 and all chapters after 20. There are a few things in these chapters that are required for the 1Z0-815 exam but you can learn them from other sources. It covers all the topics that are required for the 815 exam but since it does not focus on the certification, you will not know about all the tricks and gotchas you may encounter in the exam. For that, you can use Enthuware's 1Z0-815 mock exams. You may also want to go through this article about the new Java 11 part 1 exam.

Another approach, of course, is to forget the Java 11 exam and go for the Java 8 exam (1Z0-808) instead. Several books and mock exams are available for this exam.

If I do go for the Java 8 exam, that would mean that I would have to update myself to the latest Java 11 version soon, am I correct? Or, should I say that Java 8 is being used more, and it would take time for this version to become obsolete? This is just an assumption on my part, so please correct me if I am wrong.

I've heard from a couple of sources, that it's better to go for the latest Java certification that's out.

Thanks.

[Varun Ashok]

Mikalai Zaikin wrote:Hi,

1Z0-815 exam has a new topic about Modules: Understanding Modules

You can check my free study guide for 1Z0-817 which also covers this objective: http://java.boot.by/ocpjd11-upgrade-guide/

[UPD] You will find in my guide detailed description of this 1Z0-815 topic too: Use local variable type inference

Cheers,
MZ

Thanks for your response! Will definitely check it out!

[Paul Anilprem]

Varun Ashok wrote:
I've heard from a couple of sources, that it's better to go for the latest Java certification that's out.

That's true, in general. But there are exceptions. For a beginner, certification books are indispensable (if they are interested in being certified i.e.). For an experienced developer, not as much. So, as a beginner, if you want a certificate to show on your resume as soon as possible, then may be you should use all the material available for 808 and get that certificate.

Varun Ashok wrote:
If I do go for the Java 8 exam, that would mean that I would have to update myself to the latest Java 11 version soon, am I correct? Or, should I say that Java 8 is being used more, and it would take time for this version to become obsolete? This is just an assumption on my part, so please correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks.

Java 8 was a big leap in terms of new features and so, I don't think Java 8 will be obsolete anytime soon. The most important functionality from exam perspective in Java 11 is modules, which itself is not without any controversy. Java 11 certifications are too big on this topic at the cost of some other more important topics, IMHO. So, I don't think you would have to upgrade to Java 11 immediately or even in the next 3-4 years.

But, of course, certifications are a good way to motivate yourself to learn new things so you can always upgrade later.

Either way, you will learn a lot while studying for the certification if you do it the right way.

[Varun Ashok]

Paul Anilprem wrote:. . . Either way, you will learn a lot while studying for the certification if you do it the right way.

Thanks you for taking the time to write all this down. I've decided to complete the video course, which does cover all the basics, including topics outside the scope of 1z0-808 or 1z0-815.
However, The video course does not include or cover the exam tricks and techniques to spot those tricks, since the video course doesn't purely focus on the exam.

I was also thinking of buying the OCA Java SE 8 Programmer I Exam Guide (Exams 1Z0-808). Would you recommend it?

Thanks.

[Paul Anilprem]

Varun Ashok wrote:

I was also thinking of buying the OCA Java SE 8 Programmer I Exam Guide (Exams 1Z0-808). Would you recommend it?

Since you have not mentioned the author, I am not sure which one exactly are you referring to (they have similar titles) but I can tell you that they are all good. Each has its own style of explaining the concepts. You may want to read sample chapters to see which one you like the most.
You may get a free copy of  Hanumant Deshmukh's OCAJP Fundamentals by subscribing to Enthuware newsletter.

[Douglas Fulk]

I think it`s quite an interesting

[Varun Ashok]

Paul Anilprem wrote:
Since you have not mentioned the author, I am not sure which one exactly are you referring to (they have similar titles) but I can tell you that they are all good. Each has its own style of explaining the concepts. You may want to read sample chapters to see which one you like the most.
You may get a free copy of  Hanumant Deshmukh's OCAJP Fundamentals by subscribing to Enthuware newsletter.

Thanks for your response! Yes, apologies for not mentioning the author name. I was referring to the book by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates.

Thanks,
Varun

[Varun Ashok]

Douglas Fulk wrote:I think it`s quite an interesting

Thank you!