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

by Khalid Mughal (Author), Rolf Rasmussen (Author) "Before embarking on the road to Java programmer certification, it is important to understand the basic terminology and concepts in object-oriented programming (OOP)..." (more)
Key Phrases: object value equality, instance initializer block, int revision, Creating Light, Sun Educational Services, Source Filename (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Within A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification: A Comprehensive Primer, relevant topics are covered, such as using threads, building GUI with AWT and Swing components, rendering graphics, implementing applets, handling I/O streams, generating documentation using Javadoc and much more. Written for anyone with previous programming experience (although not necessarily in Java), this books comprehensive coverage of the basic and the advanced features of the language make it as useful for experienced Java programmers aiming at certification, as for programmers learning Java for the first time.

From the Back Cover

To pass the Sun Certified Programmer for Java 2 Platform 1.4 exam (SCPJ2 1.4) you need this book. It is written for any experienced programmer (with or without previous knowledge of Java) interested in mastering the Java programming language and passing the SCPJ2 1.4 exam.

A Programmer's Guide to Java™ Certification, Second Edition, contains detailed coverage of all exam topics and objectives, helpful code examples, exercises, review questions, and several full practice exams. In addition, as a comprehensive primer to the Java programming language, this book is an invaluable reference tool for the reader.

This new edition has been thoroughly updated to focus on the latest version of the exam (CX-310-035). In particular, it contains more in-depth explanations of the syntax and usage of core language features that are now emphasized on the exam. The accompanying CD contains a version of the SCPJ2 1.4 Exam Simulator developed by Whizlabs Software, which includes several mock exams and simulates the exam-taking experience. The CD also contains the complete source code for all the examples, and solutions to the programming exercises.

What you will find in this book:

Extensive coverage of all the objectives defined for the Sun Certified Programmer for Java 2 Platform 1.4 exam

Easy-to-follow structure with chapters organized according to the exam objectives as laid out by Sun Microsystems

Summaries that clearly state and differentiate the exam objectives and the supplementary objectives to be covered in each chapter

A list of Sun's objectives for the SCPJ2 1.4 exam, and a guide to taking the exam

A complete mock exam with new questions (not repeats of review questions)

A CD that includes several mock exams and a version of the SCJP 1.4 Exam Simulator by Whizlabs Software, which simulates the exam-taking experience

Numerous exam-relevant review questions to test your understanding of each major topic, with annotated answers

Programming exercises and solutions at the end of each chapter

Copious code examples illustrating concepts where the code has been compiled and thoroughly tested on multiple platforms

Program output demonstrating expected results from running the examples

Extensive use of UML (Unified Modeling Language) for illustration purposes

An introduction to basic terminology and concepts in object-oriented programming

Advice on how to avoid common pitfalls in mastering the language and taking the exam

Platform-independent coverage--platform-specific details are provided where relevant

Information about the SCPJ2 Upgrade exam

0201728281B07152003

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Product Details

• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 2 edition (August 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201728281
• ISBN-13: 978-0201728286
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (207 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #517,438 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highle recommend it, October 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Programmer's Guide to Java (tm) Certification (Paperback)

I passed the Java 2 certification exam on first attempt. And I owe this convincing success to this book. The Java 2 certification exam mainly tests language fundamentals. This book covers fundamentals very very thoroughly. The chapters on difficult topics such as Threads and Inner classes are also very well written (not just glossed over as in some other books). The book is written is a simple and rigorous style, with no plaff! It is very easy to read and to understand. There is no wastage - of paper or words (like some other books in the market!) and very few typos. I found the code examples to be adequate and complete. The review questions are representative of the exam questions and a shade tougher, making the actual exam seem almost easy. The answers to the review questions are annotated leaving in no doubt the reason for the choice of answers and this I found to be very useful. The mock exam provided in the appendix has an interesting collection of questions - some of them are quite tricky. I just wish that the mock exam was provided on a CD, in a simulated exam environment. All in all an excellent first book for preparing for the Java 2 certification exam. Armed with this book and taking a few of the simulated mock exams available on the net will make passing the exam quite easy. Actually, this book is excellent for understanding Java language fundamentals that I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a sound introduction to the language!!

65 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely thorough, September 8, 2000

By	J. Gulati (Pasadena, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A Programmer's Guide to Java (tm) Certification (Paperback)

This book is full of information and covers each topic in great detail. For the novice, I suggest that one use this book along with Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java. Both combined make an excellent resource for the certification exam.

Pros: 1> The coverage on language fundamentals, inner classes, overriding, overloading, and event delegation model is excellent. The explanation is clear and concise. There is a steady flow from one concept to another. 2> The best part of the book is that it has review questions after every 10 pages or so. The questions are very tough but then they really test you for thorough understanding of the concepts. 3> The book with its thorough analysis of the Java language can be daunting at times (enough to give up the exam preparation). This is both a pro as well as a con of the book.

Cons: 1> AWT and I/O is better covered in Roberts' Complete Guide to Java 2 certification book. 2> Additional topics on Swing and Javadoc are not part of the exam curriculum.

Suggestions: 1> The mock exam in the book is much tougher than the real exam. 2> Take all the mock exams on the internet. See the site www.jchq.net

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From a non-professional programmer's standpoint, August 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Programmer's Guide to Java (tm) Certification (Paperback)

This review is written for readers who are in similar situation as mine.

My background:

-My experience with Java was minimal (2 University classes). -I didn't have work experience in Java.

My thoughts on the book:

This book covers everything you need for the Java 2 exam. It even covers topics such as Javadoc and Swing. You are told if a chapter is related to the exam objectives or not - the author categorizes the chapters' objectives (and sub objectives) into Main or Supplemental ones so you can skip a chapter (or a section) that you don't need for certification purposes.

The wording is concise and straight to the point. The terminologies and notations are based on the standards used in the industry (UML is used extensively in this book). The chapters are not closely tied so you can jump from one to another pretty easily. The concepts are defined and explained very thoroughly (important for certification) - this is the strongest selling point of this book. The practice questions and the mock exams are very good (make sure you do the written mock exam at the back of the book) and they expose one's weaknesses in the language quite effectively.

The book's website has corrections and a mock exam engine.

This book helps you master the language concepts in addition to passing the exam.

My preparation:

I took 3 months of 4-5 hour nights to study the material in this book. I have another book but that book looks like kindergarden material once you've read Khalid's book.

I did more than 15 mock exams and experimented with codes to clear my doubts.

My result:

Passed with 90%

Hope this helps.