Doubts regarding OCPJP

[Goutham Harsha]

Hello people,

I'm planning to prepare for OCPJP.
I have a few doubts I'd like to get clarified:

1) What is the difference between OCJP and OCPJP ?

2) I've got a job offer for the role of a Rails developer. If I want to shift fields to Java a year or two down the line, will OCPJP be useful ?

3) I won't say I'm very good at Java, but I'm conversant with most of the concepts. I have read the book "Head First Java" by Sierra and Bates (lovely book !), and I've developed a couple of small scale applications like a Library Manager and a Budget Manager.
If I start preparing right now for the certification exam, how much time will it take for the preparation (approximately, I can put in 4 hours per day).

4) Also the book I'd be using for OCPJP preparation is: SCJP for Java 6 Study Guide from Sierra and Bates. Is there any other book you'd suggest ?

Apologies for the long post.
Hoping for some replies

Thank you !

[saloni jhanwar]

SCJP/OCJP FAQ

[gurpeet singh]

Goutham Harsha wrote:Hello people,

I'm planning to prepare for OCPJP.
I have a few doubts I'd like to get clarified:

1) What is the difference between OCJP and OCPJP ?

2) I've got a job offer for the role of a Rails developer. If I want to shift fields to Java a year or two down the line, will OCPJP be useful ?

3) I won't say I'm very good at Java, but I'm conversant with most of the concepts. I have read the book "Head First Java" by Sierra and Bates (lovely book !), and I've developed a couple of small scale applications like a Library Manager and a Budget Manager.
If I start preparing right now for the certification exam, how much time will it take for the preparation (approximately, I can put in 4 hours per day).

4) Also the book I'd be using for OCPJP preparation is: SCJP for Java 6 Study Guide from Sierra and Bates. Is there any other book you'd suggest ?

Apologies for the long post.
Hoping for some replies

Thank you !

i can't answer all your queries but regarding the book for the ocpjp preparation i would like to tell you that it is sufficient for the exam. it is a great book and i myself passed the exam using that book. the other book out there is khalid mughal and i have heard that it is also a good book. whatever book you follow stick to it. secondly i must say that if you go for head first book by kathy seirra then if you face any problem in that more people will be able to help you out here on the forum as compared to if you go for other book. but that does not mean khalid mughal is not good. it is also one of the recommended book for ocpjp.

regarding the time, it depends upon how you learn and grasp concepts. still i feel that if you put 4 hours a day then i think 6-8 weeks would be enough considering your present knowledge of java.

ocpjp definitely helps. it is basis for java platform. whatever you learn , will be applicable everywhere, whether you use servlet, jsp, ejb etc. i think it would help you if in future you want to switch to java, though you have to refresh the knowledge. but knowing that you have cleared the exam , gives you confidence and you easily dive into java again without any fear.

[Anayonkar Shivalkar]

Hello Goutham Harsha,

Welcome to CodeRanch!

Goutham Harsha wrote:1) What is the difference between OCJP and OCPJP ?

Technically, there is no such exam as 'OCJP' (at least not by Oracle - I don't know if some other exam by some other vendor could be abbreviated to OCJP). The actual abbreviation is OCPJP.

Goutham Harsha wrote:2) I've got a job offer for the role of a Rails developer. If I want to shift fields to Java a year or two down the line, will OCPJP be useful ?

Frankly, why are you looking for a Rails job - if you are interested in Java? Yes, the certification does help (I myself have switched technologies and SCJP proved to be quite useful then), but remember that it is not very smooth transition. Always keep in mind that theoretically, for a Java project (or Java opening), a candidate having 2 years of experience in Java is more preferred than candidate having 2 years of experience in Rails (even if you get very good amount of Java knowledge, firstly you have to clear cut-off criteria to appear of the interview). I'm not saying it is impossible (again, I've done it ), but it is not easy, and if possible, I would highly recommend to look for a Java job right away. The more time you spend in one technology, more difficult it becomes to switch technologies. Your OCPJP preparation would come quite handy for technical interviews in Java.

Goutham Harsha wrote:3) I won't say I'm very good at Java, but I'm conversant with most of the concepts. I have read the book "Head First Java" by Sierra and Bates (lovely book !), and I've developed a couple of small scale applications like a Library Manager and a Budget Manager.
If I start preparing right now for the certification exam, how much time will it take for the preparation (approximately, I can put in 4 hours per day).

As gurpeet singh said, I guess 6-8 weeks should be fine.

Goutham Harsha wrote:4) Also the book I'd be using for OCPJP preparation is: SCJP for Java 6 Study Guide from Sierra and Bates. Is there any other book you'd suggest ?

Sierra & Bates' book is a descent one. It contains everything required for OCPJP, and most importantly, it is very exam oriented. I would suggest to focus only on one book (unless you have to refer some extra material) - try to avoid studying same text from more than two sources(this holds true only for certification preparation )

I hope this helps.

All the best!