9 Tips to success in SCJP

It's been a while I'm writing a new post .And I guess this one will be a really helpful to all the guys who are preparing them selves for the SCJP examination. Anyway your goal should be to learn the technology other than adding extra 4 letters to your resume.So here we Go !!!


First and Foremost

 If you are a java professional who has been working with industry based java projects for a long time ,DO NOT underestimate the exam.This exam is looking for a human compiler rather than a good designer.So Take the exam Seriously :)

Secondly

Become a member of JavaRanch community and be active in SCJP forum .At least read the new threads which are being posted every day.

And thirdly

Buy the SCJP guide by Kathy sierra and Bert Bates.Or if you are a great fan of EBooks go for the ebook.

Fourth Step 

Make your Goal .Buy the voucher and fix the exam date. Then your mind will always alert you about the money you are going to miss if you waste time. At least give yourself  2 months for study when you fix the exam date . The exact date will depend on you.If you are new to j2se and can sacrifice 3 good hours in a  day for this exam I suggest you to get at least two months for studies. 

Fifth step

First read the book one time completely ,doing all the  SELF TESTS, going though all the Two Minute Drills ,preparing a good short note for your self.And Code all the examples using a text editor(Notepad++) .Please avoid all those IDEs including Netbeans and Eclipse.And write lot of codes changing the same example in various ways.Spent good 15 minutes with a example which you couldn't answer at first time.

And the Sixth is 

Focus on the areas where you score low marks on self tests.And read those chapters one more time.

Now its time to test your self .Find some good mock exams. You can find some really good mock exams on javaranch specially ExamLab is a great tool which toughens you for the real exam.

Seventh will be

When you review the Mock exam results find your weaknesses and Read K&B book again for those chapters.And Loop through step 7 and 8 for at-least a week .

Eighth step

Day Before Exam-Read all the Two Minute Drills sections in the SCJP book.Go through all the steps in the book which tells you how to face the real exam.(In the first few pages). It tells you different methodologies  to answer different questions.And Please make sure to sleep early .At least get a sleep of 6 hours.

And the last will be 

Arrive one hour early to the exam venue and go through your short note(areas where you have some doubts) once again.And be calm and cool for 10 or 15 minute without doing anything.Face the exam with confidence using all the tips you learned.

And Finally Good Luck to Everyone who are going to face the exam!!