7 Steps to Preparing for Java 8 Certification

In many cases, certifications are regarded as proof of knowledge of a specific subject. This consideration makes people more willing to earn certification for personal satisfaction and showcasing their skills. Java certification is the most desirable certification listed in job postings for software developers. Specifically,

• Java certification places you ahead of many job applicants for Java related jobs.
• The certification exam contains tricky questions regarding Java. Therefore, in job interviews, you would be more prepared to answer tricky and hard questions than other candidates as you would likely to be exposed to them before.
• Last but not least, the skills gained while preparing for a certification would help you create more quality and robust software.

Here are the steps to become a certified Java professional:

1. Learn About the Certification Paths   

First of all, try to get the most recent version of Java certification. As of now, Java 8 is the most recent version; therefore, start with the Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer certification.  The exam of this certification is composed of basic Java and object oriented programming questions. You can find detailed information about this certification by visiting the Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer certification site. In this link, there is also a chart on certification paths and a table about exam topics. This URL is a gate to all Oracle Java certifications.

Figure 1 -  Certification Path from Oracle Education

Table 1 - Exam Summary Table from Oracle Education

Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 8 Programmer exam requires that the applicant have an Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer certification. This certification demonstrates deeper knowledge of Java development skills using JAVA SE APIs such as Concurrent API, JDBC API and etc.

There are many Oracle Certified Expert certifications on different specific subjects requiring advanced Java certification. For example, to apply for the Oracle Certified Expert, Java EE 6 Web Services Developer certification, one needs to earn the Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 8 Programmer certification first. On the other hand, the Java EE Enterprise Architect certification has a different path; it does not require the Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer certification. The steps for earning the Java EE Enterprise Architect certification are as follows:

• Complete one of Oracle Academy Java courses
• Pass Java EE 6 Enterprise Architect Certified Master 1Z0-807 exam
• Pass Java (EE) Enterprise Architect Certified Master Assignment 1Z0-865 exam
• Pass Java (EE) Enterprise Architect Certified Master Essay 1Z0-866 exam

2. Read Recommended Books

To be ready for tricky exam questions, whether or not you are very talented in Java, you should read books on certification. These books help improve and deepen your knowledge of Java. Furthermore, writers of these books share their knowledge and experiences about certifications that help you prepare for exams. My recommendations are;

• OCA: Oracle Certified Associate Java SE 8 Programmer I Study Guide: Exam 1Z0-808
  • It is concise and simple, but yet sufficient enough to prepare for certification.
  • Amazon Book Information
• OCA Java SE 8 Programmer I Certification Guide
  • It is more detailed, and provides many more examples for exams.
  • Amazon Book Information

3. Learn What Is New in the Latest version of Java

If you are experienced with Java 7, and if you want to earn a certification for Java 8, you can check which topics are new to you. For example, the Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer certification exam brings in the following in comparison to the Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 7 Programmer certification exam:

• A new Date/Time API
• Simple Lambda expressions just for the Predicate interface.
• Default and static Methods in Interface

4. Solve Sample Tests

It is better to prepare by solving as many questions similar to those encountered in the exams as possible. Enthuware is one of the better test centers for Java certification, as referred to by many developers. I have also used this test center while preparing for the Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 7 Programmer certification exam.

In the test center, for the Oracle Certified Associate Java SE 8 Programmer certification, there is one starter test along with six sample tests, and the last day exam is sufficient enough to obtain 90-100 points in the exam. Generally, one would receive 10 points more in a real exam than the score of the sample exams. The exam has multiple choice questions where respondents are asked to declare how many correct answers are available out of the choices from a list; but be careful, the possibility of a more than one correct answer makes the exam a bit difficult.

Here's Enthuware's Java 8 SE certification page for more information.

5. Register and Buy Vouchers

To enter a certification exam you need to register with the Oracle Education System and buy an electronic voucher. One exam voucher is nearly $245. It is valid for 6 months from the date of purchase. In case you fail the exam, one can register again after 14 days to retake it.

Here's the Oracle Education Exam registration link.

6. Locate Exam Place and Time

After registration and buying a voucher, when you're ready to take the exam, you can use the Pearsonvue organization to find a suitable place and time to take the exam. Exams may also be rescheduled if need be prior to the exam date.

7. Check Your Results

Within 30 minutes after taking an exam, you can get your score via email. Therefore, you can learn the outcome of your exam very quickly. After all controls, 3-4 days after, certifications are sent electronically. You can check your eCertificate here.