• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
programming forums Java Mobile Certification Databases Caching Books Engineering Micro Controllers OS Languages Paradigms IDEs Build Tools Frameworks Application Servers Open Source This Site Careers Other Pie Elite all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
Marshals:
  • Campbell Ritchie
  • Jeanne Boyarsky
  • Ron McLeod
  • Paul Clapham
  • Liutauras Vilda
Sheriffs:
  • paul wheaton
  • Rob Spoor
  • Devaka Cooray
Saloon Keepers:
  • Stephan van Hulst
  • Tim Holloway
  • Carey Brown
  • Frits Walraven
  • Tim Moores
Bartenders:
  • Mikalai Zaikin

Disappointing OCA8 marks

 
Greenhorn
Posts: 7
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I failed the OCA 8 in the first attempt… now I feel too old and terribly exhausted to try again…am in my 40’s is that too old to try again … or should I stop being delusional and wait tables instead
 
Marshal
Posts: 79177
377
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
40s isn't old. Sorry to hear about the exam. Please tell us more details, including how much work you put into revising.
 
em jan
Greenhorn
Posts: 7
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Well I got 52% I studied the OCA 8 guide once. And once overed it briefly . I used the enthuware practice exams and OCA 8 practice Tests

Here are some examples of where I got tripped up:
Ternary operator: there were a bunch of unary increment and decrements pre and post variables , then assignments then a nested ternary expression whose result was an assignment to an int ! I don’t  remember the question per say but remember seeing something similar in enthuware only this was far more complicated…
Exceptions and it had variable scope within the code  showing up in the catch and finally with return statements..
Multiple questions on multi dimensional arrays
There was even a question on equals (and equivalence, I think) for local date objects ….


But I must say this: from the  practice exams that I was in the 60% - 70ish ball park enthuware and OCA practice questions… clearly not enough….just like they both indicate.

I am between work.  My last position before the company bankrupted late 2019 was of a
Quality assurance engineer…two years ago the company went from water fall SDLC to Agile. This is where I started to discover that if I want to stay in IT learning to code is very important


I have picked up other certifications from scrum.org,  scrum alliance, ASTQB and UCSC Silicon Valley Extn. This one was going to by my last. I have never failed before

I know Java, but I don’t know Java this from taking a 8 or 10-week once-in-a-week class .All  I want to do is be able to offer programming skills when I got back to work. And build good automation projects… not just be a certified someone. This to say I was sitting front of these practice questions for long hours before the exam.

The recall on questions are so hazy because I was so exhausted. I couldn’t bring myself to think through one more problem and remember just skimming mindlessly through it towards the end …maybe it was a frozen brain or maybe I shouldn’t code !!!

Sorry not a pity party. I want to reappear but my confidence has taken a bad beating. I literally can tell you answers to most of the questions on enthuware just like the simulation warns..Am not sure what I can do to reset my head and start over … any suggestions are welcome
 
Campbell Ritchie
Marshal
Posts: 79177
377
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I thnk you have enough new posts to merit a separate thread.
Original location of posts: here.
 
em jan
Greenhorn
Posts: 7
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Thank you ?… I am not disheartened. I do know from this website and others that seasoned developers have not been successful sometimes and; that there is a difference between coding and passing the exam. I learnt so much from the OCA guide though. It  targets specific concepts v/s other software text books. Also it’s so well organized. E.g. Texts may tend to talk a loops and conditionals when talking illustrating  Java primitives.
I am just confused on ways forward like is Whizzlabs or any other mock dump experts such as yourself can recommend that will help me reset instead of just repeat blindly… thanks for giving my ramble an audience
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 91
3
Eclipse IDE MySQL Database Windows
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

em jan wrote:I failed the OCA 8 in the first attempt… now I feel too old and terribly exhausted to try again…am in my 40’s is that too old to try again … or should I stop being delusional and wait tables instead




Dude, I'm in my mid-50s and I'm learning Java for the first time.  40's isn't too old to try again.  You have already demonstrated (by a later post in this thread) that you learned what you need to pass...   Brush up on the areas you mentioned.  Go to bed early the night before a bit earlier than usual.  Play soft music if you need to.  Eat a healthy breakfast.  Instead of reviewing before the test, re-assure yourself before the test.  Reflect on the amount of time you spent preparing and studying.  Keep telling yourself, "I got this."  Going into a test calm,  level headed, and mentally alert (with no other prep) will give you at least a 10% improvement in score.  That, with brushing up on the topics you know about will be enough!  You only fail if you give up, if you take it again and pass, it was just a two step process which is OK.  You got this!

~d (the young @ heart)
 
em jan
Greenhorn
Posts: 7
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

Dude, I'm in my mid-50s and I'm learning Java for the first time.  40's isn't too old to try again.



Dudette... big proponent of Women in Tech.  Yes thanks I agree should just hunker down and start over instead of  well this.. Also for assuring me that I sufficient knowledge, definitely enough to roll up my sleeves one more time. Mangala
 
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic