Hi Friends,
I passed SCJP 5.0 on 3rd of October with 75%. I started preparing for the certification from May 2008 and read SCJP study guide by Kathy Seirra and Bert Bates twice(The second time I only read selectively portions from the book which appeared my weak areas).I took notes from the book,did many online mock Scjp Tests which were mentioned on javaranch forum and additionally I took whizlabs SCJP5.0 to boost my confidence.And ofcourse I was regularly following the discussions on the java ranch SCJP forum.
I enjoyed thoroughly reading the Kathy and Bates book.First of all let me thank the authors and the rest of the team for bringing out such an amazing book.Also my gratitude to the Whizlabs team.
On my initial attempts answering the mock tests,self test questions in KB,Master exams,including whizlab,I was scoring only in the 50's and 60's ranges in the first attempts and 80's on the second attempt. I was a bit reluctant to take the latest version of SCJP(6.0)not because of the addition of 2 classes and 1 interface, but because of the cutoff pass mark hike.In the exam I got questions from all areas and all types(Easy,Medium,Hard,tricky including 9 drag and drop).
As a whole,I am happy with my percentage and I thank each and everyone in the java ranch who helped me towards success.Some of the ranchers' queries and following explanations were invaluable. All the best for those about to take the exam.
Regards
Neju.