The Sun Certified Web Component Developer (SCWCD) exam is a good certification to add to the SCJP. It covers some key areas such as JSP Language, EL, Custom Tags and Patterns.
I passed the SCWCD exam using the approach outlined below, which was similar to my approach for SCJP certification:
1. Read K&B SCWCD book
The Head First Servlets and JSP (HFSJ) book by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates is a good choice to study for the exam.
If you decide to use HFJ for the exam, make sure you try ALL the end-of-chapter questions. You should be getting over 60% of questions correct to gauge your understanding of the topic.
2. Attempt question on each exam objective
I used Whizlabs to test my knowledge of each objective and topic. They had at least 25-30 questions on each topic area. After completing a batch of questions on a topic I spent time reviewing my answers.
More importantly, for any questions that I got wrong I made sure I FULLY UNDERSTOOD WHY I got it wrong. This in turn developed my knowledge of answering such questions correctly next time round.
Attempting questions on each topic also highlighted which areas I needed to improve on. Thus showing where to further study.
Few points about the Whizlabs Preparation Kit for SCWCD. Instead of an executable application, the questions are now online. That’s not all bad, however to retrieve your results takes a while. I estimate that it took over 5 minutes for each result to load and that was on a very fast connection.
Also, the questions used in the objective-wise tests are used AGAIN in the mock exams. So if you have reviewed the questions already then your mock tests results may be invalid as you might remember the answers from the objective tests. However, about 40% of the mock exam questions do not come up in objective tests.
An alternative to Whizlabs is Enthuware which is also very popular.
3. Code, code and code
The best way to learn and understand SCWCD topics is to actually code.
I used examples from the HFSJ book and from Whizlabs questions. Also by mixing code from different objectives tests your understanding as this is how questions might be in the actual exam.
4. Do all Whizlabs mocks
After completing questions on each objective you should start mock exams. You should be achieving 70% plus in the Whizlabs mocks within the actual time limit given in the exam. Time yourself and see how long it takes you to complete a mock exam.
A good tip: while answering questions, if you are on a particularly hard question then don’t spend too much time on it! You can mark the question as unanswered and attempt it later on. This allows you to move on to questions you might find easier to answer.
An alternative to Whizlabs is Enthuware which is also very popular.
5. Post any queries and problems with SCWCD to the JavaRanch forum
There is always someone to help with any questions – whether it’s regarding a particular topic, code, exam mock or anything related to the exam.
I found the community at the Java Ranch forum very useful and supportive.
6. Try to help others who post to JavaRanch forum – especially in the SCWCD forum
This not only gets you thinking about problems that others face but by answering questions this further reinforces your understanding of the topic. Remember that topics you post are answered by community members. So not only are you giving back to the community but you are also actively thinking about SCWCD topics.
In a nutshell it takes a lot of hard effort and practice to become SCWCD certified.
