Hi Mr. Greenhorn,
Welcome to JavaRanch. Well if you're interested in getting certified, you've come to the right place! But we have some rules around here. Actually we have one main rule we call the
JavaRanch Naming Policy. So, if you want the best advice and help on Java anywhere then go comply with this rule
here.
Now down to brass tacks.
What granularity of information can a prospective employer find out about my certification? i.e.:
-> Can they verify I indeed received my certification?
Yep, you'll get a cetificate indicating that you passed and your score with a breakdown of each category. Later you will recieve an 8x10 glossy (not really glossy) certificate from SUN and a neat little pin along with a signed letter from someone at SUN Educational Services (Bill Joy signed both of mine.)
-> Can they find out what my score was?
Yes, as indicated above.
I have been programming in Java for several years now and I am wondering how wound up I should get about the actual score (since I think I could pass without too much studying).
Don't be so sure about that! It's a pretty tough
test, unless you can quote the JLS chapter and verse I would advise hangin' out at this forum for a while, checkin' out some of the reviews for books on Certification and taking some mock exams.
As for potential employment, it helped me when I found myself without a job last summer for the first time in 25 years. I was employed by a Fortune 500 company looking for Enterprise Java developers. It will definitely help on your resume but isn't a guarantee if you don't have the practical experience to back it up.
Anyway, good luck, and for goodness sakes, go change your display name so we know who you are.