My experience in taking OCP Java SE 11 Developer

My experience in taking OCP Java SE 11 Developer

Introduction

As an experienced Java Developer, It was an opportunity for me to take the discounted exam (90% off) starting from February 25 to April 25 of 2021. The discounted exam was due to the Java 25th Anniversary. I ended up scoring 76% and it was a nice experience that made me more understand Java and the new features of version 11.

Preparation

I've prepared for the exam about 1.5 months and I used the book of Boyarsky and Selikoff, OCP 11 Study Guide. This book covers almost all of the topics that you will encounter in the exam. Since some of the chapters of the book was hard to understand, I sometimes re-read again a specific chapter.

Since I've already took an OCA for Java 8. These are the chapters that I've studied for this exam:

Chapter 2 Chapter 11 Chapters 12 - 22 After reading each chapter, I immediately took the review questions so I can assess if I understood the module. Also at the end of the book, you can register and access for the Sybex Online Test Bank which is valid in 1 year upon your registration.

Before The Exam

The exam can be taken in Pearson VUE website where you will schedule and pick if you're going to take via online or onsite. After that, you must do a system check if your current device is working properly.

The Exam

OCP Java 11 SE Developer has no exam prerequisites, unlike the previous exams that you must take first the OCA exam. I took the exam online because of COVID-19 restrictions. But I prefer taking exams onsite.

The exam consist of 50 questions under 90 minutes which is different to previous OCP exams that has 85 questions under 150 minutes. Exam objectives that I've encountered are as follows:

  • Concurrency
  • Functional Programming (Lambda and Stream API)
  • Java Fundamentals (Operators and Core Java API)
  • Annotations
  • JDBC
  • Security
  • NIO.2
  • I/O
  • Exceptions
  • Modules

The exam was slightly hard since you need to think of the answer for each question under 2 minutes. I mark a question For review when it took me already more than a minute just to answer. The exam proctor is usually strict for unnecessary movements you make during the exam. After answering and reviewing all the answers, you can submit and can see the results immediately.

Summary

The exam is not easy and you need to prepare for it. Luckily, certification books of Boyarsky and Selikoff exists. Their book contains questions that is already hard and can make you really prepare for the exam. In the end, you must manage and give time in studying for the certification.