I took the test on Tuesday. My background is that I have a lot of programming experience (nearly 30 years), including over a decade with C++, but haven't had a chance to work with Java professionally, though I've read about it over the years. I thought I might be using it about a year ago so I read Core Java Vol I (and parts of Vol II). But I ended up back on a C++ project and then a C# one. I'm between jobs again, so I decided to study for the SCJP both to solidify my knowledge of the language and core libraries and to assure Java studios that I can speak their language.
I worked through the Sierra & Bates study guide, taking notes, making flash
cards, and writing small programs to exercise all of the corner cases I wasn't sure about and to get used to the rhythm of the language. I used the exercises in that book as inspirations for my code, but mostly improvised my own exercises. (My only complaint about that book is the exercises, mainly the lack thereof.) Then I spent four days before the exam doing the Self Test questions in the book (which I hadn't looked at before then), and the sample tests from the CD (including the downloaded "bonus" exam) and reviewing my mistakes carefully. (Actually, the first day I did one of the sample "quizzes" first which really rattled me because it only gave me 90 minutes to answer 75 questions, by default, so when the time ran out and I was nowhere near finished I thought I must be much too slow.) Those tests are pretty hard; I was passing, but not easily. But as they say, they are trying to toughen you up. And they do prepare you well. The actual exam questions do generally feature shorter code samples and are simpler, but they pull all of the same tricks.
In the end, I got 95%, missing three questions. (There were 60; 35 correct to pass.) I think the ones I missed were among the many "gotcha" questions, because I got all of the declarations, initialization, scoping, API contents, concurrency, OO concepts, and collections/generics questions correct, but missed two flow control questions and one under fundamentals. I'm quite sure that I know those basic subjects at least as well as I know the rest.
I may be misremembering, but I think there was a serialization question on the exam. But it's not a difficult topic, right? I got everything I needed from that chapter on the back of one flashcard.
I never actually used this site before the exam, but I can see that it would be useful for many people. For those still studying, I hope my report helps.
Good luck,
Dave