Oracle Certified Associate: Java SE 8 Programmer

The Java SE 8 Programmer I, or the 1Z0–808 exam, is an Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) certification. It’s designed to test your knowledge of the fundamentals of Java.

The upcoming blog series provides a systematic approach to Java Fundamentals and the Oracle Java 8 1Z0–808 (OCA) Certification exam. It will help you understand the fundamental concepts in Java and prepare for the exam.

A brief overview of the topics covered:

Java Basics and Modifiers

• Define the structure of a Java class
• Create executable Java applications with a main method, run a Java program from the command line, and produce console output
• Import other Java packages to make them accessible in your code
• Compare and contrast the features and components of Java such as platform independence, object orientation, encapsulation, etc
• Define the scope of variables
• Access and non-access modifiers in Java

Working With Java Data Types and Wrapper Classes

• Declare and initialize variables (including casting of primitive data types)
• Differentiate between object reference variables and primitive variables
• Know how to read or write object fields
• Explain an Object’s Lifecycle (creation, “dereference by reassignment” and garbage collection)
• Develop code that uses wrapper classes such as Boolean, Double, and Integer

Using Operators and Decision Constructs

• Use Java operators; use parentheses to override operator precedence
• Test equality between Strings and other objects using == and equals ()
• Create if and if/else and ternary constructs
• Use a switch statement

Creating and Using Arrays

• Declare, instantiate, initialize, and use a one-dimensional array
• Declare, instantiate, initialize, and use multi-dimensional arrays

Using Loop Constructs

• Create and use while loops
• Create and use for loops including the enhanced for loop
• Create and use do/while loops
• Compare loop constructs
• Use break and continue

Working with Methods and Encapsulation

• Create methods with arguments and return values; including overloaded methods
• Apply the static keyword to methods and fields
• Create and overload constructors; differentiate between default and user-defined constructors
• Apply access modifiers
• Apply encapsulation principles to a class
• Determine the effect upon object references and primitive values when they are passed into methods that change the values

Working with Inheritance

• Describe inheritance and its benefits
• Develop code that makes use of polymorphism; develop code that overrides methods; differentiate between the type of a reference and the type of an object
• Determine when casting is necessary
• Use super and this to access objects and constructors
• Use abstract classes and interfaces

Handling Exceptions

• Differentiate among checked exceptions, unchecked exceptions, and Errors
• Create a try-catch block and determine how exceptions alter normal program flow
• Describe the advantages of Exception handling
• Create and invoke a method that throws an exception
• Recognize common exception classes (such as NullPointerException, ArithmeticException, ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException, ClassCastException)

Working with Selected classes from the Java API

• Manipulate data using the StringBuilder class and its methods
• Create and manipulate Strings
• Create and manipulate calendar data using classes from java.time.LocalDateTime, java.time.LocalDate, java.time.LocalTime, java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter, java.time.Period
• Declare and use an ArrayList of a given type
• Write a simple Lambda expression that consumes a Lambda Predicate expression

Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) certification blog series
OCA Preparation

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