Java 2 Certification Training Guide

Don't expect to get away with only this book if going beyond the Programmer Cert

I bought three books in preparation for the programmer and
developer exams. This book is my favorite. Even better,
it makes a good reference, as many subjects are explained
w/clarity. I frequently xerox selected pages and pass them
around to co-workers.

As for the complaint about the architect exam... I am
currently preparing for this and the architect exam has
changed. The cover of this book clearly states 310-050
but I believe the current exam is 310-051. Since I haven't
taken this exam yet, I cannot comment on how valuable the
book is. But I did want to point out that Sun has moved on.

I'm not sure what to say to the person who claims 4 years
of java development and still didn't pass the test. Must
not have been your day.

'I read every single page of the first 15 chapters--everything covered in this book pertaining to the the Java 2 Programmer Exam--and I must say this really was a decent book, and actually may be good for some people. I also used another book as well, so I know what it looks like in comparison to relative to another.

The information presented in the book is written with clarity and is organized based on the exam objectives. Notes and exam tips are written conveniently on the margins. The actual reading material isn't too overwhelming but is sufficient for knowledge one needs to pass the exam. If you're the type of person that cares only about knowledge required for the exam, this book has it. This book is a very good and perhaps great book for drilling concepts into your head if your not already very experienced with java. The questions, though they are not a good representation of the exam questions, are good for strengthening your understanding of the concepts.

If you're the type of person who cannot pass an exam unless you take practice exams that have questions looking almost like the real exam, then this book is not for you. If you're not intimidated by questions that look new (in style only) and you have experience programming in any language, this may be enough. The only reason I do not give this book 4 or 5 stars is because it has some mistakes and I'm too lazy to go to the website for the corrections and it can have some better test questions.

However, the guy that said he was programming in Java for 4 years and failed the exam probably doesn't know much Java or didn't read the book carefully or didn't understand what the book was saying. I didn't understand Inner Classes before reading this book and even though it has 5 pages on the subject, they tell you all you need to know. And the book has an exam tip stating "make sure that you understand how inner and anonymous classes are used. You'll see several exam questions that cover inner and annonymous classes." Apparently, the other guy from Chicago didn't pay much attention to the advice.

In any case, I think it's worth reading two books for this exam. It's not an easy exam and you really need to know your material to pass. I used this book as welll as "The Complete Java 2 Certification Study Guide," which I thought was better since it was written by one of the authors of the actual Sun exam. However, I only used material I learned from both of these books and the questions in the books. I didn't take the exams and questions on CD-ROM (which I would also recommend to not-extremely-ready people who don't want to be surprised on exam day). I passed on my first shot with an 81 percent by just reading this book first and then reading the other. I think reading the material in it's entirety twice (each book once) is well worth it.

I have been programming in Java for 4 years now and I did not pass the exam just by studying this book. For example the exam asked alot of questions about inner classes (15-20%) and this book only cover inner classes for 2-3 pages. The book doesn't describe inner classes very details and the practice exam is terrible. The real exam is far from the practice exam. The bottom line is I do not recommending this book!

This book officially cover the first step of the Architect Certification: the first exam. But in fact the book cover just a quarter of the exam. The author is not supporting his book anymore.

A lot of copy past was done in this book. Same things can be repeted more than 3 times! On the CD-ROM a test engine is provided with no more questions that those listed at the end of each chapter in the book! Useless in anyway for the Architect Exam.