suggestions for someone studying for java certification

Question

I have been working with java (J2EE) for about 4 years. I have been putting off the certification for a while now. I bought the exam last year and still have not taken the exam. it expires in june so I am going to give it a shot.

I know certifications don't get jobs but interviews but where I work...certification will put a 'stamp' on my resume and I think it'll popout in the eyes of the management.

Anyways, I am going for JAVA 6. Can someone suggest some good mock exams that are kind of new and relevant. I came across this link but most of these exams are fairly old. I am using kathy Sierra's book for studying. Any other resources/pointers?

Answer 1

I think the SCJP book is your best bet.

I'm still not certified as well, but i've read the book cover to cover and think it's great. Colleagues of mine that have gone through the test say that the book is good and once you have a good studying strategy, it should be more than enough to get you through. Example: a friend of mine did the tests after every chapter and marked hard/interesting/wrong answers he got and copied them to pocket sized tips which he revised before the exam.

Basically, your reading strategy will do the work for you, you just need to get one :)

On the other hand, i can't quote exact names but there are paid software products out there that just generate sample tests based on a question bank (probably extracted from the book). IMHO not necessary.

Answer 2

Hi I am SCJP , SCJA and SCWCD certified person. SCJA->SCJA by Cameron MacKenzie, SCJP-> By Katthy Sierra, SCWCD-> Servlets and JSP HEADFIRST

The above mentioned books are enough to crack the exams. I have followed same books.

Answer 3

I highly recommend these books for anyone taking on SCJP.

1. Programmer's Guide to Java SCJP Certifiaction -A Comprehensive Primer
2. SCJP Certified Programmer
   

There is a mock exam at the end for Java SE6 in the first book I mentioned. It comprises brand new questions which are similar to ones that can be expected in the real exam.

Answer 4

If you are studying for a Sun certification, you must spend a lot of time on Javaranch forums. It is the most popular and happening forum for java certification candidates. You'll find tons of resources and all the latest info on SCJP 6 (including first hand experiences from test takers).