Taking the Sun Certified Business Component Developer Exam

Note: this is an adaptation of a write-up I did for work. Hope you enjoy it.

Who (should read this?)

Java developers and aspiring architects

What (are we talking about?)

• Taking the Sun Certified Business Component Developer (for Java, Enterprise Edition 5) exam.
• This exam covers Enterprise JavaBeans 3, the new Java Persistence API (JPA - largely based on Hibernate) and more.

How (can I do it?)

• First, pass the Sun Certified Java Programmer exam
• Make the commitment
  • In my case, I didn’t have a lot of hands-on EJB experience before studying for the exam
  • Devote the time
  • Code, don’t just read
• Study
  • Mikalai Zaikin - SCBCD 5.0 Study Guide
    • Written specifically to exam objectives
    • PDF Version available
  • O’Reilly - Enterprise JavaBeans 3.0, Fifth Edition
    • Not written specifically for SCBCD, but very thorough
    • Available on Safari Books Online
• Form a study group
• Take practice tests
  • Enthuware EJBPlus
• Take the exam
  • Purchase exam voucher from Sun
  • Schedule exam w/Prometric

References

• JavaEE 5 API
• JSR 220 (EJB3.0 specification)

Tips

• Many of the exam questions (phrasing) are pulled directly from the spec - read it.
• Look for discounts/offers from Sun when you buy the voucher. I registered when they offered a "free retake opportunity" which put my mind at ease.
• … more?