Aug 5, 2005     A review from Berlin, MA
Great book!
I got a score of 93 on the SCJP exam using only this book as a study guide. This well-organized book contains all you need to know to pass the exam, including exam tips, sample questions at the end of each chapter and two free practice exams (one on the included disk and one available online). And it does it all with a sense of humor too :) Study this book from cover-to-cover, do all of the sample questions, and take the practice exams, and you should do very well on the test.

Jun 24, 2005     Muhammed from India
90% scored with one few days preparation of this book
I preapred for SCJP 1.4 exam with this book for 3-5 days and scored 90%. It had helped me a lot to improve my java knowledge.

Jun 14, 2005     Shaun Farrugia from Ypsilanti, MI
Just passed the test
I just passed the Java test with a 78%. I'm sure it would have been a lot higher if i studied harder (i kinda glanced over the java lang fundamental part and got a 50% on that part). IN anycase i recommend this book to anyone looking to take the Programmer test. I'm now studying for the developer one!

Mar 26, 2005     A review from Bentonville, AR USA
The only book you need for the SCJP exam
This week I passed the Sun Certified Java Programmer Exam with a score of 90%. This is the only book I needed. It covers everything that you need to know for each exam objective. It also tells you what you don't need to know. (i.e., Swing, AWT, and I/O are not covered on the exam.) The format and difficulty of the sample questions are identical to the actual exam questions. (Yes, the actual exam questions are very tricky and the exhibits contain very subtle errors.) You should study the chapter summaries and self test questions until you know them cold. Once you are comfortable with the material, go to javaranch.com and take the mock exams. They also have some great forums on certification if you have questions. My only criticism is regarding the chapters covering the Sun Certified Java Developer exam (Ch 10-17). There is a lot of good information, but it's light on specifics. I suspect this was intentional to avoid giving away too much about the solution to the exam assignment. I would have liked to see a couple of example assignments similar to the actual exam assignment.

Feb 28, 2005     Earle Nietzel from New York
Study this book and you should score from 80% - 90%
I am by no means a stranger to Java but after looking at some of the test exam questions on the SCJP exam I realized I needed something more than what I had upstairs already!

This was the only book I purchased to study for the SCJP exam and I can say it was well worth it.

It trains you on those tricky exam questions that are sure to best even the most seasoned Java Developers. At the same time it was a wonderful refresher on the basic language constructs.

I was able to study the book in 1 month and then take the exam for the first time and score a 86%.

Aug 7, 2004     Dave from Hong Kong
Best book for passing the exam
I just passed the exam with a score of 86%. This is the best Java exam book I have ever seen. I read the book "exam cram" before and that book is way to simple for this exam. The Master exam questions are very similar to the real exam, the tips and summary in each chapter are very usefull. I highly recommand it

Jun 28, 2004     Patti from Richmond, Va
Excellent and Complete
I used this book and just passed my certification. I found the mock exams especially helpful. I used another book prior to this one, but this book explains it in a way i could remember it. Also it goes into the detail necessary to pass the exam.

Apr 2, 2004     Zoya from Chicago
Awesome Book
This is really the only book you will need to read in order to pass the exam. It is easy to read, and everything is explained very well. The practice test closely resembles the actual exam, so you will be well prepared.

Feb 18, 2004     Alparslan from MD, USA
Great Book
If you study this book, and this book alone, and understand it well, you will pass the exam with a high score.

Dec 18, 2003     A review from Austin Texas
Enormously helpful for knowing what the test will be like
I could really do without the fake-chatty amusing cheerleader prose style, BUT, this is an excellent book for learning how to take the test and what tricks the exam question writers are going to try to pull. I've been doing java since it was in beta version, so I am kind of peeved at even having to get my cert in this down economy, BUT, I can actually say, I learned a few things in the process. Re-learned, at any rate.

Dec 1, 2003     Rafael Alcocer (rafa@ingrac.com) from Mexico City
The Best Book You Can Buy To Get Certified
I hope you can read this because this is my real history about being certified, you can write me if you want. The first book I buy to learn Java was: Java How To Program (Harvey Deitel), I thought that if I read and learned almost everything in this book it would help me pass the exam platform 1.2. Well I failed twice 38% and 40% were my scores. I was not motivated but I give myself a last chance and I bought 5 books: Head First Java (Kathy Sierra & Bert Bates), Java 2: The Complete Reference (Hebert Schildt), Java 2 Primer Plus (Steven Haines), Java 2, J2SE 1.4 Complete (Sybex), and of course Java 2: Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide (Exams 310-035 & 310-027) by Kathy Sierra Sierra, Bert Bates Bates. Well, I recommend you the first two, they're excellent to help you get stronger knowledge and also good key points for the exam. Neither the one from Sybex nor the Java 2 Primer Plus help you. Finally I studied in this Study Guide everyday for an hour or two for 5 months, I didn't want to fail again, I was too pressed and this time I registered for the Platform 1.4 not 1.2. The book not also give you the knowledge and key points for passing the exam, it gives more but much more... that you won't find in other books. I passed the exam last November 26th, 2003 with a score of 78%. This book tells you that it will help you to pass the exam but doesn't tells you that you will pass with low or high score, this depends on you. I read the book 4 times complete well until page 539 and solved the problems at the end of every chapter 4 times, also the CD includes one master exam that helps you too much and you can download another from internet, I solved them 3 times. Believe me, if you want to pass the exam buy this book I highly recommend it. My final conclusion about all this is: "Buy the correct book to do the correct thing". You can have a lot of books but they won't tell you how to pass an exam and what are the key points of the exam. Thanks to Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates, the book is excellent, interesting, funny, is everything.

Nov 5, 2003     Jesse from Chicago, IL
Does not Cover Complexity of Real Exam
It is a great book. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover the complexity of the real exam questions. For example, the real exam is littered with complex thread questions that this book doesn't address. I still passed the exam, but not with the flying colors that I had hoped for when I read the reviews for this book.

Sep 10, 2003     
Easy to understand
Neatly explained concepts. Easy to understand. Wonderful book!!

Aug 25, 2003     A review from NC, USA
Every Java Programmer or Wanna be should read!
If you are doing anything with Java you should read this book. I can assure that even if you are a top notch Java guru, you will learn something from reading this book. It's main purpose is for those who are looking to pass the SCJP and SCJD certification test, which it does an awesome job of preparing you for. But it would be a useful reference even for those who are not.

Aug 22, 2003     Jessica Sant (jessica@javaranch.com) from New Jersey, USA
An Excellent guide for the SCPJ 1.4 exam
Imagine this: you're in college, studying for the final exam -- and the teacher gives you all of her notes that spell out EXACTLY what you need to know, what you DON'T need to worry about, and even points out all the little traps she'll try to catch you in when you take the exam. Kathy Sierra, the co-developer of the 310-035 Programmer's exam, with the help of Bert Bates has done just that.

The 3rd edition of Osborne's Sun Certified Programmer and Developer for Java 2 is an awesome book. Get this -- it's actually entertaining to read, very easy to understand, and the mock exams more closely resemble the real thing than any other mock out there. The "Two-minute Drills" are an excellent resource to help you review before you take the exam. The Exam Watches interspersed throughout the chapter point out all the traps you might fall in during the exam, and the On The Job blurbs give you a practical application for the knowledge you just learned.

The end chunk of the book discusses what you need to know to pass the Developer s exam. It won't teach you Swing or Threads - but what the exam assessor's are looking for - the things you need to pay attention to in order to pass that exam. I fully recommend this book.

Make sure you check the author's website for the errata -- the first printing was a bit buggy, many goofs have been fixed in the 2nd and 3rd printings.

May 22, 2003     Cosmo from USA
Just buy this book only ,,,
This book is very good. Its question format is just like the actual exam . I read this book and scored 88% . I think this book and some practise mock exams on net will be more than enough to get good percentage in exam .

Mar 5, 2003     Vanessa from Sao Paulo, Brazil
This is the book you need to pass the exam (with a high score)
I've just passed the programmer exam and I owe it to this book. The authors explain very well all concepts and details of the language needed in the exam, guiding the reader about what is more important to keep in mind while taking it. All this without loosing the sense of humor! Everything that was asked in the exam was covered in this book and the three practice exams included in the cd are *very* similar to the real one.

Jan 10, 2003     Don Lindstrom from San Francisco
this is the one
This is the only book you need for the new SCJP 1.4 exam. Everything is explained very clearly and I think the two-minute drills and the Exam Watch tips are worth getting the book for. But it's also engaging to read. I passed easily last week, and I only had two weeks with this book. I was definitely prepared, thanks in large part to this book. I won't mention the other two cert books I had, but they were not as focused (or as clear) as this one.

Dec 27, 2002     emilia castle
Great Book!
This book is a lifesaver for the exam. It is funny (for a certification book, anyway) and has exactly what I needed. Everybody talks about it on javaranch, so I pre-ordered it, and when it came in last week I read the whole programmer's exam section (there is a Developer exam section, but I'm not doing that). I love it.

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