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10 Steps to the Oracle 10g Exams
A serious approach to passing the exams By Brian Peasey © 2005
Summary Preparing and passing an Oracle 10g exam is a great
achievement. The right steps and the proper resources are the
keys.
1. Decide if this is right for you Do you understand the costs,
in terms of time and effort, to master the exam objectives? The
first exam (1Z0-042) covers 19 topic areas containing a total of
105 items. This could mean two hours a day for perhaps a dozen
weeks to understand and master these exam objectives. What
effect will this have on your personal life, including family
and friends?
Do you enjoy database technology? I mean do you see this as just
a hot ticket to a job or do you have a deep curiosity to learn
and research aspects of this technology? Do you enjoy the rush
of pleasure when you finally understand a new or complex process
and can apply the knowledge to a working database? Recently, I
was asked to use an old DTS package (MS SQL Server) to load an
Oracle database used for development. The source flat file had
13.9 million records in it. After an hour passed it had only
loaded 1.5 million records. I stopped the process and switched
to Oracle's SQL*Loader. It loaded all 13.9 million records in
only 1.5 hours! That's what I'm talking about.
2. Subscribe to Oracle Technology Network (OTN) If you have not
heard of OTN then you are in for a surprise. This is an online
resource provided by Oracle for those who use their products.
Features include downloads, online library, discussion forums,
sample code, technical articles and columns.
Do you know that you can download their software for free? I've
met many people who look at me in disbelief when I tell them
this. Oracle asks you to agree to a developer license before
downloading, which permits the use of their software for
non-production uses like prototyping and development. Expect a
polite call from Oracle inquiring about your download. The call
is just marketing follow-up. They want to find out if you are
thinking of purchasing the product. I tell them "No, I'm using
it to prepare for a certification exam." And then they thank me
for my time and hang up.
Another important area is the Oracle documentation library (html
and pdf). With your OTN subscription you get full access to the
product manuals. I think these are under-appreciated by many. My
favorites are the Database Concepts and Administrator's guide.
But that's not all. Need to know how to install Oracle 10g on
Linux or want to learn how to use the flashback query? This is
the source! Why pay for books that may not have all the
information you need when you can have it all for free? A
particularly useful feature of the online library is the ability
to search the entire library by keyword. If you type "locally
managed tablespaces" you will see a list of books and the hit
count for each book. Drilling down will show you the chapters
where the hit came from. Drill down and again and you there.
3. Download Oracle 10g Database Software If you are serious
about learning, you need the software to practice what you learn
in the Exam Topics. Do not install it at this step as this is
part of the first Exam Topic in step number 7. As I said in the
previous step you can download it from OTN now that you are a
member. The download area provides links to 10g software for
various platforms. Make sure you pick the correct platform (e.g.
Windows 32 bit, or Linux 64 bit, etc.). Once you enter the page
for your platform, you will see several downloads to choose
from. You only need the Database. For example:
Oracle Database 10g Release 1 (10.1.0.2) Enterprise, Standard,
Personal Edition for Microsoft Windows (32-bit) Download the
Complete Files 10g_win32_db.zip (604,263,765 bytes) (cksum -
1594035171)
You DO NOT need the other downloads (Companion CD, Client or
Cluster Ready Services). Once you have downloaded it, please
burn it to a disk for use in step 7.
4. Download Oracle 10 Database Documentation This is optional.
You do need the access to the documentation, but whether it is
on your machine locally or
on OTN is a matter of preference. The
download is about 300 MB.
5. Find a good study group Learning with others is always more
beneficial. And personally, even though I'm an introvert, I
prefer having access to the experience of others who are going
through the same learning process. If I get stuck on a
particular task, the knowledge to solve the problem is usually
available from other members in the group. And since most people
enjoy helping others, it's a a win-win situation.
6. Get the list Exam Topics Oracle provides a list of Exam
Topics for each exam. This is crucial resource. It does change
from time to time. So don't rely on what any exam preparation
book says, because the list may have changed since the book was
first published. Having said that, the only time the list
changes is when there is a new release. For example when 10g
moved from R1 to R2. There was a new feature called Transparent
Encryption. The Exam Topic list will get updated to reflect some
of these new features. An Oracle University instructor shared
with me that it takes approximately 6 months after a new release
before the lists get updated. But just to be on the safe side, I
always go to OTN every few weeks to see if it has changed. At
the time of this writing the 10g R2 is starting to appear for
downloading.
7. Carefully Work through the Exam Topics This is where it all
happens. First identify what the topic is and research the topic
in the online documentation. Start with the Concept Manual, as
this will give you a good foundation. Next look up the topic in
the Administrator's manual. This will give you the low-level
details and the steps needed to use the feature listed in topic.
Finally, practice the topic on a local copy of the Oracle
database.
[Update: I just purchased the book by Sybex "OCA Oracle 10g
Administration I Study Guide" ISBN 0-7821-4367-9. I was suprised
at the level of detail. I have the ILT books from my courses and
the Sybex book seems more in depth. I'm thinking a combination
of this book with the above might be the best mix.]
8. Drill with Practice Exams If you skip all the previous steps
and start here, you will be useless.I know that each exam topic
can have several questions, but only one or two are on each
exam. Oracle shuffles these questions for each test. If you only
learn by a practice exam, guess what? Your are gambling that the
practice exam questions will be on the test. Following the steps
above gives your knowledge more depth, so you can have much
better chance of answering correctly.
If possible set aside two days to practice the exam. Take note
of your weak areas and balance your practice with some research
and strengthening the areas you are weak in. If you persevere
for the two days and feel ready then you are should book your
exam.
9. Book your Oracle exam You can book your exam online or by
phone. OTN has the links to Thomson Prometric testing. Be
careful to read the instruction on what to bring and not to
bring to your exam. Choose an exam time that is best suited for
you. I'm stronger intellectually in the morning, to I try to
book mine for 9am. Get a good night's sleep. Also keep in mind
that you can cancel or re-schedule your exam within 24 hours of
the exam appointment.
10. Write your exam and pass Show up about 15 to 20 minutes
before your actual appointment time. Take your time going
through the exam. Do not answer any questions you are unsure of
during you first pass through the exam. You will have the option
of marking them for later review. When you have made your first
swing through the exam, go back and work on those questions that
you marked earlier. Again, take your time. Based on your
experience with step 7 you should be able to eliminate some of
the possible answers. If after that, you still don't know the
answer, then you can just guess as your last resort. In most
cases you will get your exam results a few minutes after you
finish the exam.
About the author:
Brian Peasey is an Oracle DBA working Canada's insurance
industry. http://oracle10gcertification.com
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