Whizlabs SCBCD Exam Simulator Review
by Andrew Monkhouse, October 2003

Whizlabs have added another excellent product to their stable of exam simulators - aimed squarely at candidates preparing for the Sun Certified Business Component Developer (SCBCD) exam (exam 310-090).

Using this simulator will help the candidate to determine:

  • Whether they really know the subject matter (or just think they know it well enough)
  • Which areas are they weak in
  • Whether they can handle the pressure of the exam
  • Whether they will be able to handle the format of the exam (will they understand the way the question is laid out / will they be able to identify the correct answer(s).

The exam simulator will not teach you how to program EJBs, but it will get you used to the types of questions that are used in the exams and highlight the areas you are weak in.

Whizlabs have ensured that all styles of questions that you will see in the real exam are also used in the mock exams, including the new “drag and drop” formats.

Choose correct answer Choose correct answers
Type in an answer Drag and drop

All topics which are required for the SCBCD certification are covered in detail, with 350 questions in 5 exam simulations (one "Diagnostic" exam to identify your strengths and weaknesses, 3 "Practice" exams, and one "Final" exam for you to take prior to taking the real exam). There are roughly 25 questions per major topic in Sun's exam.

As well as the 5 exam simulations, a "Quiz" and a "Customised Exam" are also offered to help the candidate concentrate on one particular area of study. So if you are concentrating on the EJB-QL criteria, you can choose to do a quick quiz on questions just relating to that criteria, where questions are popped up onto screen and you have 5 seconds (customisable) to answer the question. Or you could choose to create a customised exam containing as many questions on EJB-QL as are available.

Like the real exam, the exam simulators are timed. If you have still have time remaining when you have answered all questions, you may go back and review your answers.

When you have completed a trial exam, quiz, or customised exam, you are shown a report detailing which answers you got right and which were wrong. From here you may view the questions and answers. Each question is shown in it's entirety, along with the answer(s) you chose, and the correct answer(s). Except for the drag and drop questions, each question and answer also had details of why the correct answer(s) are correct and why the incorrect answer(s) are wrong, along with a reference to the section(s) and/or subsection(s) of the EJB specification that covered the question. These explanations along with the references back to the specification are invaluable in learning nuances of the specification and highlighting the gaps in your knowledge. (I was provided with some early releases of Whizlabs' SCBCD offering, so it is possible that a later version may also provide the candidate with references for the drag and drop questions.)

Report on trial exam Correct answer shown

A report is also available showing numbers and percentages of correct answers per exam criteria, making it easy to determine which areas require further study.

Objectives report

You may save your results from each trial exam, quiz, and customised exam, allowing you to come back and view your answers again at a later date, and to see how you have progressed.

Exam History

You may also take the exams multiple times, and compare your results with previous attempts.

In conjunction with a good book on EJBs (or even just the specifications), this software will be a very resource in your quest to become a Sun Certified Business Components Developer.

Whizlabs are so confident that you will pass the exam after using their simulator that they offer an unconditional money back guarantee in the unlikely event that you fail.

Resources

  • Whizlabs homepage: http://www.whizlabs.com/
  • Whizlabs SCBCD exam simulator: Whizlabs SCBCD Simulator FREE Trial Version