Preparation pointers for the exam

[Dan Gun]

Sorry if this question has been asked numerous times before.
I've just passed my SCJP, and now want to prepare for SCBCD. From what I understand one of the best book to get is HF EJB. What else is complimentary to this book, and is that this SCBCD link has the complete list of mock exams etc.
TIA for all your help

[Phil Rhodes]

I've heard a lot of recommendations for "Mastering EJB", 2nd Ed., by Ed Roman, and "Enterprise JavaBeans", 3rd Ed., by Richard Monson-Haefel.
I personally have been working through the Monson-Haefel book and "Professional EJB" by Rahim Adatia, Faiz Arni, et. al. (WROX Press). And I have the Ed Roman book on order.
You also might be interested in reading the actual EJB spec itself, which is linked somewhere on the Sun Java site. (Sorry, don't have the link handy).
FWIW, here's the approach I'm taking... I read HFEJB cover to cover, much like a novel, skipping all the exercises and sample tests.. just to get a feel for what kind of material would be on the test, and to figure out where my weak areas were. Now, I'm going to spend quite a bit of time in the Monson-Haefel book, Professional EJB and the Ed Roman book... maybe a month or so, writing and deploying a lot of actual beans, and experimenting with code. After that, I'll spend some time reading over the EJB specification, then go back through HFEJB and do the exercises and sample tests. Then, I'll scour the 'Net for all the mock exam questions I can find and do them.
Then, if I feel confident, I'll sit the actual certification test. I also have a few other J2EE books in my library that I'll probably dabble in a little, for extra reference or whatever, like the O'Reilly "Java RMI" book, the JNDI Tutorial and Reference, etc.
[ February 03, 2004: Message edited by: Phil Rhodes ]

[Keith Rosenfield]

Hey Phil,
IMHO, that sounds like overkill. If you do the following four things, which I have, you should easily pass the exam. It has taken me two months to prepare spending an average of 6 hours a day. I will be taking the exam by the end of the week.
- read HF cover to cover doing all exercises
- read the spec skipping those parts in Kathy's Things you don't need to know topic
- frequent this site, posting questions and reading through others posts
- get and use a test simulator until you can consistantly break 90%
Good luck.

[Dan Gun]

Thanks all. The information provided are very useful!!
I'll try the easier way first although I have both Mastering EJB and Enterprise JavaBeans book in my collection.
I believe the EJBSpec is somewhere in Sun's site?
Any other links that would be useful?

[Phil Rhodes]

Hey Phil,
IMHO, that sounds like overkill.

Keith,
You may be right in a sense, but I do this much preparation for a couple of reasons.
1. I always try to "over-prepare" for certification tests, since I want to be as close to "sure" as possible that I'll pass... I do NOT want to spend another $150.00 or whatever, to take the test over again.
2. I'm not satisfied with merely being able to pass the test. I want to REALLY know the stuff, cold. I look at studying for certification as more than just getting ready for a test... I look at it as an opportunity to focus on a specific area for a while, and try to achieve a high level of competence in that area... passing the certification is, in a sense, just a side-effect.

[Keith Rosenfield]

Phil,
I agree with you 100%. Study for compentency and a passing cert grade will be a welcomed side effect. That said, IMO, reading HF and the spec should result in a very high level of compentcy, although using other materials could only add to your ability.
Good luck.

[Vishwa Kumba]

IMHO, Ed Roman's book and RMH book cover plenty of good material for EJBs.
But the EJB basics for a beginner are better explained in the HF Book.
EJB is a complex subject and a beginner would definitely feel much more comfortable with Kathy's book than any other EJB book out there