SCJP Exam for J2SE 5, Apress
Microsoft .NET Framework, ASP.NET, Visual C# (CSharp, C Sharp, C-Sharp) Developer Training, Visual Studio
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C# Online.NET Book Review
There is a never ending controversy about which is better—education (certification) or experience. I, myself, have SCJP and SCJD certifications. And, my opinion is that while experience does trump certification, certification can open a lot of doors for a new Java programmer; and, certification lends an educational credibiility even to experienced Java programmers. Plus, the SCJP—Sun Certified Java Programmer—Exam is a prerequisite for all higher Java developer certifications.
Our author has done it again! He is,also, the author of the 5-star certification book titled SCBCD Exam Study Kit: Java Business Component Developer Certification for EJB (Manning). He writes in very concise, lucid prose; and, he has a knack for explaining concepts economically.
The book features: full code examples—the SCJP Exam (CX-310-055) has a lot of code in it, Exam's Eye View section at the end of each chapter to emphasize points important for the SCJP Exam, Review Questions after each chapter, a practice exam with detailed answers plus complete code samples, and Exam Quick Prep for a quick review before taking the real exam. There is, also, an analysis of the upgrade exam (CX-310-056).
The book is one of a new breed which combines an exam study guide and an introduction to language fundamentals. So, you only need to buy one book to prepare for the exam versus two books in the past. Also, a programmer experienced in another language will appreciate the conciseness of the book while trying to learn the Java language in a hurry whether they intend to take the exam or not.
All the source code examples in this book are in the Java language.
Bottom line
SCJP Exam for J2SE 5 is an excellent SCJP study guide and a great book for experienced programmers wanting to pick up the basics of the Java language quickly.
Publisher's description
Best selling author, Paul Sanghera, offers cohesive, concise, yet comprehensive coverage of all the topics included in the Sun Certified Programmer for Java 5 exam (CX 310-055). With a laser sharp focus on the exam objectives, the Study Guide goes beyond just being an "exam cram." The material is presented in a logical learning sequence: a section builds upon previous sections and a chapter on previous chapters. All concepts, simple and complex, are defined and explained when they appear the first time. There is no hopping from topic to topic and no technical jargon without explanation. No prior knowledge of Java programming is assumed. The single most difficult aspect of this exam is to read and understand the code in the exam questions in a limited amount of time. To help you get fluent and comfortable with the code, the book offers complete runnable code examples distributed over all the chapters and a codewalk quicklet feature at the end of each chapter.
Although the primary purpose of the book is to help you pass the SCJP exam, it will also serve as a good reference after the exam.
Special features include
- Hundreds of questions modeled after the real exam with fully explained answers.
- A complete practice exam with questions modeled after the real exam and fully explained answers.
- Hundreds of complete runnable code examples, explained in the book, that you can download and experiment with. This is a code-intensive exam.
- The Codewalk Quicklet feature based on the process-based codewalk philosophy to prepare you for efficient response to the code-based questions in the exam.
- The Exam Quick Prep feature which recaps all the important points for the last hour of preparation before taking the exam.
- Useful information and analysis for the programmers who are considering updating the J2SE 1.4 certification to J2SE 5.
Who This Book Is For
This book is primarily targeted at the Java programmers and students who want to prepare for the SCJP certification exam for Java 5, CX-310-055, or the update exam, CX-310-056. Since the book has a laser-sharp focus on the exam objectives, expert Java programmers who want to pass the exam can use this book to ensure that they do not overlook any objective. Yet, it is not an exam-cram book. The chapters and the sections inside each chapter are presented in a logical learning sequence: every new chapter builds upon knowledge acquired in previous chapters, and there is no hopping from topic to topic. The concepts and topics, simple and complex, are explained in a concise yet comprehensive fashion. This facilitates stepwise learning and prevents confusion. Furthermore, Chapter 1 presents a very basic introduction to computer programming and the Java programming language for absolute beginners. Hence, this book is also very useful for beginners to get up to speed quickly even if they are new to Java and computer programming. Even after the exam, you will find yourself returning to this book as a useful reference for basic Java programming.
In a nutshell, this book can be used by the following audiences:
- Beginners with no prior Java experience can use this book to learn basic Java programming,
pass the SCJP exam, or both.
- Advanced Java programmers who want to pass the SCJP exam can use this book to ensure
they don’t miss any exam objectives.
- Instructors teaching a first course in Java can use this book as a text book.
About the author(s)
Paul Sanghera, Ph.D., SCJP, SCBCD, who contributed to developing the SCJP exam for Java 5, has 10 years programming and substantial teaching experience in Java. As a software engineer, Paul has contributed to the development of world-class technologies such as Netscape Communicator and Novell’s NDS. He has been director of project management at successful startups such as Weborder and MP3.com. He has taught Java and other technology courses at several institutes in the San Francisco Bay Area including San Jose State University, Golden Gate University, CSU Hayward, and Brooks College. With a master's degree in computer science from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in physics from Carleton University, he has authored and co-authored more than 100 technical papers published in well-reputed European and American research journals. Dr. Sanghera has also presented talks by invitation at several international scientific conferences. He is the best-selling author of several books on technology and project management. Paul lives in Silicon Valley, California, where he works as an independent information consultant.
Table of Contents (abbreviated)
PART 1 Scratching the Surface
CHAPTER 1 Fundamentals of Java Programming
PART 2 Basic Java Programming
CHAPTER 2 Data Types and Operators
CHAPTER 3 Classes, Methods, and Interfaces
CHAPTER 4 Java Language Fundamentals
CHAPTER 5 Object-Oriented Programming
CHAPTER 6 Execution Flow Control in Java
PART 3 Advanced Java Programming
CHAPTER 7 Exceptions and Assertions
CHAPTER 8 Input and Output in Java
CHAPTER 9 Strings, Formatters, and Wrappers
CHAPTER 10 Collections and Generics
CHAPTER 11 Threads in Java
PART 4 Appendixes
APPENDIX A Installing and Testing J2SE 5.0
APPENDIX B SCJP 5.0 Upgrade Exam (CX-310-056)
APPENDIX C Answers to Chapter Review Questions
APPENDIX D Practice Exam
APPENDIX E Exam Quick Prep
