Failed in Enthware Foundation Test

[Vidya Shivram]

Hello All,

I am java Beginner and had prepared for 1 month.I took Enthuware foundation test and I failed with 55%. I have to take OCA 8 on Sep 2 and I cannot postpone my exams  it is necessary to take it before sep

[Rebecca Wolf]

Hi Chivid,

No worries, you still have plenty of time to prepare. In order for us to help you, could you tell us;

- What is your experience with Java as a beginner?
- How have you been preparing so far?
- What resources have you been using?

Regards,
Shane

[Vidya Shivram]

Hi Shane,

*I am from electrical background and I know C and UNIX not proficient though.
*haven't worked in Java before and doing this certification to improve my skills.
*I am using SYBEX,Mala Gupta and few other online Materials.
*Have been preparing from  3 to 4 weeks from these books and I had read Java Complete reference Book before( was not part of preparation).
*I took enthuware foundation test to check where I stand now and the results scared me.I have read many saying 6 months preparation is needed but as this certificate will be sponsored by my company
I have to take it in sep. so what are the chances ?
* Most of the time my answers have gone wrong because of silly mistakes done while analyzing though I am aware of  those concepts.

[Roel De Nijs]

Chivid Ram wrote:I took Enthuware foundation test and I failed with 55%.

In the OcajpFaq (besides other very useful information) and this thread you'll find an overview of all available (free and commercial) resources (study guides, mock exams, video courses,...) to thorougly prepare yourself for the certification exam. And on the OcajpWallOfFame (and the OcpjpWallOfFame) you'll find plenty of (links to) experiences (some including time lines of their preparation) from other ranchers (including resources they have used). So it can be useful to determine which resources are useful (and which are not).

If you use the search function, you'll find plenty of topics with advice to prepare (and ace) the OCA exam. Here are a few:

Studying so hard just to fail(1z0-808)

Failing Java SE 8 Programmer I

Bad Experience with OCA 7 exams

Any tricks about how to manage the 120 min for so many question?

second failed OCAJP

Need some advice after failing the exam

Hope it helps!
Kind regards,
Roel

[Roel De Nijs]

Chivid Ram wrote:I have read many saying 6 months preparation is needed but as this certificate will be sponsored by my company I have to take it in sep. so what are the chances ?

I can understand that a company adds a deadline to take a certification exam. Otherwise the candidate might not take his preparation seriously. But the deadline should be flexible: if you can prove that you have seriously prepared yourself but a week before the due date mock exams illustrate you will probably fail the exam, then the deadline should be postponed with e.g. a month. Because a company should also understand that this certification exam is tricky and hard (even for experienced Java developers) and that not everyone has the same learning speed.

Honestly given your lack of Java experience? I think this deadline might be a bit too strict and you probably need another month (or even two), certainly if you can only prepare during your spare time. I always advise against people trying to get certified as quickly as possible and give my personal opinion: Give yourself enough time to prepare. Don't rush! The journey becoming certified is much more important than that piece of paper itself. If you take your time to prepare, you'll become a much better developer with a good understanding of Java and OO basics. You'll get much more out of your certification than someone who's preparing to just pass the exam. No doubt! (and of course the same applies for the OCP certification exam as well).

[Jeanne Boyarsky]

Sept 2 is about 6 weeks away. I think you have time to get your score up.

I recommend re-reading the books you have but slower and more deeply. Understand each concept. Right code. Do the end of chapter questions repeatedly until you are getting them right. This will train your brain to look for the type of things questions ask and answer them more accurately. Don't do more mock exams until you are scoring better on the chapter questions. There are only so many mock exams available so you don't want to "waste" them.

Also, remember that the passing score is 65% on the real exam. You don't have get 100% to satisfy your employer. You just have to pass.

[Paul Anilprem]

Rereading the same book may sometimes gets too boring. If you can afford buying another book, I would suggest you to read a different one. Besides being not boring, it will also give a new perspective into the same topic and that will help you remember stuff better.
Regardless, as others have suggested, you should not be attempting mock exams before going through a book.