A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification: A Comprehensive Primer

This is a VERY comprehensive book from which to study the SCJP exam. I have read both it and Kathy Sierra's books. They are different paths to the same goal. Where Kathy's is easier to read, Mughal goes to greater depth. Kathy's questions are easier, Mughals are generally more difficult and searching. He poses questions that are extremely subtle as times...hence being very frustrating...but then, they do make you better because you really have to read, think and reason a question out properly(A skill that I needed to develop...and one that reading this book has aided me in developing). A glance is typically not enough in the case of this book. But challenges either make us or break us and this book will challenge you (Do the practise exams on the CD and see what I mean!).I have to admit, at times I resented this book...wanting to throw it with annoyance...but perserverance in times of frustration is what is needed. This book takes it to a deeper level than Kathy's...since she is teaching you just what you need for the exam. Mughal does this plus adds depth and scope so you are getting a more complete education in this area. Actually, I think both books do compliment each other in a way: Start with Kathy's, then read this. This will check how much you really know (just don't throw it at loved ones...:))Only criticism: the UML diagrams are probably unnecessary since a SCJP exam is being studied for. WHile I appreciate their purpose (vale adding to your Java education), they do require effort to interpret that could be better spent elsewhere.All concepts have coded examples, though for some of the questions you really have to read the text to find the answers...but this is a good thing (if you have the I'll-be-damned-if-this-is-going-to-beat-me gene...at lets face it, you'd better have it if you're gonna beat the SCJP exam).So buy this is you want a thorough SCJP exam study guide and also a good Java language reference book that you can use after the exam. It has more reuse than the SIerra book in that respect I think (though Kathy's book does cover Developer exam, kind of). COnsider it a sublcassed version of the Sierra Book...:) (yes I know that joke was tragic...but, it works...kinda, sorta...:) Better to laugh than cry!)

This book is full of information and covers each topic in great detail. For the novice, I suggest that one use this book along with Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java. Both combined make an excellent resource for the certification exam.Pros: 1> The coverage on language fundamentals, inner classes, overriding, overloading, and event delegation model is excellent. The explanation is clear and concise. There is a steady flow from one concept to another. 2> The best part of the book is that it has review questions after every 10 pages or so. The questions are very tough but then they really test you for thorough understanding of the concepts. 3> The book with its thorough analysis of the Java language can be daunting at times (enough to give up the exam preparation). This is both a pro as well as a con of the book.<p>Cons: 1> AWT and I/O is better covered in Roberts' Complete Guide to Java 2 certification book. 2> Additional topics on Swing and Javadoc are not part of the exam curriculum.<p>Suggestions: 1> The mock exam in the book is much tougher than the real exam. 2> Take all the mock exams on the internet. See the site www.jchq.net

This review is written for readers who are in similar situation as mine.My background: -My experience with Java was minimal (2 University classes). -I didn't have work experience in Java.My thoughts on the book:This book covers everything you need for the Java 2 exam. It even covers topics such as Javadoc and Swing. You are told if a chapter is related to the exam objectives or not - the author categorizes the chapters' objectives (and sub objectives) into Main or Supplemental ones so you can skip a chapter (or a section) that you don't need for certification purposes.The wording is concise and straight to the point. The terminologies and notations are based on the standards used in the industry (UML is used extensively in this book). The chapters are not closely tied so you can jump from one to another pretty easily. The concepts are defined and explained very thoroughly (important for certification) - this is the strongest selling point of this book. The practice questions and the mock exams are very good (make sure you do the written mock exam at the back of the book) and they expose one's weaknesses in the language quite effectively.The book's website has corrections and a mock exam engine.This book helps you master the language concepts in addition to passing the exam.My preparation:I took 3 months of 4-5 hour nights to study the material in this book. I have another book but that book looks like kindergarden material once you've read Khalid's book.I did more than 15 mock exams and experimented with codes to clear my doubts.My result:Passed with 90%Hope this helps.

Before I decided on a book to help me study for the Java 2 Certification exam I looked around. This book was definitely the best book available. After reading this book I took the Java 2 Certification exam and got a 97% (no lie). It is a very detailed book and has great examples. I found other books (especially the one by Roberts, Heller, et al.) to be full of fluff -- some of which is incorrect. This book is very accurate. I found only a couple very minor errors. If you want to pass the Cert Test, read this book and take notes. You will pass the test. Don't bother buying any other book. This one the absolute best available.BTW, this book has chapters on Swing and javadoc, neither of which were covered on the Cert exam so you can ignore these chapters if you like.

I passed the Java 2 certification exam on first attempt. And I owe this convincing success to this book. The Java 2 certification exam mainly tests language fundamentals. This book covers fundamentals very very thoroughly. The chapters on difficult topics such as Threads and Inner classes are also very well written (not just glossed over as in some other books). The book is written is a simple and rigorous style, with no plaff! It is very easy to read and to understand. There is no wastage - of paper or words (like some other books in the market!) and very few typos. I found the code examples to be adequate and complete. The review questions are representative of the exam questions and a shade tougher, making the actual exam seem almost easy. The answers to the review questions are annotated leaving in no doubt the reason for the choice of answers and this I found to be very useful. The mock exam provided in the appendix has an interesting collection of questions - some of them are quite tricky. I just wish that the mock exam was provided on a CD, in a simulated exam environment. All in all an excellent first book for preparing for the Java 2 certification exam. Armed with this book and taking a few of the simulated mock exams available on the net will make passing the exam quite easy. Actually, this book is excellent for understanding Java language fundamentals that I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a sound introduction to the language!!