Preface

Java programmer certifications are designed to tell would-be employers whether you really know your stuff, and cracking the OCA Java SE 8 Programmer Certification is not an easy task. Thorough preparation is crucial if you want to pass the exam the first time with a score that you can be proud of. You need to know Java inside-out, and you need to understand the certification process so that you’re ready for the challenging questions you’ll face in the exam.

This book is a comprehensive guide to the 1Z0-808 exam. You’ll explore a wide range of important Java topics as you systematically learn how to pass the certification exam. Each chapter starts with a list of the exam objectives covered in that chapter. Throughout the book you’ll find sample questions and exercises designed to reinforce key concepts and prepare you for what you’ll see in the real exam, along with numerous tips, notes, and visual aids.

Unlike many other exam guides, this book provides multiple ways to digest important techniques and concepts, including comic conversations, analogies, pictorial representations, flowcharts, UML diagrams, and, naturally, lots of well-commented code. The book also gives insight into common mistakes people make when taking the exam, and guides you in avoiding traps and pitfalls. It provides

• Complete coverage of exam topics, all mapped to chapter and section numbers
• Hands-on coding exercises, including particularly challenging ones that throw in a twist
• Instruction on what’s happening behind the scenes using the actual code from the Java API source
• Mastery of both the concepts and the exam

This book is written for developers with a working knowledge of Java. My hope is that the book will deepen your knowledge and prepare you well for the exam and that you will pass it with flying colors!