My experience with SCJP exam

The "Sun Certified Programmer for Java 2 Platform 1.4" Certification Exam is intended for programmers experienced in using the basic syntax and structure of the Java programming language. It gives the candidate to demonstrate proficiency in the fundamentals of Java programming language using Java 2 platform Standard Edition (J2SE Technology). This is the first in the series of certification exam offered by Sun Microsystems in J2EE field and for many it is the first step to becoming established as a competent Java Developer.

The SCJP 1.4 exam is based on the following objectives:

• Declarations & Access Control


• Flow Control, Assertions & Exception handling


• Garbage Collection


• Language Fundamentals


• Operation & Assignment


• Overloading, Overriding, Runtime Type & Object Orientation


• Threads


• Fundamentals Classes in Java.lang Package


• The Collection framework

Each objective tests your skills in an area of Java Programming.

Firstly the time is not a major factor, 2 hours and 15 minutes is enough to complete 61 questions with some time for revision also. It is really an issue of whether you know/understand what is required. One should not get caught in a tough question, but should look at it at a later stage. You will be pleased to learn that the actual exam is much better than the various available mock exams. Majority of questions are on the core language syntax rather than API's. Of course candidate need to be familiar with API as mentioned in the objectives to get the pass mark.

Preparing for any kind of IT certification is about both about studying and practising. I referred SYBEX's Complete Java 2 Certification (although lots of other good certification books are available in the market). Going through a certification book is advisable although you might be good in Java. For experienced programmers there are certain things, which are, examined that you may not encounter in everyday programming.

This certification is regarded as most difficult compared to other IT Certifications, as the questions are very tricky. One should constantly refer to the available Web resources as they are generally more up to date.

One needs to study for this particular exam in a very structured pattern.

Good preparation, dedication are key to sailing through the SCJP examination.

Related links:

http://training.sun.com/US/certification/java/index.html

http://www.javaranch.com/