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Passed Java 1.4 Programmer Certification

 
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Hi all!-
I just passed the 1.4 Programmer Certification with a score of 90%.
If you are studying for the 1.4 test using 1.2 books, they will serve you well. Just make sure that you find some other sources for Collections and Assertions and you will be fine.
The test still give you the number of options to select for 'multiple choice' questions.
On to the Developer Certification!
-Greg
 
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Congratulations! I think you're the first person here to report taking the non-beta 1.4 test.
Did you still have two hours to take the test?
 
Greg McNair
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Hi Ron-
Yes, it's still two hours. I used them well. Took about an hour and twenty minutes to answer all, then another 35 to re-check.
-Greg
 
Greg McNair
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One more thing... The 1.2 books work fine. You can simply and safely ignore the chapters on AWT and I/O.
 
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Hi,there:
Wow,cool. Could you mind give more detail of the 1.4 exam? I will take in Sep. 10.
Also, could you show us your study materials and some experience?
Thanks lot.
Paul
 
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hi greg
i have been preparing for the 1.2 exam for past month. will the prep work for new exam if i just ignore I/O and AWT and study Assertions and collections in detail. also with the reduced passing %, has the exam become difficult?
regards
sabby
 
Greg McNair
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Paul-
I will assemble some links tonight that helped me and post them here.
Please let me know how you'd like me to go into more detail.


-Greg
 
Greg McNair
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Sabby-
I never took the 1.2 exam. That said, from what I can gather online about the difficulty of the 1.2 exam, I'd say they're about the same. Maybe in Sun's beta testing they discovered that because of the increased emphasis on fundamentals, they needed to lower the passing score.
If you're considering taking the 1.4 exam rather than the 1.2 exam you're probably fine. Everything other than AWT and I/O will apply to the new exam. Assertions are not too hard to learn. You should place a little more emphasis on Collections and Wrapper classes than you would have for the 1.2 exam
-Greg
 
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Thanks for the info Greg, could you also tell us where to look for in-depth materials about wrapper classes, hashCode and assertion?
thanks and congratulation too!
 
Ron Newman
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I found the Sun Collections tutorial very useful while preparing for the (1.2) exam:
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/collections/index.html
 
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Originally posted by sabby singh:
hi greg
... also with the reduced passing %, has the exam become difficult?
sabby


Can anyone can tell me where can I find the passing % of 1.4 exam?! Is that the same as 1.2 exma (which is 61%)?!
Many many thanks!!
 
Greg McNair
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Hi everyone !
Here is what I did to pass the 1.4 Exam:
I started with a 1999 copy of The Complete Java 2 Certification Study Guide: Programmer's and Developers Exams by Simon Roberts, et al. After reading the objectives for the 1.4 exam (this was about six weeks before Sun released the -035 exam...), I decided to wait for the 1.4 version rather than take 1.2. The fundamentals simply meant more to me than AWT. Because I chose to take the 1.4 exam, I simply skipped the final chapters on AWT and I/O.
I read this book carefully two times and really liked it, but felt the need for another perspective, so I picked up a copy of Java 2 Exam Cram by Bill Brogden. Amazon says this book is now out of print. Maybe they're updating it for the new test.
So, after another couple of time through this book (it's a quick read...) I started to focus on the areas that I felt I needed a better understanding. I picked up a copy of Java Threads, 2nd Edition by Scott�Oaks and�Henry�Wong. Only the first four or so chapters apply to certification. After this, I felt that I had a firm grasp of threads.
After that, I began using the mock tests. The Java Rules Round-up game on javaranch.com was great and a lot of fun. If I missed a question, I would research the correct answer in one of the books until I understood fully. Having had a pet heifer or two in my childhood, I was relieved to learn that no cows were harmed in the making of Rules Roundup.
Then, I began taking the various mock exams which you can find on the JavaRanch mock exam links page. I skipped any questions relating to AWT or I/O and figured my averages accordingly. Before taking the test, I was scoring in the low-90s on Marcus Green's tests.
I cannot stress enough that after each test is is very important to fire up the Hi-Fi and play "The Hustle" at neighbor-pestering decibels to celebrate one's progress...
Finally, there's the issue of the new objectives. From Sun's website, I gleaned that there would be stronger emphasis on wrapper classes and collections. For the wrapper classes, I read the API documents to understand usage of the following methods:
  • doubleValue
  • floatValue
  • intValue
  • longValue
  • parseXxx
  • getXxx
  • toString
  • toHexString


  • To find the answer to hashCode implementation, I searched on Google, got an anti-drug advertisement and a link to a FAQ by John Zukowski at jGuru. That provided what was needed!
    For Assertions, I read the Sun Collections Tutorial that Ron pointed out.
    That's about it! I can confirm the exact passing grade tomorrow morning.
    -Greg
     
    Greg McNair
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    The exact passing score for the Sun Certified Programmer for Java 2 Platform 1.4 is 52%. This is taken directly off my "Examination Score Report".
     
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    Good job Greg
    The exact passing score for the Sun Certified Programmer for Java 2 Platform 1.4 is 52%. This is taken directly off my "Examination Score Report".
    Soon, people will be certified just after having paid the voucher without having to take the exam
    Does anyone have any idea as to why Sun is lowering the passing score everytime they release a new exam version? Do they prefer quantity over quality, or what :roll:
     
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    Congrats Greg,
    Good score, so did u have really tough questions on assertions and collections?
    - Manish
     
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    Congrats Greg.
    For complete information about SCJP (J2SE 1.4), do check out http://suned.sun.com/US/certification/faq/#java
    It also confirms 52% as the passing marks.
    Regards and best wishes
    Pradeep
     
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    Congratulation Greg!!! And your score is greate.
    But what SUN is doing..passing score only 52% ??? I think they should make it at least 71%...
     
    Greg McNair
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    Cannot vouch entirely for the logic of lowering the passing score. I have wondered if they're setting the mark at this level until people have adjusted to the new objectives.
    -Greg
     
    Ron Newman
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    While the Sun Collections tutorial is indeed great, it doesn't have anything about Assertions in it.
     
    Valentin Crettaz
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    Ron,
    info on assertions can be found here:
    java.sun.com : Programming with Assertions
     
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    Hi,
    Are there any good books which discuss about assertion?
    Pls let me know.
    Thanks
    Salima
     
    Greg McNair
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    Sorry for the typo, Ron. Guess it serves me right to be posting in the wee hours of the night.
     
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    Where to find more details about Hashcode and Eaqual?
     
    Ron Newman
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    The most important things to know:
    If you override equals() you must override hashCode() as well.
    If equals() returns true, then you need to ensure that both objects return the same value from hashCode()
    The converse is not true: two unequal objects can have the same hash code. (But the more this happens, the less efficient the hashing will be.)
    [ August 22, 2002: Message edited by: Ron Newman ]
     
    JOSEPH BIH
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    Thanks, Ron!
    Is there any actual tutorial about hashcode? More code examples of overriding hashcode().
    Joseph
     
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