Rating: 
Summary: Well organized, thorough
Review: If you own the O'Reilly Java reference books, but find them wanting in terms of detailed tutorials, this may be the book for you. The information is well-structured and uses tables and pictures when they aid in understanding, not merely to fill space. Like other Addison-Wesley books, the layout is clean, rather than flashy. With other certification books, I found myself having to take pages of notes to integrate the stream of disorganized facts. This is definately the book for a dedicated programmer who wants to master Java, not merely to memorize a few hundred facts by rote to pass a certification.A nice feature is the full mock exam in an appendix, with different questions than the reviews in the chapters. All of the questions were challenging and touched on difficult points.
Rating:
Summary: Excllent book for Java beginers
Review: I was new to Java ( had previous programming experience) and used this book to pass Java certification in 6 weeks and in the first attempt. This is an excellent book to know about Java fundamentals. The Sample exam in the book is much harder than the actual certification exam.
Rating:
Summary: Not just a certification book...
Review: This book is the best certification book on the market. But beyond that, it's one of the best java books around. Other certification books seem light weight compared to this one. Each topic in this book is treated comprehensively so that you know you are not missing any important details. I liked the use of UML to illustrate key concepts. The UML diagrams of access control concepts helped me visualize class and method relationships. I just passed my exam and I credit this book and it's mock exam for getting me ready.
Rating: 
Summary: nice book
Review: Now, it is time to write this review. I took 310-025 an hour ago and passed it with a score of 83%. Generally speaking, this book is very good it covers most of the stuff on the exam. The content seems boring but it is not a novel is n't it? You want to remember as much details as possible. Those practice questions in this book are mediocre. However, there are tons of Mock Exams on the internet. After read this book, you need to do as much mock exams as possible. I find learning by doing mock exams is a good approach. Identical quetions from mock exams may show up on real exam, which is weired. Sun has a web site and you can find several sample questions there. I did come across one of sample questions in the real exam. Pay more attentions at garbage collection and threads, if you do not know them. I assumed there would be one or two fill in blank type of qestions but I got five which is a lot I think. Anyway, this is a good book, read it memorize it, take mock exams on the internet, and you will pass it. Whenever you answer a question, ask yourself "what is this question testing me?". If you know the answer, you are more likely to be right. If you do n't even know what knowledge point they are trying to test, then you are in trouble. The exam is as tough as most mocking exams. Do not think the real exam is easier.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: The book covers Certification and more... Just right to get you started in Java. While I was reading this book, I had the same feeling as I had while reading the classic C book by Kernigham and Ritche.
Rating:
Summary: Gives you more than you hoped for
Review: I always get suspicious when people are throwing five stars at a book. But frankly - I find no reason to remove any stars. I bought it after deciding to take the Java 2 programmer certification and after having read readers reviews on several study guids. I was not dissapointed! Even though I had read a couple of Java 1.1 books like "Teach yourself..." and "Mastering Java 1.1" I'm glad I got this one. It was richer in detail (filled in a couple of holes), well structured making it easy for me to work through it. The exercises with answers were very helpful for me and some of them where in fact a lot more difficult than those given on the actual exam. ( I passed. ) I found it very satisfying and motivating! You still have to sweat unless you are a hot shot Java veteran but this book is much more than just a dry exam-cram!
Rating:
Summary: Very Strong Book
Review: This is not only the best book to prepare for Java Certification, but it obviously is one of the best guides to master Java. The comprehensive and in-depth coverage of the language makes it invaluable as a manual and as a guide for practical programming. It covers virtually all essential aspects of the Java language. The book is targeted toward skilled programmers who already know Java and want to master it. The material is presented in a very systematic, well-organized order, and, what is important, it is very easy to perceive. The examples and test questions are extremely helpful. The answers to all quizzes are accompanied by detailed explanations. Don't miss this book.
Rating:
Summary: One book, one month, one seating - 90% score
Review: highly recommended! the questions are tougher than the actual exam ones, so you'll be well prepared for the real stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding! Detailed, yet concise.
Review: This book is great! Every chapter is very concise, but is loaded with little details. This book is an excellent reference book on its own aside from the certification information. It explains many Java 'gotchas' that are irritating and not widely documented. The sections on Collections was especially well written. Get it!
Rating: 
Summary: Not exactly the best
Review: I am a student of one of the authors of the book. The style is dry and uninteresting. His descriptions are confusing and repetitive. And he has an obsession with "class Light" and all of its friends.
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