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Thread: My feedback from Fund I - Any advice for Fund II?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    15
    Just passed Oracle 9i Fundamentals I exam this morning. (Guess that makes me an OCA now....hoorah!)

    FYI, I used the Couchman book from Oracle Press, STS questions and Oraknowledge E-boot camp (all via Oraknowledge for an all-inclusive fee).

    For those thinking about the Couchman book.....
    I found the book pretty good, as it follows the Exam syllabus pretty closely, and is also grouped in the same way as the STS. Hence for example, you can study the section on 'Managing Users', and then go through the STS practice questions on 'Managing Users'.

    However, whilst I suspect the content of the book (and the STS) is sufficient for the 'basic' questions, I don't think there is enough depth for the 'mastery' questions - remember, to pass the exam you have to pass in both the basic section of questions and the mastery section of questions. Personally I cleared the basic section easily, but only cleared the pass mark for the Mastery section by 3 marks.

    Some of the exam questions (which I assume were from the mastery section) included issues that I had not read about in the Couchman book.


    So what about Fundamental II?
    Can anyone suggest the best study material?
    I'm tempted to get the Sybex book rather (or in addition to) the Couchman/Oracle Press book? Does anyone have any feedback?

    Cheers,
    Don

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Posts
    4
    Just get the ILT for Fund II, they are the best.

    Why get third party stuff when you can get it straight from the horse's mouth?

    Good luck!

    dbnut1
    (dbnut1@yahoo.com)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    219
    Some believe the ILT's are from a different part of the horse...

    Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.
    W. C. Fields (1890 - 1946)
    yodaDBA@hotmail.com

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Posts
    16
    Dear don9999,dbnut1,
    Will you pl. send me the links of IMPORTANT material or links

    Thanks ,regards
    girishmail@rediffmail.com


  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2001
    Location
    Helsinki. Finland
    Posts
    3,938
    Originally posted by don9999
    Just passed Oracle 9i Fundamentals I exam this morning. (Guess that makes me an OCA now....hoorah!)
    Congratulations Don. Yes, you are OCA now! Good luck with FII. Try to get the ILTs (and read them very varefully).
    Oracle Certified Master
    Oracle Certified Professional 6i,8i,9i,10g,11g,12c
    email: ocp_9i@yahoo.com

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    15
    Julian, dbnut1,

    Thanks for the feedback.

    I have to admit I have never seen an official Oracle ILT document, so can't comment about their quality. However it seems clear that they are probably the best material available.

    But, am I correct in believing that they are only available from attending an official Oracle course?

    So for Fundamental II I have the choice of spending around 30 GBP (around $50) for a book, and $99 for the STS, OR......paying £2,600 ( ie. approx. $3,800) for the ILT course. OK, so I will get 'better' material with the ILT (so as to better answer the mastery querions) but does that warrant paying 25 times as much?

    If there was a way of purchasing the ILT material (without attending the instructor-led training in person) I might consider it.

    I see that Oracle now offers 'eLearning' which purports to be 'just like you'd get in the classroom', but delivered via AVI files (and hence without the interaction). If this were to include the ILT documents too, I would certainly consider it. Not cheap at $399, but a lot better than the instructor-led classes. (Unfortunately they only provide these eLearning course for PL/SQL and Fund I at the moment anyway).

    So for now, I have to consider my usual route of book + STS.
    (I might even by 'both' available Fund II books, setting me back about $90......)

    Cheers,
    Don


  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2001
    Location
    Helsinki. Finland
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    3,938
    Originally posted by don9999
    Julian, dbnut1,

    But, am I correct in believing that they are only available from attending an official Oracle course?

    Hi Don, yes your assumption is correct. ILT material is avilable only when attending the ILT courses. They are not "real" books and you cannot buy them from the bookshops.

    However, if you have the possibilty to attend the ILT classes, you will for sure learn quicker and better Oracle than from STSs or any other books for that matter.

    If your aim is to pass the OCP exams, i.e., to get certified, well, then the books should be enough.
    Oracle Certified Master
    Oracle Certified Professional 6i,8i,9i,10g,11g,12c
    email: ocp_9i@yahoo.com

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    15
    Thanks Julian. I'm sure you are right.

    However, I believe there are at least three types of people working towards Oracle certification.

    a) Someone who is young and possibly still at college. They believe that an Oracle certification is a passport to a top job.

    b) Someone who is somewhat older, is currently working (probably in IT) and may or may not have had some experience of Oracle. They want the certification to learn more about Oracle, and perhaps use it to enhance their career prospects.

    c) Someone who already works in an Oracle environment. These people want the certification to improve (and prove!) their knowledge of Oracle and again enhance their existing career.

    Now, my suggestions would be:
    Group 1 - get some work experience. As people often say in these forums, experience (preferably with Oracle) far outweighs any paper certificate.
    Group 2 - study Oracle however you can. If you can afford it, or can persuade your company to pay for it, attend an ILT. Group 3 - As per group 2, though you should have greater leverage with your company to get them to pay.

    I fall into Group 2. I have a lot of IT experience, some of it with Oracle, although not in my current role. I want to bring my knowledge up to date with the latest version of Oracle 9i. However, in common with other people in my situation, I have a job to keep down, a young family to support, and other commitments (especially time) to satisfy. Hence, I do not have the time or money to attend an official Oracle ILT.

    My only option is through books (plus hands-on experience/experimentation which I do a lot of). If/when I secure an Oracle position, maybe then I can persuade my company to pay for some official courses to enhance my skills.

    Cheers,
    Don

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Posts
    18
    Hi Don,
    Congratulations. If you want to buy a book I would suggest to buy ALL the books written or co-authored by Thomas Kyte. The rest of the time surf to tahiti, asktom and the internal Oracle forums to get the latest info. If you need (free) help preparing for the other 9i exams, add your email in a reply.
    Regards,
    ALT69

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    93
    Alt69,

    What is the full url for asktom? http://www.asktom.com is not it.

    Thanks

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