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Introduction

This NetBeans IDE study guide has been designed to assist you in preparation of passing the NetBeans IDE Programmer Certified Expert exam. The information in this book is presented through textual content, coding examples, exercises, and more. Code examples have been validated on Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Macintosh OS X operating systems. In this book, information is covered in detail for all exam objectives. The main areas covered are as listed:

General NetBeans IDE Configurations

Builds and Controls

Desktop Application Development

Web Application Development

Database Integration

Source Editor Functionality

General Refactoring

HTTP Server-Side Monitoring

Local and Remote Debugging

JUnit Testing

Application Profiling

The targeted NetBeans IDE version for the exam is 6.1. However, a good portion of the book was written against version 6.8 to take advantage of bug fixes, enhancements, and new features. NetBeans IDE 6.1 was used if the changes to the subsequent versions were significant enough to affect your study preparation and/or exam score. Table 2 details which NetBeans versions were used for each chapter and appendix.

TABLE 2 NetBeans Versions Used for Each Chapter and Appendix

Specifics about the NetBeans IDE Certification Exam

Oracle and Sun certification specifics about the NetBeans IDE exam objectives are detailed on their website at http://education.oracle.com/. Specifics about the exam process are supplied by Prometric when you enroll. However, we detail in the following sections the important information you will need to know to take the exam.

Dynamics of the NetBeans IDE Exam

The NetBeans IDE exam is geared toward software programmers and developers with extensive experience developing Java-based desktop and web applications with the NetBeans IDE. There are no prerequisites for this exam. You must get 36 of 61 questions correct, having a passing percentage of at least 59 percent. The designated time limit is 75 minutes. The exam is strictly multiple-choice questions and answers.

The current U.S. price to take the exam is $300.00 but is subject to change. If you are employed by a technical organization, check to see if your company has an educational assistance policy. For education-related areas that do not return a “grade” such as an exam, employers may require that the candidate pass the exam with a certain percentage. Candidates receive their percentage immediately following the exam and are sent a detailed summary of how they did on the exam with an overall percentage, as well as percentages per objective. This information breakdown can be beneficial when considering retaking the exam or when considering restudying weak areas. Oracle and Sun certification allow you to publish their credentials through the certification manager website at http://certmanager.net/sun/. Publishing credentials involves your selecting certification information to publish and forwarding that information via a form to e-mail recipients whom you wish to share the information with. The received e-mail will provide a link and password to view the published credentials from a secured server for a period of two weeks. It is important to note that the published credentials, also known as the Credential Verification Report, only provide a certified result, not the actual percentage of how a candidate has scored, as shown in Figure 1.

FIGURE 1 Published credentials example

Scheduling the NetBeans IDE Exam

You will need to sign up for and schedule the test through the Prometric website (www.prometric.com or www.2test.com). The exams are given by Prometric at Authorized Prometric Testing Centers.

Preparing for the NetBeans IDE Exam

Getting a good night’s rest before the exam and eating a healthy breakfast will contribute to good test marks. Don’t cram for the exam the night before. If you find you need to cram, you should reschedule the exam since you should be more prepared for it.

You will need to bring a few things with you for the exam and leave a few things behind. Let’s take a look at some dos and don’ts.

Dos

Do bring two forms of identification. Valid identification includes a valid passport, current driver’s license, government-issued identification, credit cards, and check-cashing cards. At least one item must include your photograph. Make sure not to “shorthand” your signature when you sign in since it must match your identification.

Do show up early, from 15 to 30 minutes before your exam’s scheduled start time. You may find that the center needs to set up several people for exams. Getting in early may get you set up early, or at the least it will ensure that you don’t start late.

Do print directions to the test facility. Or let your GPS navigator lead you, if you have one.

Do use the restroom ahead of time. The exam is only 75 minutes, and breaks are frowned upon and may be disallowed. You can’t pause the time you’ve been allocated if you need to take a break. However, a countdown timer will be on the screen if you need to know how much time you have left.

Don’ts

Don’t bring large items. Large storage may not be available for book bags and jackets. So the more items you can leave in your car, dorm, and so on, the less you’ll have to worry about once you get to the testing facility. The testing facilities typically do have small securable lockers for your usage, but you’ll have to ask to use one.

Don’t bring writing supplies. The test center will likely provide laminated paper with a dry erase marker. You will not be able to keep these.

Don’t bring your laptop, cell phone, or other similar device.

Don’t bring drinks or snacks since they are not allowed.

Taking the NetBeans IDE Exam

When you begin the exam, you will likely be presented with an optional computer-based survey. This survey will ask you about your technical background and other related information. A common misconception is that the answering of these questions may be related to which exam questions you will be presented with. Taking the survey is not related to the exam questions you will receive. The survey can take 20 to 30 minutes to complete. The information gathered is important for those developing and refining future exams, so answer the questions honestly.

After you have completed the exam, your results may or may not appear on the screen. In some cases, you may need to wait for the testing personnel to retrieve your results from the printer. You will need to sign your results once completed. The point here is that you should not leave once you have completed the exam, stay and get your results.

Within a few weeks after your exam, if you pass, you will receive a certificate, a pin, and a congratulation letter. If you should unfortunately fail the exam, you will receive only the knowledge you gained from the studying and experience. That’s okay, though, just sign up for the test again, study your weak areas, and give it another go.

We would like to know how you did on the exam. You can send us an e-mail at [email protected].

Rescheduling the NetBeans IDE Exam

Rescheduling is easy. Just go to the Prometric site and follow the rescheduling prompts; it’s an online process. It is not uncommon for work, school, personal events, and other priorities to delay your readiness for the exam. You may reschedule the exam as often as you like. Just try to do the rescheduling of your exam at least two days prior to the existing scheduled exam date.