Shantanu Bhate

Congratulations Dinesh!

Congratulations!

Congratulations Dasa!

Hi Roel,

Thank you for mentioning the things which I had missed in my post!
And thanks for the cow!

Regards,
Shantanu

Hi Pagano,

According to the Java SE8 documentation for replace(), the second int argument refers to "the ending index, exclusive"
Also note that according to the same reference, "First the characters in the substring are removed and then the specified String is inserted at start."

My interpretation is that the second int argument represents the index position (in the original sequence), from which no further characters are deleted during the replace operation.
Basically, it will specify how many characters need to be removed from the original sequence before we start inserting the new String.

Some examples may make it more clearer (Disclaimer : I haven't tested these locally)

StringBuilder sb1 = new StringBuilder("0123456"); sb1.replace(2, 4, "ABCD"); // Removes substring from index 2 to 3 (which is "23"), and inserts "ABCD", starting from index 2 System.out.println(sb); // Prints "01ABCD456"

StringBuilder sb1 = new StringBuilder("012345678"); sb1.replace(2, 9, "ABCD"); // Removes substring from index 2 to 8 (which is "2345678"), and inserts "ABCD", starting from index 2 System.out.println(sb); // Prints "01ABCD"

StringBuilder sb1 = new StringBuilder("012345678"); /* Removes substring from index 2 to 8 (which is "2345678"), and inserts "ABCD", starting from index 2. As index 11 is beyond the sequence length, the characters upto the end of the sequence are removed. */ sb1.replace(2, 12, "ABCD"); System.out.println(sb); // Prints "01ABCD"

From the above examples, we see that the end index was needed to specify how many characters needed to be removed from the original StringBuilder sequence.

Hope this helps

Thanks,
Shantanu Bhate.

Hi Mark,

I would like to add to Roel's reply above and suggest that you should reserve some Enthuware tests in the final fortnight of your preparation.
These reserved tests, if taken in a timed format, can help you fine tune your performance for the test.

Thanks,
Shantanu Bhate

Hi Raymond,

Yes, this is a mistake in the question content.
It has been already identified in the corresponding errata page for this book, (in the section on Chapter 10) - Errata K&B 7

Thanks,
Shantanu.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for welcoming me to CodeRanch and for your congratulatory messages!

@Roel : Thanks for the cow! I have added my entry on the OcajpWallOfFame

Regards,
Shantanu.

Hello everyone,

I recently gave the Oracle Certification Exam 1Z0-808 (Java SE8 Programmer I) on 17th of this month and passed the test with a score of 91%.

1. References used -
A. OCA/OCP Java SE7 Programmer I & II Study Guide by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates (K&B)
B. OCA: Oracle Certified Associate Java SE8 Programmer I by Jeanne Boyarsky and Scott Selikoff.
C. Enthuware tests for OCA-JP-I-SE8 (JA + I V8)

2. Preparation process (Overall time - 2 months (Mainly prepared on weekends because of my job))
A. Studied OCA section in reference A (K&B SE7). Solved the review questions and took notes on these topics.
Wrote short test programs as necessary. (Approx time - 6 weeks)
B. Studied areas new to SE8 (lambdas, Date/Time API, default/static interface methods) from reference B. Also had an overview read of the other chapters to identify new objectives for OCAJP 8. (Approx time - 1 week)
C. Solved all Enthuware tests (reference C) and tests, end-of-chapter review questions in reference B. Reviewed all the questions and took notes. (Approx time - 2 weeks)
My scores on the Enthuware tests were 84% (Foundational), 82%, 84%, 84%, 90%, 92%, 91%, 91% (Final-day test).

3. General comments -
A. All the three reference were useful. Each of them contributed to the preparation in an unique way.
B. The only negative feedback I have is about the online tests from Sybex as a part of reference B.
The UI format in Sybex tests did not allow navigating back and forth between questions, or a way to revisit reviewed questions.

4. Exam day recollections -
A. Along with my original identification documents, I was also asked to submit bring photocopies of these documents.
B. The look and feel of the exam was similar to the Enthuware tests.
C. The test center provided me with a scratch pad and marker pens for performing rough work.
D. Like my experiences on the Enthuware tests, I was able to complete all the questions with around 30 minutes left, and then go on to review about half of the questions.

I wish to thank all the authors of the resources I used for the exam, for producing excellent materials that helped me pass the test, and become a more knowledgeable Java programmer in the process.

Aspiring OCAJP8 test takers, please feel free to comment below or mail me if you have any questions. I would be happy to help you out!

Thanks,
Shantanu Bhate