Java Certification Book

You know that if you really want to get ahead in your IT career, you need to become Java-certified. But the Sun Certification exams are no walk in the park, and even though you work with Java on a regular basis, there’s a lot you need to learn. You can take the time off from work to attend an actual Java training course, or for the thousands of dollars that can cost you, you can invest in some Java certification books. But which ones?

Java certification books are not hard to find; the difficulty lies in deciding which ones will prepare you best for the certification exams. Almost all the Java certification books will include chapters on basic Java theory and practice exam questions. So the smart thing to do is make sure your selection of Java certification books covers the Java 2 platform.

A great place to start with Java certification books, if you are studying for the Java Associate certification, is with Cameron McKenzie’s “Sun Certified Java Associate Certification Study Guide for Java 5, Java 2EE, and J2ME.” You’ll get thorough grounding in both J2ME and J2EE and a clear understanding of what the exam is designed to accomplish, with more than one hundred questions like those you can expect from the real thing.

If you’ve already achieved Certified Associate status and are going for Certified Programmer or Developer, one of the best Java certification books for understanding Java 2 is Katherine Sienna’s and Bert Bates’ “Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide.” Among the topics it covers, for those studying for the Programmer’s exam are Java language basics, operators, access and flow control, and overloading and overriding, to strings, threads, wrappers, inner classes, and the math class.

The Java 2 Study Guide also offers Java Developer instruction on subjects like coding standards, network and database problems, writing a clear and sustainable program, and documenting and submitting your work.

Philip Heller’s Complete Java 2 Certification Study Guide covers Java language fundamentals identifiers, and keywords, numerous types of operators, flow control, exceptions, classes, object and object streams, threads, the Developer’s exam, and much, much more. It also contains a practice test.

One of the recognized classics for those studying Java is Bruce Eckel’s “Thinking in Java,” now in its fourth edition. “Thinking in Java” is exceptionally well-organized, clearly written, and loaded with simple but to-the-point examples of programming. It guides its readers to an understanding of Java basics step-by-easily-grasped step and the fourth edition included comprehensive information on J2SE5.

While it is not written specifically as a Java certification book, “Thinking in Java” can certainly be used as a primer to prepare for reading the more exam-specific study guides.

Among the best places to search for Java certification books is the Javalobby.com site, where Java programmers have compiled a list of over one hundred of their favorite books on Java, with reasons for their choices. While some of these books may not be available at your local bookstore, you can always give Amazon a try!