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Message from Dean - May 8th 2007
I am currently testing out a new version of the APF Bridge Component - If you notice any errors within this demo store please drop me a line.
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I purchased this at the last minute, more than anything else for the practice exam on the CD. I was immediately disappointed as the test on the CD had significant and fatal errors as other reviewers have pointed out (I was able to run it, but the questions were missing text, had the wrong interface for answers, etc). When I contacted the publisher to express my issues they told me that this was a problem only with the first print run, but when they didn't immediately offer me a replacement CD I expressed my opinion on that to them also. By the time they offered me a solution (in the form of a download from their web site with a secret login), I had already passed the test and didn't need their help anymore.
I did try to use the book itself to try to cover a couple of topics I was not sure about before I took the test, and found it difficult to follow and gave up. Others seem to like it, so maybe it was just me. I found the "Java 2 Exam Cram" to be far more useful and actually plan to keep that book as a reference, while I threw out the "Passport".
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I pass the exam this morning with 83 %. From total time I spend 70% time reading this book. This book is good if you have limited time to prepare for SCJP. It doesn't have boring description. The authors have done excellent job to extract out core concept from exam point of view. However, there are some typos and cds is not useful. I couldn't able to access what is inside cds. Anyway it was worth Canadian $ 55 investment. I did refer Khalid Mughal book to clear some of the funda and practice examples.
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Multiple authors with differing styles is OK. The information is mostly well presented and targeted for the exam. But the sample test questions are a disaster. They are awful. About 10% of the questions in the book and on the practice CD are woefully wrong. Examples abound and range from questions that don't list any correct answer as an option, due to a type-o (p. 211 #2), to questions on the software exam that say "select two" and then give radio buttons, thus making multiple selections impossible. If you are looking for a second or a third book to read to prepare for the exam, you'll be able to extract enough good from this to merit the purchase. Plus, debugging the [messed] up questions is good practice! But if you are looking for one book with which you hope to prepare, avoid this one. Much better is that from Roberts, Heller and Ernest (Also has some errors, but there is an errata list on the website). The folks at Osborne also have an errata page, which doesn't mention this book...
As series editor, blame must fall squarely on Mike Meyers, who says "I love every aspect of this book you hold in your hands". Next time, better look at all the aspects of a book before sending it to press.
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In addition to liking the easy reading it was nice to stick to JUST the stuff that I need to get through this exam. YES there are books out there with more expanded explainations of all these areas, and YES you need to know that to perform a programming job, but TODAY I just want to get my certification, thank you. This book does just that.
The reading was clear and to the point. The tips and stuff were great.
The CD is a bit flakey though.
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The subject says it all. This book isn't designed to teach a newbie to code Java, but for those that have Java experience and want to know what subjects are needed to pass the certification. There are other books that go into greater detail, but you will pay 2x more. If you have the $, go for the others, but for the cost, this is a great buy!!
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