I passed Java Gold in the first year of joining the company, so I will talk about study methods

Introduction

What is the most difficult exam for Java qualification? I think there are many engineers who answer ** Java Gold ** when asked.

I passed Java Gold, which is the most difficult qualification, ** in the first year **, so

--Study content ――How was it that you passed in the first year?

I would like to talk about.

Specifications at the start of study

Work experience

――First year of new graduate (I was a liberal arts student and had nothing to do with programming) ――After 3 months of training (Java / SQL / JDBC / Servlet / JSP, etc.), I was assigned to a Java project
→ However, I rarely wrote code at that time.

Qualification

--Basic information engineer (taken and passed in April of the first year) --JavaSilver (taken and passed in August of the first year)

See below for passing experience

--Basic Information Engineer: [[Inexperienced] Study method that allows you to pass the Basic Information Engineer Examination [Passing Experience]] (https://qiita.com/ebichan_88/items/8409c9b99bf5a2977cc7) --JavaSilver: [JavaSilver] Study method that passed Java SE8 Silver [Passing experience]

The opportunity to take the exam

――Since the language used by PJT was Java, I wanted to acquire knowledge about Java.
→ First of all, I decided to challenge the qualification that the results of my studies will remain in shape.

Study period

I studied for about 4 months and was able to pass. (Since I haven't studied much in December, it's about 3 months)

Exam outline

The Java Gold exam outline is as follows.

The difference from JavaSilver is

--You need to pass Java Silver to take the exam --The number of questions has increased slightly (77 questions → 85 questions)

There are two points. The pass line and exam time are the same as Java Silver.

Books used

Purple book

Oracle Certification Textbook Java Programmer Gold SE 8 Most of the items that are asked in Java Gold are covered, and it is a textbook.

Black book

Thorough capture Java SE 8 Gold problem collection [1Z0-809] support Questions in each field and mock exams (twice) are prepared, and there is a collection of questions.

The role is as follows.

** Purple book: For understanding the outline of each unit and reviewing the problems that were mistaken in the black book ** ** Kuromoto: For memorizing the functions and methods that are given in each unit as well as exercises **

✳︎ Shiramoto (Oracle Certification Textbook Java Programmer Gold SE 8 Speedmaster Questions) is not used.

The secret to passing

Tip 1: Thoroughly work on the black book

The key to success is how well you can understand the contents of the black book.

The difficulty of the exam questions is high, but ** Most of the exam questions are similar to those of Kuromoto's mock exam, so the more you try, the closer you will be to passing. ** **

** ✳︎ Notes ** Since the difficulty of the problem is high, it is necessary to understand the contents of the explanation properly.

Tip 2: Capture the Stream API

The Java Gold exam has the impression that there are so many stream APIs to be asked, and being able to capture this field is the key to passing. Basically, you will be able to score by ** reading the purple book and understanding the outline → repeating the exercises with the black book **. When I studied, the following issues occurred, so

――I'm not sure how it works compared to the code I learned up to Java Silver --I can't remember the large number of methods that are asked

In the field of stream API, we also implemented the following efforts with plus α.

--I'm not sure how it works compared to the code I learned up to Java Silver
→ ** Copying the sample code ** ――I can't remember the large number of methods to be asked
→ ** Read the list of methods together in the gap time **

Q & A about study books

Q1: Do you need a white book?

A1: ** No need. ** **

I have never solved the problem of Shiramoto, but as far as I heard the reputation, I got the impression that the problem with a different tendency from Kuromoto will be asked. If you can understand the contents of the black book, you will reach the passing score, so I think it is better to review the mistaken part of the black book and increase the problems that can be done, rather than touching on new problems with the white book. ..

Q2: Is it necessary to solve the purple book mock exam?

A2: ** Kuromoto You don't need it if you do it well. ** **

You can pass the test by completing the mock exams (2 times in total) that can be downloaded with the black book. The explanation of the problem of Kuromoto is very detailed, so let's first try to understand the contents of Kuromoto almost 100%. If you can afford it after playing the black book, I think it is possible to solve the purple book mock exam.

Q3: Isn't the purple book itself unnecessary in the first place?

A3: Maybe it's better

Unlike the black book, the purple book has a rich list of sample code and methods to be asked in each field, so it is very convenient when you want to actually move it or when comparing similar methods and functions. A black book is essential to be able to actually solve the problem, but it is better that the purple book is more suitable for understanding and reviewing the outline of each function.

Q4: What percentage should I take for the black book mock exam?

A4: ** I think about 60% is a guide at first sight **

However, reviewing the wrong question is a prerequisite for perfection.

Q5: There are some questions in the black book that are not written in the purple book?

A5: ** Let's tackle all the questions in Kuromoto with what you should remember **

When solving a black book, you may be asked a question that is outside the scope of the purple book. Even though I studied purple books with much effort, I have no choice but to remember it.

When I studied, all the contents of the black book that was not mentioned in the purple book were transcribed into the purple book so that I could refer to it.

Study flow

Go around the purple book twice (start of study-2 months)

For the time being, I read through the purple books, mainly on Saturdays and Sundays. Basically, I just read and understood it, but I investigated the areas that I found difficult (stream API, etc.) individually, and summarized them in the sutras of the sample code and Excle.

Solve chapters 1-10 of Kuromoto (3rd month ~)

After reading all the purple books, I started reading black books. However, I could hardly solve the problem of black book just by reading and understanding purple book. ** ** To be honest, I was desperate when I could hardly solve it, but I decided that I could remember it from scratch, and when I could answer all the questions correctly, I started to solve the problems in the next chapter.

Solve the black book and PDF mock exams (1 week before the exam date)

I solved the mock exam questions and started finishing. However, the difficulty of the problem is higher than that of Chapters 1 to 10 of Kuromoto, so we repeatedly reviewed it so that we could solve 100% of the wrong problems. (This is the most important)

Test results

I was able to pass in one shot with a correct answer rate of 78%.

As a result of the mock exam, I thought it would be tough to be honest, but I was able to greatly exceed the passing line because the content of the questions in the black book came out more than I expected.

How was it when you passed Java Gold in the first year?

Own technology

When I passed the exam, I didn't have the opportunity to come into contact with Java in my work, and honestly, I didn't feel that my technical skills had improved. However, in my second year of experience of large-scale development, what I learned in Java Gold appeared as a matter of course, so I had many opportunities to think that I was glad to study. (Unfortunately, I don't use lambda expressions or stream APIs in the field ...) However, knowing the knowledge did not mean that it could be implemented immediately. It was good to study Java Gold as a starting point, but I think that ** actually writing code is the most technically viable **.

Boss reaction

** "It's great to get a qualification, but it's important how you can demonstrate the value of what you've learned." ** I was told that.

** I think that's exactly the case. ** ** Even if you get a qualification, you are seeing how it actually demonstrates its value in the field, so it seems that just getting a qualification will not dramatically increase your evaluation. ** ** However, the attitude of setting high goals and committing may have been appreciated.

Synchronous reaction

** I was more surprised than I expected. ** ** Few people pass Java Gold in the first year, so how did you study? I was often asked. Also, just having JavaGold gives me the impression that I have some experience in implementing Java. (Actually, it was hardly implemented at the time of passing ...)

At the end

JavaGold is a difficult exam, but it is possible to pass it in the first year of new graduates. Qualifications are not everything, but I hope it will be helpful for those who think from qualifications when studying Java.