Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 7 Programmer Exams 1Z0-804 and 1Z0-805 by Ganesh/Sharma

I just ordered this book on Amazon. Anyone have any opinions on the book? It's only book currently available for 1Z0-804. I've already purchased Enthuware's mock exams.

Btw, for 1Z0-803, I've gone through the 3 following resources.
Enthuware
OCA Java SE 7 Programmer I Certification Guide by Gupta
Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 7 Programmer Study Guide by Reese

I felt Gupta was the easiest of the 3, but the current unreleased beta ebook is still a bit crude, mainly illustrations are still amateurish hand drawings. Reese's book was structured around the core objectives but he took the liberty of expositing more advanced concepts that will not be on the exam. Enthuware mainly gives you 6/7 mock exams, which is good once you have the concepts down. I wouldn't recommend a complete beginner only go with Enthuware and expect to pass. Enthuware's strength is that they "stretch/push" your knowledge. According to their stats, most people that took their mock exams avg around low 70% but when they took actual exam, they did 92%.

If they provide review copy then i could say about that.

I also just bought the Ganesh/Sharma book for the 1Z0-804 exam, so I don't really know what to expect, since there aren't any reviews on Amazon yet. I planned on getting the Sierra/Bates one, but I see they pushed the publication date forward to 21 June 2013 and I plan on taking the exam before then.

Got the book. Went through the first 2 chapters. Looks pretty good.

Book recommended this link which is pretty good especially since it's Oracle's,
Lesson: Preparation for Java Programmer Language Certification

As of right now, I can recommend Enthuware as one of the the must have resources.
If you are a seasoned Java programmer looking to pass the certification as cheaply as possible, the Enthuware mock exams and the free Oracle link should be enough to pass.

Thanks for the feedback. I agree, the Enthuware exams are pretty good. I used them to pass the OCAJP7 exam and I'm glad I did.

I also got the book two days back. The book looks great (at least, my initial impression says so). The quality of questions in pre-test (which is chapter 2) is nice. Now, I am reading Design Pattern from this book; it flows very well and I am understanding it instantly. In all, till now, I just have one word:"awesome".

Does anybody else got a chance to look at the book?

I am looking forward for the Indian edition of the book; I hope it will come soon.

I received my copy on Friday. I just paged through it, but the content looks good. It starts off with a 45 question test to help you determine how ready you are for the OCP and to identify your weak points. My initial impression is also that this is a good book.

Found a couple of small problems in the early chapters. I'll make a note of them when I'm reading the book for the second time and post them somewhere. They're not that critical though. There are 2 problems in Chapter 5 that I think people should be aware of.

Firstly, the Singleton example on pages 129, 130 and 131. myInstance should be private, else you can access it without using getInstance().

Secondly, the AbstractFactory example on page 136 does not show the implementation of the Canvas class. There should also be a FactoryMaker class to get the correct Factory in the Canvas class.

This is really useful information for all the readers of the book. Thanks Sebastiaan.

BTW, I noticed an Errata page at authors' blog.

I am still unsure about getting a Ganesh/Sharma or Bert/Sierra.
How is the Enthuware ?

P.S. : Its just been a few weeks that i have started learning Java, but I want to appear for OCJP.

Thanks Nancy, I'll post problems that I find on the Errata page.

Suzie, the Bert/Sierra OCJP book for Java 7 will only be released in June. I'm guessing you want to take OCJP 6? Also, to take OCJP 7, you need to pass OCJA 7 first.

Suzie Russell wrote:I am still unsure about getting a Ganesh/Sharma or Bert/Sierra.
How is the Enthuware ?

P.S. : Its just been a few weeks that i have started learning Java, but I want to appear for OCJP.

Katy Sierra was scjp exam designer at Sun micro system as per i know ,they write great book.

Suzie Russell wrote:I am still unsure about getting a Ganesh/Sharma or Bert/Sierra.
How is the Enthuware ?

P.S. : Its just been a few weeks that i have started learning Java, but I want to appear for OCJP.

There is no doubt about the K&B book (SCJP 6), it is quite good. However, their book for OCPJP 7 will come in June end. We hope that the book will be good as well. However, I started reading the book by Ganesh/Sharma and I (and few others) found this book useful.

Katy Sierra was scjp exam designer at Sun micro system as per i know ,they write great book.

Didn't know that!
And thanks for the help. After everyone's views, I guess its not a bad idea to refer two books afterall.

Nancy Avent wrote:

Suzie Russell wrote:I am still unsure about getting a Ganesh/Sharma or Bert/Sierra.
How is the Enthuware ?

P.S. : Its just been a few weeks that i have started learning Java, but I want to appear for OCJP.

There is no doubt about the K&B book (SCJP 6), it is quite good. However, their book for OCPJP 7 will come in June end. We hope that the book will be good as well. However, I started reading the book by Ganesh/Sharma and I (and few others) found this book useful.

Thanks!
I have NO idea whatsoever on when the exams are, and how to register.. if anyone knows please provide the link.

Suzie Russell wrote:

Thanks!
I have NO idea whatsoever on when the exams are, and how to register.. if anyone knows please provide the link.

I suggest you take a look at the first chapter (i.e. FAQs chapter) by Ganesh/Sharma book. This chapter answers all the questions a newbie could have on OCPJP 7.

Nancy Avent wrote:
I suggest you take a look at the first chapter (i.e. FAQs chapter) by Ganesh/Sharma book. This chapter answers all the questions a newbie could have on OCPJP 7.

Sure.
Also, is SE6 better than SE7 ?

I found PearsonVUE: http://www.pearsonvue.com/ the easiest to schedule exams. You basically purchase a voucher on their site and then pick an exam centre in your area and schedule a date for the exam. You can also reschedule your exam if you feel that you are not ready yet.

The difference between OCP6 and OCP7 is that you need to pass 2 exams to get OCP7. You only need 1 for OCP6. If you have an OCP6, you can also write an exam to upgrade it to an OCP7. I don't think one is better than the other, but I do think it is better to write the latest one and stay current with the technology. That's why I opted for 7.

I think, the question "SCJP 6 or OCPJP 7" is quite common among the ppl like us. I was also struggling with this question. At the end, I am preparing for OCPJP 7 since it is the most recent certification and I will be considered "most updated with the technology" after this certification.

Suzie Russell wrote:Also, is SE6 better than SE7 ?

Why would an older version (SE6) be better than a newer version (SE7)?

I see a lot of people on this forum posting about passing OCPJP6. The only reason I can think of to do this is to get a Professional level certification after one exam instead of two.

Lap Wah Lee wrote:I just ordered this book on Amazon. Anyone have any opinions on the book? It's only book currently available for 1Z0-804. I've already purchased Enthuware's mock exams.

Btw, for 1Z0-803, I've gone through the 3 following resources.
Enthuware
OCA Java SE 7 Programmer I Certification Guide by Gupta
Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 7 Programmer Study Guide by Reese

I felt Gupta was the easiest of the 3, but the current unreleased beta ebook is still a bit crude, mainly illustrations are still amateurish hand drawings. Reese's book was structured around the core objectives but he took the liberty of expositing more advanced concepts that will not be on the exam. Enthuware mainly gives you 6/7 mock exams, which is good once you have the concepts down. I wouldn't recommend a complete beginner only go with Enthuware and expect to pass. Enthuware's strength is that they "stretch/push" your knowledge. According to their stats, most people that took their mock exams avg around low 70% but when they took actual exam, they did 92%.

Btw, for 1Z0-803, I've gone through the 3 following resources.
OCA Java SE 7 Programmer I Certification Guide by Gupta -- is it released as a hard copy.???

For Indian readers...

The book by Ganesh/Sharma is now available at discounted price (only e-book bought from India) from Apress site. For more information check-out this page.

I'm busy reading the book for the second time. After that I'll do the mock exams and then I'll also purchase the mock exams from Enthuware to complete my preparation.

I would say that the book is a good buy to prepare for the OCP and I would recommend it. There are some minor mistakes (grammar, code-formatting in examples, etc.), but nothing hectic. There's also an errata page here: http://ocpjp7.blogspot.com/p/errata.html

Hi,
Is the book The book by Ganesh/Sharma is now available in hard copy print format.i dont want to buy the e-book version.Please print the book.
Awaiting a reply

Deepak Lal

Imported edition of the book is available on Flipkart. In fact, Flipkart is showing that Indian edition is also coming.
I am also waiting for the hard print. Till now, one of my frnd bought the imported edition so borrowing the book sometimes.

I am reading using this book and I am a fan of it. Really liked it.

I also like the material on their blog posted by authors (Ganesh/Sharma). In fact, the quick reference card shared by them is an excellent thing. 10 out of 10.

Hi Alex/Samir,
i contacted flipkart and the product is out of stock.
Could you let me know whether all java se 7 features are available in this book and how would you rate this book on a scale of 1 to 10,1 being least and 10 being the best.
Do they have ample examples of code for demonstration purposes for each topic.
could you tell me whether buying this book is really worth it or should i wait for K&B Java se 7 book due for release on June Month.

Regards,
Deepak Lal

Hi Deepak,

I am using this book and I am pretty much satisfied. If you ask me to rate that I would rate it 9 out of 10 (there are some typos, hence deducting one). In my opinion, it serves the purpose well. There are a lot of examples for each and every topic. There are two full size mock tests. There is a pre-test (45 questions) to measure our preparedness.

I would suggest you to take a look google preview.

And btw, the K&B book will release in September (according to Amazon).

Deepak Lal wrote:Hi Alex/Samir,
i contacted flipkart and the product is out of stock.
Could you let me know whether all java se 7 features are available in this book and how would you rate this book on a scale of 1 to 10,1 being least and 10 being the best.
Do they have ample examples of code for demonstration purposes for each topic.
could you tell me whether buying this book is really worth it or should i wait for K&B Java se 7 book due for release on June Month.

Regards,
Deepak Lal

The book covers all the topics of OCPJP 7 exam. The book explains everything using examples. The description flows very well. It is written quite well. I would definitely recommend it to all the OCPJP 7 aspirants.

Nancy recommended a nice way to evaluate the book. You can see the preview.

Wow, this thread really helped me make the decision on buying this book. I purchased the Enthuware mock exam about a week ago and did the first test exam only to find out that I need to work some more on the exam's topics. It was clear I needed a book.

I just purchased the eBook on the Apress website (charged me $6.60 USD even though it's advertised at $32.99 USD ).

Hope to hear from others that do the exam in the next few weeks and find out if this book really helped.

I wrote and passed today (68%). Not great, but I'll take it. The exam is not a walk in the park. I think the book is quite good. I was put off a bit by the many mistakes, but I guess if you have an Errata sheet, it's fine. I hadn't even seen a lot of the topics that the exam covers before buying the book and I think the book has a couple of good examples that helped me understand them.

Congrates Sebastiaan. No body cares about the pass percentage, so cheer up; you are now OCPJP certified

If a book can lead you to pass the exam it worth every penny. So again....good job by the authors of the book.

@Lap Wah Lee

Btw, for 1Z0-803, I've gone through the 3 following resources.
Enthuware
OCA Java SE 7 Programmer I Certification Guide by Gupta
Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 7 Programmer Study Guide by Reese

I felt Gupta was the easiest of the 3, but the current unreleased beta ebook is still a bit crude, mainly illustrations are still amateurish hand drawings

@Deepak

OCA Java SE 7 Programmer I Certification Guide by Gupta -- is it released as a hard copy.???

In MEAP (Manning's Early Access Program), this book included hand drawings, which have been replaced with glorious images in the final book. This book was released on 2 April 2013 and can be ordered at Amazon.com and manning.com.

Thanks.

With respect,
Mala

Hey everyone, just came back from doing the 1Z0-804 exam and got an 86%!! yay!

I used the Enthuware mock exam, Ganesh/Sharma's book, and lots of Java Tutorial, Javadocs, and of course lots of coding.

I'm gonna write a longer post soon enough with my opinions and impressions of everything.

Best of luck to those studying for it

Now for some to celebrate!!!

that's great. congratulations.

I just passed the certification. I got a 76%.

To be honest, I kept rescheduling the exam date because I couldn't really get into study mode. The first test was so easy that I felt I overstudied. I didn't have a great deal of motivation for the second certification. But the second one is definitely a more difficult exam. It seemed like there was a lot more code to evaluate.

I retract what I said about Oracle link, at least for the 2nd certification. You still definitely need Enthuware but Oracle link doesn't have enough "meat" to get you through the exam. Whereas the first exam, I barely did any coding, I definitely believe you have to write code. Lots of code, especially if you are a novice. Even for experienced working Java programmers, there are enough new concepts or Java features that you may not have used that it warrants creating sample programs to test out those features. Examples: Rowset classes, ForkJoinPool, Localization, Assertion, etc.

Just like for 1Z0-803 certification, the Enthuware exams are more difficult than the actual exam but this time, there was closer parity. I kept failing the Enthuware exams but not by much, getting 58%-62% when 65% was passing. For the final "unique" Enthuware exam, I got a 75% so I felt I had a decent chance at passing the real exam.

I still recommend Ganesh/Sharma's book, considering the fact that it's still the only available 804 book, you don't have many other choices.

Lap Wah Lee wrote:Got the book. Went through the first 2 chapters. Looks pretty good.

Book recommended this link which is pretty good especially since it's Oracle's,
Lesson: Preparation for Java Programmer Language Certification

As of right now, I can recommend Enthuware as one of the the must have resources.
If you are a seasoned Java programmer looking to pass the certification as cheaply as possible, the Enthuware mock exams and the free Oracle link should be enough to pass.

In my opinion the question 5 of the chapter 7 have 2 correct answer.
The B and C are correct.

Mock Test - 1 Question 83. seems to be wrong. It's OK to define a finally block when using try-with-resources but the book says this is not allowed.