| Exam Background and its Importance |
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Sivasundaram Umapathy ( )
Author, Whizlabs SCWCD 1.4 Certification Preparation Kit
In March 2004, Sun Microsystems launched a new version of their existing Sun Certified Web Component Developer 1.3 (SCWCD 1.3) exam, which tests the web component development according to the latest J2EE 1.4 specification. The old version will co-exist and a separate upgrade is also available (exam code:CX-310-082).
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The SCWCD 1.4 exam adds new objectives such as Expression Language, JSTL, and Tag files and revamps the existing objectives to test the new techniques introduced in JSP 2.0 and Servlets 2.4 specifications. Also some objectives such as SingleThreadedModel, which are deprecated now, have been removed from the exam, thereby making the exam more current and at par with the latest trends. The exam as such has changed in terms of increased toughness, more code-oriented rather than directly testing the concepts, and adds new types of questions like Drag N Drop.
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| Which one to go for: SCWCD 1.3 or SCWCD 1.4? |
If this is your first attempt, it's better to go for the SCWCD 1.4 as the increased toughness and testing of latest technologies means more value addition to your career. If you are already an SCWCD 1.3, you can either take up the SCWCD 1.4 immediately or wait for the upgrade exam from Sun, which will be released soon. This exam will help as an effective measure of your server side Java skills and hence become increasingly important for developers. If you want to prove your competency in "Java Web Components," this is the exam for you. Also, if you are a programmer working in core Java, taking this exam will provide a definite advancement to your career.
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Prerequisites - Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) Certification. The first step towards SCWCD is becoming an SCJP (Sun Certified Java Programmer). Whizlabs offers the SCJP Preparation Kit which could prepare you well, to become an SCJP, in a short span of time.
Objectives - The SCWCD exam objectives can be classified under 3 broad topics: Servlets, JSP, and J2EE Patterns. You need to have a detailed and thorough understanding of issues involving the design, development, and implementation of various Java web components. The following are the objectives of the exam specified by Sun Microsystems:
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The Servlet Technology Model |
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The Structure and Deployment of Web Applications |
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The Web Container Model o Session Management |
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Web Application Security |
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The JavaServer Pages (JSP) Technology Model |
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Building JSP Pages Using the Expression Language (EL) |
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Building JSP Pages Using Standard Actions |
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Building JSP Pages Using Tag Libraries |
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Building a Custom Tag Library |
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J2EE patterns For detailed information refer to the complete exam objectives for the SCWCD exam, by Sun Microsystems. |
Type of Questions - The type of questions asked in the SCWCD exam are Multiple Choice (with one or more correct choices) and Drag N Drop. Like the SCJP exam, if a multiple-choice question has more than one correct choice, it is explicitly stated in the question.
Time - The time allowed to complete this exam is 135 minutes, which is sufficient. Once again, like the SCJP, you are allowed to review the question(s) if you have some extra time towards the end.
Passing % - You need to score at least 62% to be successful. The exam asks you 69 questions and you need to correctly answer at least 43.
Exam Code - When booking the exam with the prometric centres, the exam code to be used is CX-310-081. |
| Books - Preparatory books are a valuable asset for any IT Certification preparation. Here are some recommended books for the SCWCD exam:
Specifications - It is highly recommended that quality time be spent going through the JSP 2.0 and Servlets 2.4 for this exam. You will find answers to many questions hidden in the specifications.
Web Server - Practice is Power if your aim is to get an in-depth understanding of the objectives as well as scoring high in the exam; it is important for you to spend a lot of time writing lines of code focusing on various objectives. Tomcat Apache Version 5.0 is the best platform to practice on. It adheres to the latest JSP 2.0 and Servlet 2.4 specifications and it is absolutely free. You can download it here: Tomcat 5.0.
Tutorials and Articles - There are numerous tutorials freely available on Java web components. The most reliable and recommended of these are by Sun. Following is a list of some highly useful tutorials and articles for the SCWCD exam:
Preparation Kits
An exam simulator exercises your brain to make sure you understand the concepts and can apply them effectively in a given scenario. It also helps you get the feel of the real exam in terms of types of questions, toughness, and time management.
Whizlabs SCWCD Certification Preparation Kit is designed and developed to suit the above goals, by highly committed, experienced, and certified professionals. It ensures your success in the exam with its high quality Mock Tests, Interactive Quiz, and Quick Revision Tips on the latest pattern of the SCWCD exam. |
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Practice each concept by writing the relevant code. It is even better if you conceptualize, develop, deploy, and test an application, which uses the concepts asked in the exam. A mock application using HTML, JSP, and Servlets designed using the patterns like MVC should be of great help in understanding the most common concepts for this exam. |
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The time available for the exam is generally sufficient. Try not to rush and take sufficient time to answer each question. |
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Remember that there is no negative marking. So don't leave any question unanswered. |
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If you really want to obtain a good score, you should spend some time remembering various Deployment Descriptor elements, including the parent-child relationships between them. You should also know which of the elements are mandatory. |
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The exam requires you to understand the lifecycles of various components like Servlets, Tags, and JSP. Learn them well. |
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| Discussion Forums and Groups |
| Even though you have access to all the resources listed above, you may want to hear about the experiences of other people. There are places for these too:
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The Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE), has rapidly established a new model for developing distributed applications. Today it has reached a certain level of maturity on which many blue-chip organizations are relying for their complex enterprise-software-development needs. With this evolution of the J2EE platform, there has grown the need for industry-recognized J2EE Certifications. The SCWCD 1.4 is one of such recognized J2EE Certification exams, which tests your competence in Java Web Components. Being a Sun Certified Web Component Developer can help you improve your career potential, gain you more respect, increase job security, and keep you ahead of others. Wish you all the best in your preparation.
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Sivasundaram Umapathy is presently associated with Sella Synergy India Limited, India, the software division of Banca Sella, S.p.A., where he has been designing and developing mission critical banking applications with the J2EE platform using BEA WebLogic application server for the past 4.5 yrs. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from University of Madras and a Master of Science in Software Systems from BITS, Pilani. He is also crazy after certifications, with SCJP, SCBCD, SCWCD 1.4, SCMAD, SCEA, OCA, BEA, and IBM Certifications. In his free time, he can be seen in Apache Geronimo community as well as in Javaranch.
The author can be contacted at .
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