Customer Reviews

A Programmer's Guide to Java™ Certification: A Comprehensive Primer (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
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This is a VERY comprehensive book from which to study the SCJP exam. I have read both it and Kathy Sierra's books. They are different paths to the same goal. Where Kathy's is easier to read, Mughal goes to greater depth. Kathy's questions are easier, Mughals are generally more difficult and searching. He poses questions that are extremely subtle as times...hence being very frustrating...but then, they do make you better because you really have to read, think and reason a question out properly(A skill that I needed to develop...and one that reading this book has aided me in developing). A glance is typically not enough in the case of this book. But challenges either make us or break us and this book will challenge you (Do the practise exams on the CD and see what I mean!).

I have to admit, at times I resented this book...wanting to throw it with annoyance...but perserverance in times of frustration is what is needed. This book takes it to a deeper level than Kathy's...since she is teaching you just what you need for the exam. Mughal does this plus adds depth and scope so you are getting a more complete education in this area. Actually, I think both books do compliment each other in a way: Start with Kathy's, then read this. This will check how much you really know (just don't throw it at loved ones...:))

Only criticism: the UML diagrams are probably unnecessary since a SCJP exam is being studied for. WHile I appreciate their purpose (vale adding to your Java education), they do require effort to interpret that could be better spent elsewhere.

All concepts have coded examples, though for some of the questions you really have to read the text to find the answers...but this is a good thing (if you have the I'll-be-damned-if-this-is-going-to-beat-me gene...at lets face it, you'd better have it if you're gonna beat the SCJP exam).

So buy this is you want a thorough SCJP exam study guide and also a good Java language reference book that you can use after the exam. It has more reuse than the SIerra book in that respect I think (though Kathy's book does cover Developer exam, kind of). COnsider it a sublcassed version of the Sierra Book...:) (yes I know that joke was tragic...but, it works...kinda, sorta...:) Better to laugh than cry!)

If you are studying to become a Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 2 Platform 1.4 this book will help you to receive not just a passing grade but an excellent understanding of the intricacies of the Java programming language. Mughal and Rasmussen aren't satisfied with simply giving you a minimal understanding of Java so that you can pass a test. They are interested in helping you to understand the language at a deeper level. After all, it is much easier to pass the certification exam when you actually understand the material rather than when you have simply memorized a lot of details.

I'll give you an example of the level of detail that the book covers. Section 5.2 of the book covers Selection statements. The section starts with a description of the if statement followed by an activity diagram which explains the flow of the statement. The authors then show a simple example followed by a clear explanation of the if statement. Then they do the same with if-else, this time using several examples. The same level of detail follows for the switch statement, again providing clear text, with a simple activity diagram, followed by several well explained examples. Finally, the section ends with several review questions. What this means is that this book can serve you well even after you have passed the certification exam. You will be hard pressed to find a better written reference.

The book covers all the information you need to pass the certification exam and covers the material needed to connect all the pieces together. The included CD has several mock exams with questions that will help you understand the type of questions that you will face on the actual exam. If you do well on the mock exams you will do well on the real thing. Overall, this is an excellent book for studying for the Java certification. But it is such a good reference that you will want to keep it nearby even after you have passed the certification.

There are many books on the market dealing with the topic of Java Certification, and this is a newer entry in that popular field. From the title, A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification, one is led to believe that this book is for experienced developers who are looking to complete their knowledge of Java and go on to the next level of mastery. This book does achieve this goal, but it goes far beyond this objective and is worth much more than a simple study guide or reference manual.

In the preface of the book, the authors state that this book will not address graphics, as graphics topics are not part of the Sun Certification exam. Since this book is aimed squarely at helping the reader pass the certification exam, there is no need for topics dealing with graphics, and the authors make this very clear from the beginning. This is therefore the wrong book for you if you need AWT or Swing material.

Consistent with its implied goal of expanding the knowledge base of experienced developers, the book has deep discussion of the structure of Java applications, but the discussion is taken a step further. The authors use UML diagrams, starting as early on as page 3, to give a more graphical depiction of the relationships and structures they describe. This is very different from the other Java books I have seen and is a very strong reinforcement for the topic. Not only does the reader read about the topic, but the UML diagrams drive home the point so that the reader can *see* the relationships. The authors even explain in enough detail how to interpret the UML notation, so previous knowledge of UML is not a requirement. UML is not the focus of this book, so there is not an emphasis on it and there's no exhaustive tutorial on it, but it's enough to supplement their main topic -- Java.

Each chapter follows a logical format, beginning with a brief summary of the exam and chapter objectives, followed by one more sections of discussions with review questions for each section (some small sections do not have associated review questions following immediately). The chapters are concluded with a chapter summary and one or more programming exercises to reinforce the material. Answers to the questions, and solutions to the exercises, appear in an appendix towards the end of the book.

Appendices A, B and C describe the different certification exams and states which exam this book targets. They explain in general terms what is involved in taking the test, from registration to getting the certificate from Sun, as well as the objectives of the exams as determined by Sun. Pay close attention to Appendix C -- it draws special emphasis to topics that are highlighted on the platform upgrade exam and points the reader to relevant sections in the book.

The book includes a mock exam for certification as well, and the CD that comes with the book has additional mock exams. After digging through the book as well as taking the mock exams, the reader can expect to be very well prepared when taking the certification test.

This book might be written with the express purpose of taking the certification exam, but it serves other purposes as well. After the exam, this book will serve the reader well as a reference guide for Java, arguably one of the best reference guides at that. For non-Java developers (coming from C, C++ or another developmental language) it serves as a marvelous introduction to Java that will propel the reader to an excellent understanding of Java from go.

So, how does the actual content of the chapters stack up? I'll break this up into two paragraphs, because there's two different aspects I'd like to address. Many Java books are written in the typical 8th-grade English designed to be more "personal" and approachable. This book, however, uses more advanced grammar and vocabulary, being more in line with university reading levels. It gives the book a more "sophisticated" feel, and I personally like that.

As far as the actual material, the reader cannot read this book and come away without a good understanding of the subject. For example, Chapter 9 deals with threads. Another certification manual I have follows the topic of threads by giving a tidbit of information, followed by a blob of code, followed by the next subtopic. There is never a real discussion of threads. This book, however, explains the need for threads, how they work, how to create them in both manners, and gives supporting code to emphasize the material. In the middle of the discussion are UML diagrams, depicting relationships of the structures used. After the supporting code, there's a little more discussion, followed by a section for review questions. ONLY THEN does the book move to more advanced thread topics, instead of teasing the user.

A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification is an excellent preparatory work for taking the basic Java Certification exam, but it is much, much more. Readers can expect to come away with a thorough knowledge of Java fundamentals, as well as a basic understanding of UML and object relationships. After passing the exam, the reader will have a superb reference manual that will server him/her well. If you are wanting to take the exam, or even if you just want to learn Java, this book is the right place to start.

i buy this book together with kathy's book and have passed the exam with 95% score. i found the exam very easy (although i still missed 3 of the 61 questions), i guess it's because i have read this whole book thoroughly. kathy's book is very good too but just covers what you really need to pass the exam. this book goes a step further by explaining each concept thoroughly, more than you need to pass the exam. if you want to have deep knowledge of how java works, and not just merely to pass the exam, then this is the best book for you.

I started to use java since its beginning, three years ago, I used this book's first edition <<A Programmer's Guide to Java (tm) Certification>> to pass my SCJP1.2...I really learnt a lot from this book and I rated it as the best one at that time.

Now I passed SCJD, SCWCD and SCEA and became java architect in my company... I think the book gave me solid java foundation.

I am glad to see its second edition out, it is more focus on the current SCJP certification, and contains a CD of SCPJ2 1.4 Exam Simulator developed by Whizlabs Software, which includes several mock exams and simulates the exam-taking experience. It explains common pitfalls in detail. I admit that after lots of year's java experience, I still learn a lot from the second edition of this book, which is even deeper than its previous edition.

Wish other readers enjoy this book as well.

Daniel

Excruciatingly detailed explanations of all important Java language concepts and constructs. Intriguing examples in code of key Java programming principles and rules. Thorough coverage of every objective and sub-objective of the certification exam. And the best sample mock exam, in my opinion, of any of the certification texts (although I guess Whizlabs, not the authors, should get the credit for that). In short, an enormously helpful book for anyone doing serious study for Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 2 Platform. I took a course in Java, then read this book through all the way, and then re-read select portions after doing practice exams (I used some mock exams from the web to supplement the one in the book), and then re-read some more. The result was the score I have reported above: I'm Sun Certified!

I used "A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification" as a study guide for achieving my Java Certified Programmer (JCP) status two years ago, so when I had the chance to review the second edition, I jumped at it (full disclosure: the publisher sent me the second edition to review). As I expected, I was again aghast and delighted at the level of detail, the exercises and the arrangement of this fine book.

Mughal and Rasmussen do a good job of covering all the nitty gritty details that the JCP requires one to know. Whether the length in bits of an int, the difference between overloading and overriding, or the order in which initializer expressions get executed, this book gives one enough detail to overwhelm the novice Java programmer, as well as cause those more experienced to scratch their heads and perhaps write a small program to verify what was read was valid. While this book lacks the discussion of I/O and the GUI of the previous edition (due to changes in the JCP test), it has a fine set of chapters on some of the fundamental libraries and classes. My two favorite explications are the chapter on Threads (Chapter 9), where that complicated subject is treated well enough to motivate more learning while not overwhelming the reader with detail, and the String and StringBuffer section of Chapter 10. So much of the Java programming I've done has been dealing with Strings, so this section, which covers the String class method by method and deals with issues of memory and performance as well as normal use, is very welcome.

The exercises were crucial to my passing the JCP, and they remain useful in this book. Grouped at the end of logical sections of chapters, they break up the text and re-iterate the lessons learned in the previous sections. The answers to these exercises are in the back of the book. Also, a full mock exam is included at the back, as well as an annotated version of the JCP exam requirements which serves as a study guide (both for the full JCP 1.4 and for the upgrade exam). Reading over the mock exam definitely let me know what areas I'd need to study if I was taking the JCP again. In short, the didactic nature of this book has not been lost.

The arrangement of this book is also useful. A fine index and the logical progression through the features of the Java language eases the onslaught of detailed information mentioned above. The extensive use of UML diagrams (especially class and sequence diagrams) was helpful as well. If one reads the book sequentially, one learns about how object references are declared (Chapter 4), then the various control structures available in Java (Chapter 5), then the basics of Object Orientation (Chapter 6), then the object life cycle (Chapter 8), in a very linear fashion. Additionally, there is extensive cross-referencing. This may not be useful to the novice programmer, but to anyone using this book as a reference, it's invaluable, because it allows Mughal and Rasmussen to provide yet more logical linking of disparate topics.

However, this book is not for everyone. I wouldn't buy it if I wanted to learn to program. While there are a few chapters that have general value (Chapter 1, Chapter 6), the emphasis on mastering idiomatic Java, not general programming concepts. Also, as they state in the preface, this is not a complete reference book for Java. It covers only what is needed for the JCP. Finally, if one wants to know how to use Java in the real world, don't buy this book. While most of the java programming I've done has benefited from the understanding I gained from this book, it has not resembled the coding I did for the exercises at all. This makes sense--this book is teaching the fundamentals, and does not pretend to cover any of the higher level APIs and concepts that are used in everyday programming.

It's Good Book. CD is SCJP 1.4 Simulator. Even if it's limited version, it's still useful.
In the book, it has 2 complete sample exams. They are useful. I learned java from my freshman year in college. I think this book is little harder for beginner. I think one who wants to read this book should have some basic knowledge about OOP. Review Questions and Programming Exercise is useful because answer keys from back of the book has full explanations. I think it's good book.

Color of the book aside - the content is layed out with taste and thought. I found the use of UML helpful. However I'm experienced with UML - if your not, this may be an area that's not covered well enough for you; but UML is not the intent of the book.

I've seen lots of computer software books and typically one sees the same tired graphics, useful but cliche. So I was impressed with the graphic to explain overflow in floating point numbers, Figure 3.2. I got a great laugh with the "(Not drawn to scale)" note, as it's hard to get a graph of negative infinity to positive infinity drawn to scale. I think this little pun will allow me to recall this graphic far into the future...

Since I'm experienced with Java, have passed the exam some time ago, I didn't find the prolific use of "(see Section 4.1, p. 104)" annoying. However for a beginner this will cause more flipping back and forth than a good book is designed for. If the book is converted to a web site - this will be acceptable.

I believe the authors cover the subject, passing the exam, not learning Java (the art of programming in OO with a toolkit so large as to require a tool-chest as large as the building). If you want to pass the exam (and you must - for you wouldn't read this prattle otherwise) this book is an excellent resource!

If you have a bit of experience with Java, and one should before taking the exam, the book will be all you require to pass - well, except lots of study time, but time is a renewable resource!

David

PS - in the interest of full disclosure, the publisher gave me the book to review

Initially it will be little tough because this books gives an in-depth coverage of topics required by the SCJP1.4. This book can be used to mastering the subject. You will have strong fundamental, that's what you need to go further.

I love this book and I greatly appreciate the author who explained the subject in very detail.

Jitendra