SCWCD... passed with 83%

Hullo,
Sat and passed the exam today. Thanks to everyone for their help.
I used Ken Zroboks Study Guide, Marty Halls CoreServlets and MoreServlets book, and the Mock Exams available from Javaranch and other sites.
Cheers,
Mark

Mark,
Congratuls on the achievement.
Could you give some advice here ?
[ April 14, 2003: Message edited by: chi Lin ]

Congratulations to you...
daniel

Well done & Congratulations!

Originally posted by chi Lin:
Mark,
Congratuls on the achievement.
Could you give some advice here ?
[ April 14, 2003: Message edited by: chi Lin ]

Hi Chi Lin,
Im probably not the best person to ask for advice.... it took me nearly a year to get this, mainly because I dont do Java as part of my day job, and well, Im lazy ;-)
However to reiterate what I said earlier,
1) Id get Ken Zroboks notes. They're very good. You can find them in the SCWCD links on Javaranch.
2) For learning JSP and Servlets Id heartily recommend Marty Halls "Core Servlets and Java Server Pages" and the sequel "More Core Servlets and Java Server Pages". Certainly work through the first book.
3) Grab the Servlet and JSP Specifications from http://java.sun.com. When I first started revision I basically made summary notes of the entire spec. I dont think you have to do that but certainly grab the specs give them a read over and then use them for reference later on.
4) Mock exams. Do lots of them. It gets your brain into thinking about the stuff you learned, it also helps to identify the areas that you are the weakest in. I used the free exams available from the SCWCD Links page.
5) I also used the SCWCD Study Guide from Sybex. I bought the first edition. The amount of errata was quite scary!!

Id probably go for the second edition if you can get it.
I sat the exam in about just over 30 minutes. Obviously youre given a lot more time. My strategy was basically to answer as many questions as possible without second guessing my self. If you start going back to questions you may start having doubts about other questions and the exam. Obviously you should find your own strategy for passing the exam. Your mileage may vary.
Thanks,
Mark
[ April 15, 2003: Message edited by: Mark Fletcher ]

Good deal!
Congratulations and good luck for your future endeavours!

Mark,
Thanks for the advice !

Originally posted by Mark Fletcher:

Hi Chi Lin,
Im probably not the best person to ask for advice.... it took me nearly a year to get this, mainly because I dont do Java as part of my day job, and well, Im lazy ;-)
However to reiterate what I said earlier,
1) Id get Ken Zroboks notes. They're very good. You can find them in the SCWCD links on Javaranch.
2) For learning JSP and Servlets Id heartily recommend Marty Halls "Core Servlets and Java Server Pages" and the sequel "More Core Servlets and Java Server Pages". Certainly work through the first book.
3) Grab the Servlet and JSP Specifications from http://java.sun.com. When I first started revision I basically made summary notes of the entire spec. I dont think you have to do that but certainly grab the specs give them a read over and then use them for reference later on.
4) Mock exams. Do lots of them. It gets your brain into thinking about the stuff you learned, it also helps to identify the areas that you are the weakest in. I used the free exams available from the SCWCD Links page.
5) I also used the SCWCD Study Guide from Sybex. I bought the first edition. The amount of errata was quite scary!! Id probably go for the second edition if you can get it.
I sat the exam in about just over 30 minutes. Obviously youre given a lot more time. My strategy was basically to answer as many questions as possible without second guessing my self. If you start going back to questions you may start having doubts about other questions and the exam. Obviously you should find your own strategy for passing the exam. Your mileage may vary.
Thanks,
Mark
[ April 15, 2003: Message edited by: Mark Fletcher ]

Congratulations,Mark!
Did you find the SCWCD easier or more difficult than the SCJP?

Hi Alfred,
I would say I found the SCWCD easier than the SCJP... but I wouldnt rate it as easy either!
Cheers,
Mark
[ April 16, 2003: Message edited by: Mark Fletcher ]

No, I fully agree. None of the Certification exams are easy. I found the SCJP surprisingly difficult to prepare for. I went at least 10 days over the preperation time I had mentally scheduled.
I've been looking into the SCEA. Phase I looks really difficult.
Of course it's just a matter of time I guess. If you keep at it and continuously measure your progress against mock exams, sooner or later you reach the point where you figure you will pass.
Then it's just a matter of taking the test. Even if you fail the first time, typically it's just a matter of some further study and review, then a re-take.