PREFACE

This book's primary objective is to help you prepare for and pass Sun Microsystem's SCJP certification for Java 6 or Java 5. The Java 6 and Java 5 exams are almost identical in scope, and they are both much broader than their predecessor, the Java 1.4 exam. For or the remainder of this book we'll typically reference the Java 6 exam, but remember that other than the addition of the System.Console class and Navigable collections, the Java 5 and Java 6 exams are identical in scope. We recommend that you take the Java 6 exam and not the Java 5 exam, but if you do decide to take the Java 5 exam, this book is still appropriate. The new exam's objectives touch on many of the more commonly used of Java's APIs. The key word here is "touch." The exam's creators intended that passing the exam will demonstrate that the candidate understands the basics of APIs such as those for file I/O and regular expressions. This book follows closely both the breadth and the depth of the real exam. For instance, after reading this book, you probably won't emerge as a regex guru, but if you study the material, and do well on the self tests, you'll have a basic understanding of regex, and you'll do well on the exam. After completing this book, you should feel confident that you have thoroughly reviewed all of the objectives that Sun has established for the exam.

In This Book

This book is organized to optimize your learning of the topics covered by the SCJP Java 6 exam. Whenever possible, we've organized the chapters to parallel the Sun objectives, but sometimes we'll mix up objectives or partially repeat them in order to present topics in an order better suited to learning the material.

In addition to fully covering the SCJP Java 6 exam, we have also provided for download eight chapters that cover important aspects of Sun's SCJD exam. (See the "About the Download" appendix.

In Every Chapter

We've created a set of chapter components that call your attention to important items, reinforce important points, and provide helpful exam-taking hints. Take a look at what you'll find in every chapter:

Every chapter begins with the Certification Objectives—what you need to know in order to pass the section on the exam dealing with the chapter topic. The Certification Objective headings identify the objectives within the chapter, so you'll always know an objective when you see it!

Exam Watch notes call attention to information about, and potential pitfalls in, the exam. Since we were on the team that created the exam, we know what you're about to go through!

On the Job callouts discuss practical aspects of certification topics that might not occur on the exam, but that will be useful in the real world.

Exercises are interspersed throughout the chapters. They help you master skills that are likely to be an area of focus on the exam. Don't just read through the exercises; they are hands-on practice that you should be comfortable completing. Learning by doing is an effective way to increase your competency with a product.

From the Classroom sidebars describe the issues that come up most often in the training classroom setting. These sidebars give you a valuable perspective into certification- and product-related topics. They point out common mistakes and address questions that have arisen from classroom discussions.

The Certification Summary is a succinct review of the chapter and a restatement of salient points regarding the exam.

The Two-Minute Drill at the end of every chapter is a checklist of the main points of the chapter. It can be used for last-minute review.

Q&A The Self Test offers questions similar to those found on the certification exam, including multiple choice, and pseudo drag-and-drop questions. The answers to these questions, as well as explanations of the answers, can be found at the end of every chapter. By taking the Self Test after completing each chapter, you'll reinforce what you've learned from that chapter, while becoming familiar with the structure of the exam questions.