Certification in a particular technology increases advancement opportunities at the workplace and asserts that the certified individual is qualified to do a certain level of tasks. For the Java developer, Sun Microsystems' Certified Programmer certification is the starting point. In this article, I'll tell you what this cert requires and how you can prepare for it. For a look at the various certifications in Sun's Java Technology Professional Development Path, check out this guide. The exam The Certified Programmer exam consists of 59 multiple-choice and type-in questions. The passing score for the exam is 61 percent. There's no limit on the number of attempts to pass the exam, but it costs $150 each time you take it, and there must be a gap of two weeks between attempts. The exam covers topics concerning the basic syntax of the Java language and some standard packages. It doesn't cover any other topics like servlets or Enterprise JavaBeans. In some cases, there may be more than one correct answer. If so, you will be told how many answers you need to choose. To get an idea of the types of questions you can expect, here's a question that's similar to what you'll find on the exam: Choose best answer. public static int main(String WRONG[]) { return(1); } Choices: 1.Code will fail to compile because the arguments to main are wrong. 2.Code will fail to compile because main is defined incorrectly. 3.Code will compile and run without any errors. 4.Code will compile but fail to run. The correct answer is 4. As you can see from this example, it's necessary to have tried different options with the compiler. The exam does not require you to create the logic for a problem at hand; however, it expects you to be able to simulate a compiler. The exam is filled with code snippets, and you'll need to recognize the output when that code snippet is passed through a compiler. The official exam objectives are as follows:
- Declarations and access control
- Flow control and exception handling
- Garbage collection
- Language fundamentals
- Operators and assignments
- Overloading, overriding, runtime type, and object orientations
- Threads
- The java.awt package
- The java.lang package
- The java.util package
- The java.io. package
- The Complete Java 2 Certification Study Guide--Errata
- A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification--Errata
- Jxam contains around 200 practice questions.
- J@Whiz -- This simulator has around 649 practice questions with 11 mock exams.
- JCertify -- This simulator integrates with various Java training content like Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java and Richard Baldwin's Java Tutorials.
- Practice Exams from Sun -- These exams include sample test questions, correct answers with explanations, and suggestions for future study.
Conclusion
Success with certification exams comes from practice and preparation, and Sun's Certified Programmer exam is no exception. I hope the knowledge and confidence you gain from the books and practice exams we've discussed here pays off when you take the real exam. Created by developers, for developers, Builder.com brings software developers fresh, real-world perspective on topics from programming to architecture to management. Builder.com will improve the way developers work with the information, tools, and services to help them conquer the challenges they face everyday in real-world development.
