Many thanks to
1. Maha Anna - your site helped me so much!
2. Marcus Green - your mock exams are great.
3. JavaRanch - you are all very generous people.
I passed the
SCJP exam on August 15 with a score of 88%. I've never posted before. However, this site has been a valuable resource in helping me achieve my goal. In case there are people with similar situations; here is a little background on me.
I began studying
Java about 4 1/2 months ago. I had about 10 years of experience doing businness type programming/reporting in a mainframe environment. I had zero knowledge of Java or C++. I guess I'm a little older than many of you (43).
The first thing I did was to take a Beginning Java class at a community college. It was a waste of $375. I didn't learn a thing. I decided to do my learning through books.
Books
1. SAMS Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 days - Lemay & Cadenhead
2. Beginning Java 2 - Ivor Horton
3. Complete Java 2 Certification Study Guide - Roberts, Heller, Ernest
The SAMS book gave me a good overall understanding of Java. I needed this because I didn't know anything about Java or Object Oriented programming. The Horton book gave me the detailed understanding of Java's topics. I really like the way he explains things. The diagrams in the book are very good too. Then, the RHE book prepares you for the exam.
If you begin with no Java knowledge (like I did), then I don't suggest you start off with the RHE book. It's purpose is to prepare you for the exam, not to teach you Java. To me, it looks more like a review for people that have some experience.
After about 3 months I started taking mock exams. I took Marcus Green's and JQPlus. I suggest that you take all the mock exams that you can find. Maha Anna's site has links to a whole bunch of them. JQPlus is definitely worth the money. When I began taking the JQPlus exams, I was scoring in the 55% to 65% range. Wow, I was getting worried. I reviewed all the questions after each
test, made a listing of the topics I missed, and then studied those topics over and over. The second time around I scored in the 80% to 90% range. JQPlus tells you that if you can consistently score 61% on their test, then you will pass the real exam. I think think that that's really true.
I'd like to offer one last tip. The more confident you are, the more relaxed you will be. Taking a lot of mock exams builds your confidence. Lastly, like everyone says, get a good nights sleep.
Good luck,
Clyde Okamura
Sun Certified Java Programmer