After surfing on Google, I read about Oracle Certifications. On June 19, 2017, I went to the office and told my manager about my plan to give the OCAJP certification exam. She excitedly said it is great, and that I should go for this. I wanted to confirm the value of this certification, so after doing some rigorous research on the internet, I thought to give it a try.
I got to know that people really prepare a lot for this exam. I thought I’ve Saturdays and Sundays to study. But honestly speaking, life sucks. I tried, but due to unforeseen circumstances every month (in 2017), I couldn’t focus much on the preparation.
January 2018 passed fighting with depression. February started. Colleagues were talking about the long weekend break and that they are taking that week off. On February 08, 2018, I decided that I’m going to do the same. Take two more days off, and give the exam on Thursday, Feb 22, 2018. I asked two of my friends (who are also OCAJP certified) about how they prepared. They suggested a preparation of at least two months is required to excel.
That made me think if I’m doing the dumbest mistake of my life. People study for months, and I’m thinking that studying for just 5 days will help me get this certification! (Seriously, no kidding)
After coming late to the home on February 16, 2018, the Friday, I thought I’ll start studying next day morning. I woke up on Saturday, glanced at the books and first thought: Oh fuck! This isn’t easy.
But then, after blocking myself from the world for 5 days- 3 books, and few mock tests and listening to Wrong Direction (Passenger) on loop, I successfully cleared the exam :)
I am now an Oracle Certified Java SE 8 Associate Programmer!!! View my badge here
Here is a list of the preparation material which I followed:
- OCA/OCP Java SE 7 Programmer by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates (I’d highly recommend starting with this book)
- OCA Java SE8 Programmer Study Guide by Mala Gupta
- OCA Java SE8 Programmer Study Guide by Jeanne Boyarsky and Scott Selikoff
Mock tests:
- OCA Java SE8 Programmer Practice Tests by Jeanne Boyarsky and Scott Selikoff
- Whizlabs mocks
I would like to thank my workplace and especially my manager Mary Jane for supporting me in doing this. Solutionreach is an amazing place to work! If you are reading this, I still believe that studying for 5 days and then going for exam was the dumbest decision I ever made. I’d not recommend that. Good luck!