This week's book giveaway is in the Agile and other Processes forum. We're giving away four copies of The Mikado Method and have Ola Ellnestam and Daniel Brolund on-line! See this thread for details.
[ January 30, 2008: Message edited by: Elton Kuzniewski ]
great, so they are supposed to be the same exam with no new content, but 1.5 needs 70% to pass and 1.4 needs 62%. Hmmmm, I wonder which one people will choose to take.
Scooby Snacks for everyone...<br /> <br />SCJA, SCJP 1.4
Originally posted by Scott Bown: just scanning the objectives of the new 5.0 exam and as Bert predicted they are the same as the 1.4? no JSF?
Looks like an exact copy to me. Even the typo on Objective 6.7 is there (no bullet point). Part of it didn't copy over, either - it got cut off in the middle of section 7.
Interesting point about the pass percentage. I think if I were new I'd still take the version 5, as I wouldn't sit for the exam unless I expected at least an 80.
A good workman is known by his tools.
Bert Bates
author
Sheriff
Joined: Oct 14, 2002
Posts: 8712
posted
0
The passing percentages are based on how hard the questions have proven to be "in the field". So, if one exam has a lower passing percentage then it follows that the questions on that exam will be a bit tougher
Eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. (If you're not on the edge, you're taking up too much room.)
Mihai Radulescu
Ranch Hand
Joined: Sep 18, 2003
Posts: 912
posted
0
Hi,
it seams that the points : Building JSP Pages Using Standard Actions Building JSP Pages Using Tag Libraries Building a Custom Tag Library J2EEPatterns
are now out ? Is this really so or this is a mistake ?
Bert,you are out "inside man", you do you think ?
regards M
SCJP, SCJD, SCWCD
Cameron Wallace McKenzie
author and cow tipper
Saloon Keeper
I tried to hack into those pages by putting the exam code.xml in there a few days ago and it didn't work. Darn you for beating me to it!!!
I can do without all the custom tag garbage, namely the details on creating your own. doStart tag? doBody? I could always doWithoutIt!
One big thing I'm surprised at is the lack of JSF or faces technology. The SCEA 5 exam was just loaded with JSF technology. I though for sure some knowlege of how to do a faces "Hello World" would have founds its way in there.
Section 8: Building JSP Pages Using Standard Actions
* Given a design goal, create a code snippet using the following standard actions: jsp:include, jsp:forward, and jsp aram.
Section 9: Building JSP Pages Using Tag Libraries
* Given a design goal, use an appropriate JSP Standard Tag Library (JSTL v1.1) tag from the "core" tag library.
Section 10: Building a Custom Tag Library
* Given a scenario, write tag handler code to access the parent tag and an arbitrary tag ancestor.
* Describe the semantics of the "Simple" custom tag event model when the event method (doTag) is executed; write a tag handler class; and explain the constraints on the JSP content within the tag.
Section 11: J2EE Patterns
* Given a scenario description with a list of issues, select a pattern that would solve the issues. The list of patterns you must know are: Intercepting Filter, Model-View-Controller, Front Controller, Service Locator, Business Delegate, and Transfer Object. * Match design patterns with statements describing potential benefits that accrue from the use of the pattern, for any of the following patterns: Intercepting Filter, Model-View-Controller, Front Controller, Service Locator, Business Delegate, and Transfer Object.
OFFICER: Do you know why I pulled you over? DRIVER: No... what did I do? OFFICER: I caught you doing 1.4 in a 1.5 zone! DRIVER: But the objectives on the exam are the same. OFFICER: ... DRIVER: I swear! OFFICER: ... step out of the vehicle, sir.
Elton Kuzniewski
Ranch Hand
Joined: Dec 06, 2007
Posts: 44
posted
0
Originally posted by Cameron McKenzie: Indeed, I spoke too soon.
The link is CUT OFF. If you look at the upgrade exam, it lists all of those custom tag and patterns stuff:
Sun Certified Associate for Java Platform
Sun Certified Java Programmer 5.0
Sun Certified Web Component Developer 5.0
Ibrahim AlShehri
Greenhorn
Joined: Jan 29, 2007
Posts: 12
posted
0
i think the diff is as follows:
1- in 5.0
in "Building JSP Pages Using the Expression Language"
these are missing !:
Given a scenario, write EL code that uses the following operators: aritmetic operators, relational operators, and logical operators. Given a scenario, write EL code that uses a function; write code for an EL function; and configure the EL function in a tag library descriptor.
2- in 5.0
"Section 11: Java EE Patterns" is missing !
SCJP 5.0 (87%)
Jesus Angeles
Ranch Hand
Joined: Feb 26, 2005
Posts: 2036
posted
0
Maybe no one is actually was taking care of the new exam.
It was just posted by rats randomly stepping on the keyboard at Sun.
Mihai Radulescu
Ranch Hand
Joined: Sep 18, 2003
Posts: 912
posted
0
An other strange thing is the absence of the beta from the new exam, what I mean in most of the cases when a new exam comes it begin with a beta phase. This new exam does have a beta phase.
Regards, M
Arjan Times
Ranch Hand
Joined: Sep 16, 2007
Posts: 35
posted
0
Originally posted by Mihai Radulescu: An other strange thing is the absence of the beta from the new exam, what I mean in most of the cases when a new exam comes it begin with a beta phase. This new exam does have a beta phase.
What useful purpose would a beta phase have if the exam is exactly the same? Even though Bert gives a pretty nice explanation of the fact that JSP + Servlet + JSF is too big to fit into one exam, I still feel that Sun could have done a better job on this 'upgrade'.
It's as if they thought: "Many people are asking and waiting for a SCWCD 5 exam. We're not going to give them that, but we're loosing revenues since everybody is waiting for this version 5. Let's just rename SCWCD 1.4 to SCWCD 5 and hope nobody notices".
(edit: of course they did not actually do it in this way, but I'm afraid people might feel something like this has happened)
The least they could have done (IMHO) was to include the few Servlet 2.5 and JSP 2.1 things. It's not that much and probably wouldn't justify creating a new exam for. However, if you're creating a 'new' exam anyway with the "5" in it's name from Java EE 5, how come it's still based solely on the Java EE 1.4 API?
The SCJP 5 and SCJP 6 exams also don't differ radically, but at least the 6 version has some small objectives of things that were introduced with version 6 of the JDK. [ February 03, 2008: Message edited by: Arjan Times ]
That's a rather cynical stance against the Sun certification program. I hope you'll reconsider your accusations.
I encourage you to study the new items in Servlet 2.5 and JSP 1.2 - it may make you more content with Sun's decision.
Musab Al-Rawi
Ranch Hand
Joined: Aug 06, 2007
Posts: 231
posted
0
Marc,
How can you differentiate between 1.4 and 1.5 if the objects are not clear on that? (I don't have experience in J2EE 1.5 so please don't mind my question)
Do you know any book that covers Web Components based on J2EE 1.5?
Would you please explain more about new items in Servlet 2.5 and JSP 1.2, in brief as I know that this is a big topic and impossible to cover in a post.
Thanks in advance,
SCBCD - SCWCD - SCJD - SCJP - OCA
Arjan Times
Ranch Hand
Joined: Sep 16, 2007
Posts: 35
posted
0
Originally posted by Marc Peabody: That's a rather cynical stance against the Sun certification program. I hope you'll reconsider your accusations.
In fact, I just came back to this website to edit my comment. Perhaps a "lousy job" is indeed not correct. After all, according to Bert the exam is being revised so as to be more balanced. Same material, but more sensible questions. Of course that's more than just renaming an existing exam and I apologize for suggesting that.
Nevertheless, I think it's the sentiment that a lot of people are feeling. The same objectives and material as for 1.4 (thus corresponding to J2EE 1.4) but with a 5 in the exam's name. Perhaps "SCWCD 1.4 R2" would have been a better name, but maybe that's just my point of view.
I encourage you to study the new items in Servlet 2.5 and JSP 1.2
I read about them a long time ago (it's JSP 2.1 btw ). For people interested, this article nicely sums things up:
Like I said, some of them are quite minor. For example, take the multiple patterns that can be used for a mapping in web.xml. Students now still have to learn that there can be only one mapping, while in fact the current version of Java EE allows for multiple mappings.
Again, it's a minor thing, but as I understand it (and maybe I failed to understand) these minor corrections/additions are not in the exam. Isn't updating an exam exactly the time when you have the opportunity to update for such small changes?
I fully understand Bert's explanation that JSF couldn't be part of the exam. That's logical; given the limited amount of questions that can reasonably be cramped into an exam, Servlet + JSP + JSF is indeed too much. It's sad that no new exam just for JSF has been created by now, but that's mostly unrelated to the 'problems' with the SCWCD update.
I just don't understand how some of the small changes that Servlet 2.5 brought didn't made it into the new SCWCD 5 exam.
Arjan Times
Ranch Hand
Joined: Sep 16, 2007
Posts: 35
posted
0
When looking at the objectives for 1.4 and 5 I noticed the following differences:
Title 1.4 : Exam Objectives 5 : Assignment Objectives
Section 6 1.4 : 6.7Given a specific design goal for including a JSP 5 : 6.7 Given a specific design goal for including a JSP
Section 7 1.4 :
Given a scenario, write EL code that uses the following operators: aritmetic operators, relational operators, and logical operators.
Given a scenario, write EL code that uses a function; write code for an EL function; and configure the EL function in a tag library descriptor.
Given a scenario description with a list of issues, select a pattern that would solve the issues. The list of patterns you must know are: Intercepting Filter, Model-View-Controller, Front Controller, Service Locator, Business Delegate, and Transfer Object.
Match design patterns with statements describing potential benefits that accrue from the use of the pattern, for any of the following patterns: Intercepting Filter, Model-View-Controller, Front Controller, Service Locator, Business Delegate, and Transfer Object.
5.0 : [these parts are omitted. Maybe a typo again, since Section 11 in SCWCD 5 is now completely empty (?)] [ February 03, 2008: Message edited by: Arjan Times ]