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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 greatachievement. The right steps and the proper resources are thekeys.
1. Decide if this is right for you Do you understand the costs,in terms of time and effort, to master the exam objectives? Thefirst exam (1Z0-042) covers 19 topic areas containing a total of105 items. This could mean two hours a day for perhaps a dozenweeks to understand and master these exam objectives. Whateffect will this have on your personal life, including familyand friends?
Do you enjoy database technology? I mean do you see this as justa hot ticket to a job or do you have a deep curiosity to learnand research aspects of this technology? Do you enjoy the rushof pleasure when you finally understand a new or complex processand can apply the knowledge to a working database? Recently, Iwas asked to use an old DTS package (MS SQL Server) to load anOracle database used for development. The source flat file had13.9 million records in it. After an hour passed it had onlyloaded 1.5 million records. I stopped the process and switchedto Oracle's SQL*Loader. It loaded all 13.9 million records inonly 1.5 hours! That's what I'm talking about.
2. Subscribe to Oracle Technology Network (OTN) If you have notheard of OTN then you are in for a surprise. This is an onlineresource 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'vemet many people who look at me in disbelief when I tell themthis. Oracle asks you to agree to a developer license beforedownloading, which permits the use of their software fornon-production uses like prototyping and development. Expect apolite call from Oracle inquiring about your download. The callis just marketing follow-up. They want to find out if you arethinking of purchasing the product. I tell them "No, I'm usingit to prepare for a certification exam." And then they thank mefor my time and hang up.
Another important area is the Oracle documentation library (htmland pdf). With your OTN subscription you get full access to theproduct manuals. I think these are under-appreciated by many. Myfavorites are the Database Concepts and Administrator's guide.But that's not all. Need to know how to install Oracle 10g onLinux or want to learn how to use the flashback query? This isthe source! Why pay for books that may not have all theinformation you need when you can have it all for free? Aparticularly useful feature of the online library is the abilityto search the entire library by keyword. If you type "locallymanaged tablespaces" you will see a list of books and the hitcount for each book. Drilling down will show you the chapterswhere the hit came from. Drill down and again and you there.
3. Download Oracle 10g Database Software If you are seriousabout learning, you need the software to practice what you learnin the Exam Topics. Do not install it at this step as this ispart of the first Exam Topic in step number 7. As I said in theprevious step you can download it from OTN now that you are amember. The download area provides links to 10g software forvarious platforms. Make sure you pick the correct platform (e.g.Windows 32 bit, or Linux 64 bit, etc.). Once you enter the pagefor your platform, you will see several downloads to choosefrom. 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 theComplete Files 10g_win32_db.zip (604,263,765 bytes) (cksum -1594035171)
You DO NOT need the other downloads (Companion CD, Client orCluster Ready Services). Once you have downloaded it, pleaseburn 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 ison your machine locally or
on OTN is a matter of preference. Thedownload is about 300 MB.
5. Find a good study group Learning with others is always morebeneficial. And personally, even though I'm an introvert, Iprefer having access to the experience of others who are goingthrough the same learning process. If I get stuck on aparticular task, the knowledge to solve the problem is usuallyavailable from other members in the group. And since most peopleenjoy helping others, it's a a win-win situation.
6. Get the list Exam Topics Oracle provides a list of ExamTopics for each exam. This is crucial resource. It does changefrom time to time. So don't rely on what any exam preparationbook says, because the list may have changed since the book wasfirst published. Having said that, the only time the listchanges is when there is a new release. For example when 10gmoved from R1 to R2. There was a new feature called TransparentEncryption. The Exam Topic list will get updated to reflect someof these new features. An Oracle University instructor sharedwith me that it takes approximately 6 months after a new releasebefore the lists get updated. But just to be on the safe side, Ialways go to OTN every few weeks to see if it has changed. Atthe time of this writing the 10g R2 is starting to appear fordownloading.
7. Carefully Work through the Exam Topics This is where it allhappens. First identify what the topic is and research the topicin the online documentation. Start with the Concept Manual, asthis will give you a good foundation. Next look up the topic inthe Administrator's manual. This will give you the low-leveldetails and the steps needed to use the feature listed in topic.Finally, practice the topic on a local copy of the Oracledatabase.
[Update: I just purchased the book by Sybex "OCA Oracle 10gAdministration I Study Guide" ISBN 0-7821-4367-9. I was suprisedat the level of detail. I have the ILT books from my courses andthe Sybex book seems more in depth. I'm thinking a combinationof this book with the above might be the best mix.]
8. Drill with Practice Exams If you skip all the previous stepsand start here, you will be useless.I know that each exam topiccan have several questions, but only one or two are on eachexam. Oracle shuffles these questions for each test. If you onlylearn by a practice exam, guess what? Your are gambling that thepractice exam questions will be on the test. Following the stepsabove gives your knowledge more depth, so you can have muchbetter chance of answering correctly.
If possible set aside two days to practice the exam. Take noteof your weak areas and balance your practice with some researchand strengthening the areas you are weak in. If you perseverefor the two days and feel ready then you are should book yourexam.
9. Book your Oracle exam You can book your exam online or byphone. OTN has the links to Thomson Prometric testing. Becareful to read the instruction on what to bring and not tobring to your exam. Choose an exam time that is best suited foryou. I'm stronger intellectually in the morning, to I try tobook mine for 9am. Get a good night's sleep. Also keep in mindthat you can cancel or re-schedule your exam within 24 hours ofthe exam appointment.
10. Write your exam and pass Show up about 15 to 20 minutesbefore your actual appointment time. Take your time goingthrough the exam. Do not answer any questions you are unsure ofduring you first pass through the exam. You will have the optionof marking them for later review. When you have made your firstswing through the exam, go back and work on those questions thatyou marked earlier. Again, take your time. Based on yourexperience with step 7 you should be able to eliminate some ofthe possible answers. If after that, you still don't know theanswer, then you can just guess as your last resort. In mostcases you will get your exam results a few minutes after youfinish the exam.
About the author:
Brian Peasey is an Oracle DBA working Canada's insuranceindustry. http://oracle10gcertification.com
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