Category Archives: OCP Book

PASSED! Jeanne’s Experience Taking the Java 25 Certification Exam 1Z0-831

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Oracle recently announced their new Java 25 Certification Exam 1Z0-831. [Yes, we are working on the certification study guide book] I took it this morning and passed with a 74% (I don’t try for a good score; I try to take it quickly after it comes out. In this case, I took it a few days after getting back from a trip to California. I only slept 5.5 hours last night (got home late from train delays). So I was a bit tired. But I passed and that’s what matters.

If you read my blog post about the Java 21 exam, you know there was significant time pressure. That is fixed on the Java 25 exam. I had sufficient time to go slowly and still had about half an hour left at the end which I could have used to review my answers. (I choose to turn it in without reviewing because I felt a little dizzy; probably from using the computer right when I woke up after insufficient sleep.)

Checking in

Oracle changed how they do exams since the Java 21 exam came out. (You saw a person as proctor.) The new system is described here and much better. I used it when taking Oracle cloud exams and it is the system in use now for the Java 25 exam. It comes with an online whiteboard.

The exam

While there were still some long questions, it was faster to read the code. It was either read some code and state the output (so only one set of code to read) or multiple answers with code where it was easier to tell the differences. Also there were less long questions so I didn’t feel time pressure.

Looking back I had 16 minutes left after the Java 21 exam. While I had more time left over here, the big difference is I went super slow this time while last time I had to rush to get that time. I knew I was tired and didn’t want to make silly mistakes.

About 5 questions took about 10 seconds to load. That feels like forever during an exam! And it was before 8am in the morning local time so it wasn’t a lot of people using the internet. I hadn’t had that problem on past exams.

For content, I got a good mix of questions spanning the objectives. Not as many Java 22-25 questions as I expected but that could be luck of the draw.

After the exam

I removed the “Secure Companion” app and Proctorio Chrome plugin. from my machine. It has a lot of power so I like it not being there.

I tried going to the CertView page to get my badge but got a 502 error. Will try again in the future. I used Chrome as Safari on Mac didn’t let me expand the menus in the past.

To see my exam details:

  • Expand “Exam Results” on left navigation
  • Click “Exam History” on left navigation
  • Click “Results” on this exam on the right side
  • This downloads a PDF showing which objectives you got a question wrong on

For credentials, expand “Credential Management” on left navigation. You can then download a certificate or badge. There are also links to post on LinkedIn or email a link to verify your credential. I then went on Linked in and added a credential including the credential URL.

Do people buy paper vs ebooks

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Scott and my certification books have always sold way more paper copies than e-books. While I personally like paper books better, I got the sense that they were less popular in general.

Recently I was asked by someone who wanted to buy Real World Java if he should buy the paper or e-book. I advised paper because

  • Easier to read code
  • Higher quality (I’ve seem some errors in the Kindle that are not in the manuscript we have Amazon)
  • I can sign it.

Plus you can pass around a paper book. The person who asked me listed a benefit of being able to read the Kindle on the train. I find paper books easier to read on the train. While I’m fine with being on my phone, I’m not going to sit there with a tablet out. So the extra weight of a book is worth it. Plus I can write it in it (if it is my book and not a library book)

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to look at actual sales numbers for my most recent books. Note that Safari numbers are not included in here. For Safari we get a license fee but I don’t know how many people actually read it.

TitlePercentage of paper books out of total
Real World Java98%
OCP Java 21 Developer Study Guide87%
OCP Java 17 Developer Study Guide94%
Java 17 Practice Tests89%

Happy Book Birthday! New OCP 21 Book Now Shipping!

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It's a Book!

Jeanne and I are excited to announce our new Java OCP 21 Certified Professional Study Guide is now shipping! Released by Wiley Publishing, this book teaches you all the new (and old) features of Java 21, and helps prepare those planning to take the 1Z0-830 Java 21 Certification Exam.

Are you worried your Java skills are getting outdated? Are you writing code with the same toolset you’ve been using since Java 11, Java 8, or even Java 1.4? This book is definitely for you then! It starts with the basics, incorporating all of the new languages features like pattern matching, text blocks, var, and switch expressions. After that, we add records, sealed classes, virtual threads, sequenced collections, modules, and more. Finally, we cover lambdas and streams, helping you write shorter code and easier-or-read functional code without a lot of boilerplate syntax.

Whether your fresh out of school or have been programming Java professional for over a decade, our book helps you understand how to use all of the features of Java 21. We cover each topic in detail, from the basics to advanced usage, to help you write better Java code in your daily life.

For those looking to become Java 21 certified, look no further. Our book contains 14 chapters of everything you need to prepare for the exam, including exam tips, study suggestions, and hundreds of challenging practice questions. It also includes access to Sybex’s Online Test Bank, where we’ve written 3 simulated 1Z0-830 practice tests and over 500 flashcards!

Order now for the holidays, as Amazon already has our book backordered until the second week of December!