This study guide covers official certification objectives for the Sun certified Java programmer exam 310-025. The accompanying CD-ROM includes hundreds of practice exam questions linked to the study guide. There are two-minute drills and self-tests.
The authors have written this book for those preparing to take the Sun Certified Java 2 Programmer Exam (310-025). It's structured around the exam topics with each chapter providing objectives, exercises and--among other details--self-test exercises. They discuss the exam question types, their level of difficulty and also provide tips on studying for and taking the exams.
Each chapter concentrates on a particular aspect of Java as it relates to the exam. As you'd expect, there's discussion of Java language, implementation issues, usage, best practice and alternative approaches, but the structure is somewhat eclectic and unfocussed. Sections end with a set of multi-choice self-test questions with the answers and explanations at the back of the book.
As with most books designed to help you pass certification exams, the Sun Certification Programmer for Java 2 Study Guide really isn't all that useful for much else. It assumes you're already a Java programmer, and isn't a reference or a how-to book. It prepares you for an exam. The self-test questions are the most interesting part of the book. This is because the Sun exam tends to test your knowledge of less well-known operators, unusual constructions and gotchas. While this book won't help you tackle real-life Java programming projects, it may well help you get paid to work on such a project. --Steve Patient