Not that hard. JLS is invaluable as a studying resource. So are Bill Brodgen's mock exams on the net as well as Mughal's mock exam.
The time is 120min, in case there are still people that think it is only 90min. I believe this is ample time to answer and review your questions without any particular rush.
Thanks to everybody that participates in this forum and who has helped me either directly by answering my questions or indirectly by making me think about things. This forum is also a must for
SCJP preparation.
There are often questions posted here about which books are best for preparation. This is up to a certain degree a matter of personal taste, so be warned! My list is idiosyncratic:
- JLS2: It is the definitive, authoritative source for all your questions on the core language. If you don't have a math background (I do) you might find it dry and pedantic, since it is full of statements such as "Let C be a class and o an instance of it...". However, I like the fact that it is accurate and complete.
- "The Java Programming Language": More readable, albeit a tad less precise than the JLS. It covers IO, threads, java.lang, and collections that JLS does not. Note also that this is a Sun certification and both the above are Sun books. I believe they are more likely to be in the right "mindset" for a Sun exam than other books such as "Thinking in Java".
- "Java in a Nutshell". Worth for its C/C++-->Java "mind upgrade" intro as well as for the API reference at the end. Also contains a very good discussion of the Java 1.1. event model.
- RHE: Full of errors (at least the edition I've got), but has the main (and very important advantage) that it makes you focus at the right areas. Don't read the two chapters about AWT components and painting/graphics: waste of time if you have at least a general understanding of AWT through experience.
- For the layout manager stuff I recommend (although it's by Java terms an "old" book) Zukowski's AWT Reference. It would be a waste of money to buy for the 20 or so pages devoted to the layout managers though.
So, thanks again folks. Maybe I'll meet again with some of you in the Developers exam forum sometime in the future.
Bye,
Panagiotis.