SCJP 1.5

After it being on my todo list for the last two years, I finally got my Sun Certified Java Programmer certification. I was a nervous before the exam, but I came out with 90%, which I'm very happy with.

There are a couple of things I'd like to point out about the exam:

1. The Sierra and Bates SCJP book is very good. The questions in it are similar in style to the ones you'll get in the exam, and they explain concepts very well.
2. The Heller SCJP book is not so good. It has quite a few errors (most are listed in the book's errata), but also has a lot of stuff that isn't actually in the exam. Streams? Not in the exam, but covered in-depth in the book. Bitshifting? No, not in the exam and not even covered in the book, but there's at least one mock question on it which gave me a start.

Lastly, I'd like to reassure any of you that the questions in the Sierra and Bates book are harder than the real thing. I got around 60% in its mock exams, mainly due to the questions which turned out to be testing if I was javac (hint: no). The good thing about those questions was that it made me highly suspicious of all the exam questions and I (think) I caught the 'trick' questions because of it.

All in all, it was a pretty successful experience. I hope it'll be a useful addition to my CV.