SCJD 5.0 Question

[O.B.]

I'm looking into taking the SCJP & SCJD 5.0 exam and have two questions:

1. Would it be in my best interest to take the SCJP first?

2. I have found the following book and it only covers Java v1.4. Are
there any differences between v1.4 and v1.5 on the SCJD that this book
might not cover?

Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide (Exam
310-035 & 310-027)
by Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates
ISBN: 0072226846

 

[raisenero]

1. You must take the SCJP exam first, it is required before you
qualify to take the SCJD exam.

2. I haven't found a satisfactory study guide for the exams yet.

 

[Chris Smith]

I'm looking into taking the SCJP & SCJD 5.0 exam and have two questions:

1. Would it be in my best interest to take the SCJP first?

I believe (IIRC) that you're required to take the SCJP first... so it
may not be up to you.

2. I have found the following book and it only covers Java v1.4. Are
there any differences between v1.4 and v1.5 on the SCJD that this book
might not cover?

Java 1.5 is a very different language from Java 1.4. If you don't know
it, then I'd suspect you will run into problems on the SCJP exam. Since
the SCJD exam is done on your own time, you have a bit more ability to
be adaptable.

--
www.designacourse.com
The Easiest Way To Train Anyone... Anywhere.

Chris Smith - Lead Software Developer/Technical Trainer
MindIQ Corporation

 

[Tony Morris]

I'm looking into taking the SCJP & SCJD 5.0 exam and have two questions:

1. Would it be in my best interest to take the SCJP first?

2. I have found the following book and it only covers Java v1.4. Are
there any differences between v1.4 and v1.5 on the SCJD that this book
might not cover?

Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide (Exam
310-035 & 310-027)
by Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates
ISBN: 0072226846

1. Yes - not only is it recommended, it is required.
2. Having done both 1.4 and 5.0 exams, I suggest you might require some
study material. I did the 5.0 exam (310-055) 3 days after it arrived in
Australia, and so there was no study material available, but I was able
to 'wing it' using some already gathered knowledge. A lot of it, at
least I felt, was implicitly declaring your subscription to the
legitimacy of 'the way Sun does things'.

For example, I encountered many multiple choice questions where my
reasoning was something like: "none of these answers are correct,
however, since I have worked with Sun engineers, and Sun software quite
extensively, I know that they are thinking *this* is the correct answer,
therefore, I will select it knowing full well that it is wrong". I truly
hope that Sun have revised the silliness of the exam since I did it -
when it was quite new.

So given this, if you feel confident of 'winging it', go right ahead,
however, I'm assuming that you are not confident - simply because you
had to ask the question - therefore, use study material. I should warn
you though, the Sierra/Bates books are full of errors, like many other
texts that exist solely to profit in contrast to portraying truth and
understanding on behalf of the author. A disclaimer though; I only know
this from watching forums of confused people who question the
authenticity of a given claim made in these books - I have never
actually read any completely, only referenced them at time.

The exams are only indicative of subscription to Sun's philosophies -
which I fervently claim are horribly broken. I did the exams (including
SCJD) because they were free; my employer at the time paid for the
exams. And back then, I had to tread carefully when proclaiming that Sun
software (and that of my employer at the time) is retarded to an extreme
that I still have difficulty imagining, or risk losing my job. I'm glad
I resigned have I said that already?

 

[Roedy Green]

I will select it knowing full well that it is wrong". I truly
hope that Sun have revised the silliness of the exam since I did it -
when it was quite new.

This reminds me of grade 5 where a teacher asked me if some animal was
"big". I argued that was a malformed question. I could tell her its
size, but whether it was "big" or not depended on what you were
comparing it against. The class groaned and never let me forget what
a dork I was for not knowing an X was big. The teacher was on the
verge of sending me to the principal's office for being a smart Alec.

This reminds me of something that bothered be as a child. Do the
people who make up intelligent tests imagine they are infinitely
intelligent? Where do they get off thinking their interpretation of
the problem is the "correct" one.

I am thinking particularly of those question where show you 4
geometric figures and ask you which one does not belong. You can
argue some sort of case for all four.

Should you not test the test to make sure the answers correlate to the
answers given by known very intelligent people? If you find
intelligent people disagreeing, likely the question has some
ambiguity.