Rating: 
Summary: Practice tests misleading
Review: I found the practice questions and mock exams available both in the book and online to be somewhat misleading. In particular the practice questions which require you to interpret the behavior of a block of code were downright simplistic compared with those on the actual test. The code in the practice questions would throw a curve ball at you, but when I got to the actual test I found those questions throwing 3 or 4 at once.Consider this book an adequate piece of your test preparations. It's definitely not a one-stop solution.
Rating: 
Summary: The best Java study guide available--highly recommended!!!
Review: I had just passed the Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 1.4 Platform exam (with a score of 80%), and I want to help prospective test takers in finding the "right" Java study guide. I was bewildered by the number of books available, and I had to try many of them before I settled on the right one. Here are my short reviews for each of the major Java study guides: "Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide" by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates (five stars): I felt this book was the best among all the Java study guides. Both the authors were responsible for the Java certification exam's development, and the practice questions are *very* similar to the actual exam. The authors also cover exactly what will be on the 1.4 exam, pointing out potential topics, questions, and pitfalls. I can't recommend this book highly enough. "A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification" by Khalid Mughal and Rolf Rasmussen (four stars): This is a good choice if you plan on taking the 1.2 exam. The book also has a dual purpose of teaching Java and sometimes goes beyond the actual scope of the exam, but it is nonetheless excellent. However, as the title suggests, this isn't the book for you if you don't have any programming experience. Also, the book's practice questions are much, much harder than the actual exam. "Complete Java 2 Certification Study Guide (3rd Edition)" by Philip Heller and Simon Roberts (two stars): This was the most disappointing book of all. I don't know why so many people swear by it, but the book appeared to have been rushed into production. Many of the errors and typos have been updated in the book's second printing, but the book's coverage of topics is quite weak. Lastly, the practice questions were not only too easy, but they don't look very similar to how questions look on the real test. It's not a terrible book (many people appear to have passed the exam with just this book), but there are better options. "Java 2 Exam Prep" by Bill Brodgen (three stars): This compact study guide isn't a bad choice for prospective test takers with a good Java foundation. It covers all the exam's topics succinctly, but as another reviewer noted, it should not be your primary study guide. I personally did not find the book particularly useful. Lastly, sign up for Sun's ePractice practice exams. You'll get three sample tests, and they will help you prepare for the exam by showing you how the questions will look and what type of questions they will ask. I didn't like the idea of spending the extra money, but the practice exams definitely helped me prepare for the real thing.
Rating:
Summary: _Excellent_ book/guide
Review: I purchased this book looking to clarify the obscure little language details that we all think we "know" when programming Java - and what a delightful surprise it gave me! The book addresses language specifics found on the exam that a lot of programmers do not use or even imagine using on a daily basis. After every chapter, it provides highlights from that chapter which alone in and of itsels is probably sufficient to pass that specific portion of the exam, considering you are not very new to Java. The humorous overtones throughout the text make this book easy and very catchy and pleasurable to read. It is written in a very down-to-earth style, and does not use any more technical jargon than is necessary. It does not attempt to teach you Java from scratch, however. This would probably be better left to some of the good tutorials already out there by Sun. Its focus and sole purpose is to prepare you for the type of questions you are likely to encounter on the exam (and it does a damn well job at that!). The first 9 chapters cover all the topic you are required to know in grave detail in order to pass the Java Certified Programmer exam, and the latter chapters are dedicated to passing the Java Developer exam. It is updated for the 1.4 exam and does not cover certain topics that were covered by the 1.2 exam (like AWT). The feeling you get upon reading the first nine chapters is one of extreme familiarity with Java and its constructs. Given your prior Java experience and enough time to get through this book prior to taking the exam, there is no reason why anyone should not score in the 90-th percentile of the exam or above!
Rating:
Summary: What you need to do well on the exam
Review: Remember that cool instructor you had in college or high school who stood in front of the class during the final exam review and stomped his/her foot when covering something that was likely to be on the exam? Well, there's a lot of foot stomping going on in this book. I took the exam last week and there was not one item on the exam that wasn't covered in some way, shape or form in the first 9 chapters of this book. The end of chapter tests and the test simulation software on the CD mimic the actual exam to a tee. I can't imagine a better preparation tool for the progammer's exam than this book/CD. But this book is more than that. You will learn a great deal about Java and have fun doing it. In reality the authors try to get you to think like the compiler when examining (and writing) Java code. Good luck. On second thought, get this book and learn it and you won't need luck on the exam.
Rating:
Summary: A FUN way to study !!
Review: Studying for Sun's Java Programmer Certification is grueling. This book actually makes it fun! Not only fun, but the concepts are really, really clear. This book isn't like a standard, dry reference book, it takes the time to really explain the underlying principals. The questions seem very life-like, and there are lots of them (almost 300 when you count the CD).
The summaries at the end of each chapter are worth the price of admission! I'm just starting to prepare for the Developer certification. It seems to me that the Habibi book is popular, and I liked it too. I actually think these two books go together very well. (How did Amazon figure THAT out?). There is a lot of stuff in Habibi's book that isn't in this book, but this book makes you aware of a lot of stuff that Habibi's book doesn't address. My gut reaction is that if you put the two together you'll be in great shape.
Rating:
Summary: I love this book! (and make flashcards)
Review: I passed the exam with a 92%! That's much better than I hoped for. The SCJP is a very tough exam, you really need to work hard on all the details. The friendly tone in this book made it much easier for me to study and spend the time reviewing. It's unusual to feel like that reading a detailed technical book. I like the Exam Watch, and many of them came back to me when I took my test. You can never do too many mock exams, and there are three different sets that come with this book (the ones in the chapters, and two on the CD-ROM) and they were very close to the way the real exam questions are.
I am planning on taking the Web exam next, and these authors do not have a book on that, so I am hoping to find a Web exam book that has a similar way of putting things.
If you are going to take the SCJP, then unless you already have the entire Java specification memorized and understood (in which case, you probably don't need another book) I would highly recommend this study guide. The authors suggest making flashcards, and I did that and it worked very well for me. For three weeks, I never left the house without them.
Rating:
Summary: What a great book
Review: I know I'll be labelled as a complete nerd for saying this, but I really enjoyed just *reading* this book. The style is amazing; I hope the authors are going to write more. It's really, really, clear and direct and without any "and thus it is therefore" sort of academic ponciness. And maybe because of that or because they also know how to clarify technical topics really well, the light bulb really went on for some stuff I'd been kind of fuzzy on before. I kept saying "so THATs how it works." You'd think I would have known these topics already a little better, and I thought I did, but these explanations gave me that last 30% that really solidified my *understanding* of the topics, not just knowledge of them. If that makes sense. I REALLY like the Exam watch tips, there's a whole bunch of really good tips throughout the book, to make sure that you're getting it as you read. And there are a ton of practice questions which I found really helpful; I know the test is supposed to be screamingly difficult and tricky, and these questions seem to be a really good prep for it. There's also a CD that has two more full practice exams
on it. (Did the first exam and man, [I did not do well]on threads but sailed through garbage collection, thank god.) A few typos but frankly, under par for the course given some of the other books I flipped through. I really like this book and while I haven't read all the way through the other cert books, I skimmed quite a few and would recommend this way above any of the others.
Rating:
Summary: Best study guide for the Programmer exam
Review: Great book for passing the SCJP. I have two other books but this new one is best so far. I agree with those who say it is not for you only want to do the Developer exam, but for Programmer exam this is the one to pick.
Rating:
Summary: Positive reviews encouraging
Review: I haven't had time to finish this brand new book, but so far, I find it lives up to the positive reviews I have seen and heard. A. L. Josephsen
Rating:
Summary: Must-Have book
Review: This book is very well written and covers all topics in detail for SCJP 310-035. The presentation is just wonderful and it keeps you interested. After every chapter, there is a two-minute drill which is a summary of the chapter and would definitely be useful the day before the exam.
Also, for passing the exam, try taking as many mock exams as possible. They all really help.
| 
