Help required for Sun Certified Java Developer Exam(SCJD)

[cheenu78]

hi all,

I am planning to take up sun certified java developer exam(SCJD). Can any one help me with the topic that you have got as the project. This would help me as I am planning to take scjd up only after 3 months. I want to prepare myself for the exam before registering.

Also, I would also like to know what are the documents that are to be attached when you submit a project for assessment.

Thanks and Regards
Srinivas

[jwenting]

Get your SCJP first...
If you do have that, sign up for the CX-310-252A exam which is the assignment, and you get (after a few days usually) a download link.
The file you find there contains complete instructions.

Essentially all assignments require you to write a complete client/server system including the database engine.
Technologies being tested:
-network programming. Either sockets or RMI allowed, nothing else.
-multithreading
-Swing. The document will state certain components that you MUST use and functionality your application MUST have.
-design patterns/skills
-documentation skills

You're not allowed to use ANY thirdparty libraries, only those classes that exist inside the core APIs shipping with the JDK itself (so also no libraries from J2EE or any other Sun extension APIs are allowed).

There is no time limit for the exam, and I'd advise you not to rush it.
I've been working on it for about a month now (mainly in the evenings and lunchbreaks) and I've the first draft of the database server almost complete (which I think will see some major rewrites in time because I'm not quite happy with the design yet even though it works well).

The requirements document is in many areas deliberately vague. You are expected to make your own decisions in those areas and document those.
No answers to most questions pertaining the document will be given, or else the answer will usually be to come to your own conclusions.

Required documentation includes full technical documents in the form of Javadocs, a complete user manual (either as external text or html files or as an integral help system inside the application), and a document detailing your design choices (why you chose one tech over another, why you chose to implement things like you did, etc.).

Any failure to meet any of the strict requirements of the requirements document will mean automatic failure (and this includes having a misnamed directory in your final submission!), as will things like a theoretical possibility of deadlock in your application.

It's tough, passing grade is very high (you need 82% I think, so just "good" isn't enough).

Don't set yourself a timeframe for completion. While it may serve as a starting point to attempt to reach it, it most likely will lead to cutting corners which is counterproductive.

Learn, experiment, and only then integrate into your solution.
I create trial versions of every major component of the application as standalone widgets which get tested and refined over and over again before I decide to use them or not.

[cheenu78]

hi jwenting,

Thanks for the reply. I am SCJP(2002). I hope that does not matter. I want to take it up as slowly as possible so that I can look into the quality very well. If you have any resources which are useful, please let me know. Thanks once again

regards
Srinivas

[jwenting]

Some more hints and tips:
The version of the compiler/JVM you're writing for must be no more than 18 months old (or the latest production release, if that one is over 18 months old) at the time of submission (so NOT at the time you buy the exam!).
At the moment this means you are allowed to use either 1.4 or 5.0, nothing else.
Your documentation should include a list of JVMs and operating systems used to test and develop the application (gives you some leeway I guess if it doesn't quite work perfectly on another platform in ways you may not have known).

Myself I'm using 5.0 and most (but not all, I don't agree with the philosophy behind some of them) new features it provides.

Some books you're going to want to have (and possibly have read at least in part before setting out):
- Effective Java (Bloch, Sun Java Series)
- Java Threads 3rd edition (Oaks and Wong, O'Reilly)
- Java Network Programming 3rd edition (Harold, O'Reilly)
- Head First Design Patterns (Freeman and Freeman, O'Reilly)
- Java 1.5 Tiger Developer's Notebook (McLaughlin and Flanagan, O'Reilly)
- The Sun Certified Java Developer Exam (APress, you may want to wait for the second edition which is expected soon)
- a good Swing book (I think the APress book is the best at the moment, I'm about to order it)

optional, these books deal with topics that might come in handy:
- Java Regular Expressions (Habibi, APress)
- Java the complete reference (J2SE 5 edition) (Shildt, McGrawHill)
- Java Examples in a Nutshell (Flanagan, O'Reilly)
- Swing Hacks (Marinacci and Adamson, O'Reilly)
- The art of Java (Schildt and Holmes, McGrawHill)
- Patterns in Java (volume 1 and 2) (Grand, Wiley)

Tools:
- JUnit
- Ant
- CVS or Subversion (or another source control system)
- a good editor with ideally support for the above built in. I use JBuilder 2005 Developer.
- a good UML tool. I use Enterprise Architect Professional (http://www.sparxsystems.com.au) can come in very handy.
- a second computer (for running the version control server.
- a large USB stick drive (so you can take your work with you and work on it elsewhere).
- a CD/DVD burner to make regular backups so a crash won't set you back to the beginning.

Take care to not deliver autogenerated code as is. Only handwritten code is allowed (though I doubt they'll care if your class skeletons are generated, a GUI built using a GUI builder is out of the question).

And yes, I know getting all that can get expensive.
I've listed about $400 worth of books, another $1000 worth of software (though you can get by with cheaper versions of that software, mine are also for professional use and in part payed for by the company).
The hardware can get as expensive as you want. 1GB stickdrives are under $100, so are DVD burners, and a small computer can be had for a few hundred if you don't have a spare already (I do, I used an 8 year old laptop with a dead battery as a version control server, it's more than enough).

[jwenting]

hi jwenting,

Thanks for the reply. I am SCJP(2002). I hope that does not matter. I want to take it up as slowly as possible so that I can look into the quality very well. If you have any resources which are useful, please let me know. Thanks once again

regards
Srinivas

The actual version of your SCJP is irrelevant.
You may want to check if yours is still valid though. You got it around the time that Sun changed their policy on that, earlier exams expired after 3 years. If yours has expired you can contact Sun and have it changed into a new non-expiring certificate for the exam you took.

[cheenu78]

hi jwenting,

I had posted in javaranch regarding the validity of my SCJP. I got reply which you can view through the following URL.

http://saloon.javaranch.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=25&t=009018

I am planning to contact the sun education center at Bangalore(India). I will get back with their reply.

Thanks and Regards
Srinivas
SCJP

[jwenting]

Used to have an account there, but it stopped working about a month ago and all email goes unanswered.
Sad, it's a nice site (though as swamped with "do my homework for me" posts as this one).

[bmbvm5]

Hello,
I am beginner in JAVA programming.
I have very difficult assignment and need somebody to help me .I hope you can guide and help me .
with best regards

[jasimp]

Please don't bring these old threads back from the dead and also don't hijack them. Start your own thread.