NEW CERTIFICATION EXAM: Java Associate's Wanted

Hi Nicholas,
How did you take the survey ?.

Evelyn sent me the URL of the survey, and I took it via that URL.

Nick

Is it only for special guys ?

One had to send mail before the deadline.

Pradip,

Will you go for SCJA?

Nick

Is it only for special guys ?

Nope, read the 1st post, and you can see that you have to send Evelyn an email on or before March 11, 2005.

The promotion is over now.

Nick

I know of people who have good experience and still don't pass SCJP with a good score.

I've also know of some people who claim they've never compiled a single java program and have scored a decent score by reading a book.

However, I don't think there is any point getting a certification and then when it comes to using it in real life ending up learning everything from scratch. The best way is to learn and work at the same time on it. Or at least start writing programs etc.

Similarly for SCWCD / SCBCD if a person has not really worked on JSP/Servlets or EJBs for that matter, there is no point just passing the exam.

Regards,

RAj

does anyone get voucher for beta exam ?

does anyone get voucher for beta exam ?

The voucher will be sent 1 week before the beta period.

Nick

Nicholas,
thanks ! It is nice to see both of us passed SCJP 5.0 beta.
where will the beta period for 311-020 SCJA Beta Exam ?
Leon

where will the beta period for 311-020 SCJA Beta Exam ?

Around May 2005.

Nick

Nicholas,
thanks for answer !
Do you have the list of books and resources website that we can prepare for this exam ?

Do you have the list of books and resources website that we can prepare for this exam ?

It is better to wait for Evelyn to tell us what should we read. At the meanwhile, I read:

1. Larman's Applying UML and Pattern 2nd edition
2. Fowler's UML distilled 2nd edition
3. Cay's Core Java 7th edition Volume I and II
4. Herb's Java: The Complete Reference J2SE 5.0 edition
5. K&B's Head First Servlets and JSPs
6. K&B's Head First EJB

Nick

I agree. I don't think we need to add another certification, just because "some" people who haven't had any Java expereince find the SCJP 1.4 exam too challenging or to difficult. I didn't have any professional Java experience and I studied and put in a lot of hard work and passed with an 85% If you are "dumbing" down certification exams, then why even have them at all. Ok, how about this. If you can spell Java or use it in a sentence, we will give you the "new" certification.

I guess we should stop discussing whether SCJA is useful or not, and how it is useful or whether it should exist.

SCJA is definitely released no matter how many people for or against, and thus, it is of one's judgement on whether he should go for the test depends on his personal needs.

Nick

What do we need to prepare for the exam.
I've downloaded the J2EE tutorial.
I worked many simple examples about RMI, JDBC, JSP & Servlets
I also worked well with J2ME MIDP2.0
Should I go for the exam?
When will official info (objectives, dates, ...) be available?

What do we need to prepare for the exam.

Currently, I am using:
1. Larman's Applying UML & Patterns 2nd edition (3rd edition is released)
2. Fowler's UML Distilled 3rd edition (with UML 2.0 standard)
3. Java: The Complete Reference, J2SE 5.0 edition
4. J2EE tutorial
5. J2ME: The Complete Reference
6. Core Java Volume I & II

I've downloaded the J2EE tutorial.

Yes, this is one of the required resources for me.

I worked many simple examples about RMI, JDBC, JSP & Servlets
I also worked well with J2ME MIDP2.0

I think so, because the exam will not be too in depth for each objective.

Should I go for the exam?

Yes, if you study more.

When will official info (objectives, dates, ...) be available?

One to two weeks before the beta exam period start.

Nick

Did anybody receive email from Evelyn ?

Not yet... I was starting to worry I had missed out somehow.

No not yet. They just had the workshop last week or the week before to create the questions. It takes a couple of weeks to set up the beta time period and registering with Prometric. You will receive an e-mail in due time.

Mark

Hi Guys -

We just got back from Japan, where we created the fabled SCJA exam. (Actually we've been back for a few days but we all had some serious jet-lag to deal with

.) Anyway, I'm going to talk to Evelyn about this, but I'd like to say that I really don't think you SCJPs ought to take this beta

This exam is LOTS easier than the SCJP, and if too many SCJPers take it I think the results will be distorted. We even toyed with the idea that SCJPers would not be allowed to take the exam (well a few of us toyed with the idea, I'm not sure Evelyn did), but it seemed like a tough restriction to administer. My guess is that most any SCJP would score at least 95% on this exam without any study at all, I might even break 90% myself

As Mark has indicated this exam was originally conceived in Japan for their market, and it's unclear exactly how and when this exam will spread. One notion we had as a way to think about this exam, is that it might be appropriate for a college student who is looking for a summer internship... it's at that kind of level.

Anyway, I'd really advise all you "curve busters" out there to let the less experienced folks take a shot at the beta. Of course, if Evelyn disagrees, you'll here it here first

HTH,

Bert

Bert,

How about other beta exams? Any plans in 2005?

Nick

Nick,

At this rate you will need a whole website just to put the list of your certifications.

At this rate you will need a whole website just to put the list of your certifications.

Might be, but most of my counterparts got more titles than me, and thus, I dont think I need the website.

Nick

I am not questioning if this SCJA exam is useful or not, but...

What is the purpose of doing it, if you are already a SCJP?

I think it's like walking backwards... Or achieving a bachelor degree after a PHD. You know what I mean...

Originally posted by Rafael Pereira:
I am not questioning if this SCJA exam is useful or not, but...

What is the purpose of doing it, if you are already a SCJP?

I think it's like walking backwards... Or achieving a bachelor degree after a PHD. You know what I mean...

First statement and second one kinda contradicted.

The fact that this exam is not designed for SCJPers which has been addressed for awhile. If I interpreted Kates's statement correctly, SCJPers are not recommended for this exam. Please give some chance for others who want to achieve lower lever certification and if they like they can pursue SCJP and even higher. The title clearly marked SCJA (associate) so I don't think it jeopardize existing SCJP title and no harm for SCJPers of not taking it. Just like other professional certs, they have associate levels which gives a newcomers a feel of what's that technology about. They are a lot of long time programmers who do not know anything about java like C and Cobol programmers or fresh colledge grads.

Who says PhD er can't do Bachelor degree ? I used to have a classmate who is professor for long time and doing master degree just to see how the new way of teachning and how students learn. I have other great people as classmates as well like CEO of an International company etc. I

and .. KB can sell more books too.
.. sun get most popular .. niches in the market .. stock flourish ..
people are happy .. yada yada ..

Ok, you have a point.

It will be better for Sun, for newcomers, for the world, etc. For experienced and already certified Java programmers, not so much...

But I really liked when the things were simpler.

Oracle was just OCA, OCP and OCM.
Java was just Programmer, Developer and Architect.

Now if you achieve 10 certifications, they create 10 more. It will force everyone to get AT LEAST the first cert, or be doomed. All for the $$$.

It will force everyone to get AT LEAST the first cert

This makes Java becomes more and more popular, isnt it a good news?

Nick

Now if you achieve 10 certifications, they create 10 more. It will force everyone to get AT LEAST the first cert, or be doomed. All for the $$$.

The statement above only applicable for Nick

Nick takes anything. .. As for me, as if SCJA not free I probably wouldn't take it. So, if SUN create a Sun Certified Java Newbie (something lower than SCJA) .. i would not pay to take it but yet it attracts new comers which is fine with me. The more people and companies adopting java the better for me. It has no impact on my existing scjp title as long as they don't name it the same SCJP. SCJP still maintain its value. If a recruiter couldn't tells the different then I probably ended up in a company that I don't want to be.

I don't think SUN will create any java cert that is lower than SCJA unless they have a very distinctive topics to test on. If they do, I will participate as a beta tester

By the way, i think OCA 10G is simpler than OCA9i. OCA 10G tends to follow ICDBA 700 format. Testing on install, implement and basic admin whicle OCA9i test on specific SQL statements which I think doesn't make sense. How often does a DBA sitting in his/her cubicle writting sql statements? SQL statements were meants to be implemented on application level. ...just a musing .. you can ignore me on this one :roll:
[ May 05, 2005: Message edited by: Kay Liew ]

Hello,

Does anyone know when the Sun Certified Associate Java will be released? Approximately when eh...?

Thanks.

[QB]Now if you achieve 10 certifications, they create 10 more. It will force everyone to get AT LEAST the first cert, or be doomed. All for the $$$.

You can take beta exams with survey, which are free!

The statement above only applicable for Nick. Nick takes anything.

And my counterparts as well. They even took more exams than me.

As for me, as if SCJA not free I probably wouldn't take it. So, if SUN create a Sun Certified Java Newbie (something lower than SCJA) .. i would not pay to take it but yet it attracts new comers which is fine with me.

That's the key point! Thus, initially, SUN creates this cert. for the Japan market.

By the way, i think OCA 10G is simpler than OCA9i. OCA 10G tends to follow ICDBA 700 format. Testing on install, implement and basic admin whicle OCA9i test on specific SQL statements which I think doesn't make sense. How often does a DBA sitting in his/her cubicle writting sql statements? SQL statements were meants to be implemented on application level. ...just a musing .. you can ignore me on this one :roll:

OCA 10g DBA in fact is simpler than OCP 9i, NOT OCA 9i DBA. It covers everything in OCP9i: SQL, Fundementals, Backup, Recovery and Performance Tuning. However, the level of difficulty is a bit lower.

OCP 10g DBA tests all OCA 10g DBA knowledge, with advanced features like using OEM for remote connectivity tuning, etc.

Personally, I found ICDBA & ICADBA were more easiler than OCP.

Nick

Does anyone know when the Sun Certified Associate Java will be released? Approximately when eh...?

The beta exam should be around mid-June, but this is NOT confirmed.

Assume the beta period is 1.5 month, then, SCJA will be released offically around Oct-Nov 2005.

Nick

My few cents:

SCJA is not for SCJP'ers

SCJP'ers were prompted to take a survey for SCJA

SCJP'ers will receive a free voucher for SCJA beta

As I assume, Sun will give as the vouchers as a "thank you" for taking the survey. But if SCJA is not for us, then what do we need the voucher for? Especially if it can't be transffer and is valid for SCJA only? Wouldn't it be better if we were given the voucher for some other exam? Like SCJP 5 75% off for any other exam?

It is a great idea, however, the choice should be on the survey takers. For me, I took most of the SUN Java exams, and thus, giving me a discounted voucher will be less useful, and I prefer to take SCJA.

Nick

Any news on the SCJA Beta exam?

...Ariel

As stated, the beta will be available in mid-June, so it is expected to have the exam info at early June.

2-3 more weeks to go!

Nick

What about the objectives when will they be announced ?

What about the objectives when will they be announced ?

At early June as well, I believe.

However, if you had taken part in the survey, you should get the objectives already.

Nick

I did not take part of the survey, can't anyone from those who had been part of the survey to share the objectives with me?
I don't want to be tight in time for preparing the exam.
:roll:

Originally posted by wasim ayoubi:
I did not take part of the survey, can't anyone from those who had been part of the survey to share the objectives with me?
I don't want to be tight in time for preparing the exam.
:roll:

Unfortunately the objectives are not publicly released, so posting the objectives would be illegal at this time.

I apologize, but we need to keep legal.

I am sure they will be released real soon.

Mark