Update: I’ve created a new version of this blog post comparing the Java Foundations exam to the Java 11 OCP.
I took the Java Foundations Certified Junior Associate exam to see how it relates the “regular” OCA (Oracle Certified Associate) exam. The objectives show an interesting mix of conceptual and hands on knowledge. Mostly hands on.
My beta exam was 101 questions in 3 hours. I finished in an hour. I spent another 40 minutes doing a review and fixed one incorrect answer. There were a few questions where the question was wrong, but it is a beta. And they let you report such issues to make the test better.
I’m an experienced Java developer. Why did I take a basic exam you ask? Two reasons.
- I was curious who the exam was designed for. This post answers this question.
- I wanted to see if Scott and my OCA 8 book could be used by people studying for this exam. The answer is yes with a tiny bit of supplemental material. See this post for details.
I went to a testing center I had disliked in the past because they had a free slot and I figured this test was so easy I wouldn’t need to concentrate. I’m happy to report that the testing center (Horizon of Flushing) fixed its problems. The room was quiet and well ventilated. They still wanted me to empty the tissues from my pockets, but at least had lockers.
The three exams
There are three intro exams right now. Here’s a comparison:
| Exam Number | Exam Name | Allowed as Pre-req to OCP (professional exam) | My comments on intended audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Z0-850 | Java 5 or 6 Associate | No | This exam was meant for managers to show a working vocabulary and grasp of Java. There was a tiny bit of code, but it was mostly concepts and pseudocode. |
| 1Z0-803 | Java 7 OCAJP (associate) | Yes, for OCPJP 7 | This is the entry level exam for Java 7 to the developer track. It involves lots of code. |
| 1Z0-808 | Java 8 OCAJP (associate) | Yes, for OCPJP 8 | This is the entry level exam for Java 8 to the developer track. It involves lots of code. |
| 1Z0-811 | Junior Associate/Java Foundations | No | Oracle says it is meant for interns or entry level folks. I think they would be better served by taking the actual OCA. It’s within grasp with no experience, shows more knowledge of Java, sounds better and allows an upgrade to the OCP when the candidate is ready. |
Quotes from Oracle
According to the Java Foundations Certified Junior Associate exam description, the exam is:
Position yourself to enter the workforce, or get the internship of your dreams with marketable Java skills.
Earning the Java Foundations Certified Junior Associate credential arms you withthe fundamentalsof Java programming,enabling you to demonstrate both conceptual knowledge and skills. Certification alsovalidates your capabilities to a future employer, showing your potential to become an increasingly valuable asset to any company as you progress into OCA level during your early stage of employment, and later to OCP.
This Junior Associate certification is focused on students in secondary schools, two-year colleges and four year colleges and universities who have participated in the Oracle Academy program and/or are studying computer science including relevant Java curricula and faculty members who teach foundational Java and computer science classes.
Though the exam does not assume any hands-on professional experience with Java, tobe successful you will need a basic understanding of Java programming language and concepts and have mathematical, logical, and analytical problem-solving skills. In addition, you must know how to write and execute a Java program and work with the Java Development kit (JDK) and the Java Runtime Environment (JRE).
Earning this certificationdemonstrates fluency in and a solid understanding of Java SE and the Java programming language, including: data types; operators and strings; decision and looping statements; classes, constructors, and methods; exceptions, ArrayLists and the Math class.
The problem is that the Regular Oracle Certified Associate Java Programmer certification says:
The Java SE 8 Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) certification helps you build a foundational understanding of Java, while expanding your knowledge of general programming.
The ideal candidate who would earn this certification typically has a technical background and wants to improve programming skills, or may be new to object-oriented programming and Java.
And the old Java 5/6 Associate exam says:
The Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 5/SE 6 certification provides an ideal entry into an application development or a software project management career using Java technologies. This worldwide credential validates basic knowledge of Object-Oriented Concepts, UML representation of OO concepts, the Java programming language, and general knowledge of Java Platforms and Technologies. Candidates for this exam include: entry level Java programmers, students studying to become Java programmers, project or program managers working with Java technology in the software development industry.
The old Java 5/6 associate exam didn’t involve much code so this made sense.
Hi, please you have material for study the 1Z0-811 exam. I need study for take the exam
Alex: I’m not sure what you are asking for. Scott and I wrote a whole book on the topic.
To take the 1Z0-811 exam do I need to be in college?
I ask this, because the message below appears when you register for the exam.
“This exam is only available to Oracle Academy Students who have a qualifying voucher from their university or secondary school. If you do not have an Oracle Academy voucher, you will not be allowed to register for this exam.”
Yeah. It’s also not the best exam to take. You should take the regular OCA.
The price was raised from $95 to $155. One of the few benefits of the foundations exam is that it was less expensive and now it is up over 50%.
Hi, Jeanne Boyarsky
Can I take the Java Foundations Certified Junior Associate (1Z0-811) exam if I am not a student?
I think so. But I can’t imagine why you would want to. The “real” OCA is a far more useful cert.
First I want to try pass Java Foundations Certified Junior Associate (1Z0-811) exam. When I learn more about Java then I will try to pass OCA exam.
Hi, I needed study material or sample questions for the Java foundations Oracle certification (1z0-811). Can anyone tell what kind of questions are asked so I can prepare accordingly.
See this java foundations post. There’s sample questions for the topics that aren’t covered by the OCA 8. For the OCA 8 equivalent questions buy my book :). Or any equivalent book.
Thank you so much Jeanne 🙂
Hi, I am keen on taking the 1Z0-811 exam but there has not been any sample questions available on the internet. I have purchased and am currently using your study guide on OCA. May I ask if you have prepared any sample questions on the 1Z0-811 certification? I have read the comments above and went through the sample questions in your other post but was hoping if there was more? Thank you
@Parminderjit I don’t know of anyone who has material dedicated to the Java Foundation Exam (1Z0-811). As you noted I wrote some questions on this blog for the topics that weren’t covered in our 808 book. The 811 is far easier than the 808 so it will serve you well.
@Jeanne Hi Jeanne, thank you for your reply. Your book has been a great help. I have one more question, can you elaborate more on why do you say the 811 is far easier than the 808?
I have went through your comparison between 811 and 808 in another post and found it really helpful, but I was unsure if I need to have a very detailed understanding in answering the 811? As in, I have been using your Study Guide for 808 as my text book for the 811 and I was wondering if the questions difficulty will be somewhat similar to that?
Thank you.
The 811 covers less topics, doesn’t go into as much detail on them and questions are less tricky.
The questions in my book are on par for the 808 and significantly harder than what you will face on the 811.