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Thread: STS Enough?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Northampton, England
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    612

    STS Enough?

    I have been a DBA for a few years now, but up until now I have avoided the certification route because I didn't think it was valued enough in my area for me to bother. Well, all that changed a short time ago when I failed in my attempts to get a great job (after the second interview stage) because the candidate that beat me to the role was OCP.

    Needless to say that gave me the kick in the Jacobs I required to give it a go. I'm now on 1Z0-031 and I decided (after seeing comments on this forum) to purchase the STS practice exams plus Study Guide.

    I did as STS suggested and took the practice certification straight away to get a base-line score. I got 70%. Great I thought, a quick flick through their Study Guide and i'll be on my way. After reading through the mistake filled study guide I took another practice test and got 62%... WTF?!? Has reading that guide actually made me dumber than when I started?...

    I sent off all the mistakes I had noted down to STS and proceded to read the official Administrators pdf for every section of the 1Z0-031 Test Content Checklist that I found on the Oracle website.

    I am now consistently getting 90%+ when I do an STS practice exam. My question is, based on my poor experiences of the STS Study Guide, can I take my high scoring as an indication I am ready for the exam, or should I be looking at any other literature?

    Like I said at the start, I am an experienced DBA and understand all the Concepts (so none of that posting the link to the Concepts Guide on tahiti.oracle.com!!!) I just stuggle with remembering exact syntax in a parrot fashion.

  2. #2
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    Hey, if just STS and the oracle manuals work for you, go for it. Personally, when I study for an exam I'll use third-party books only. I find they (usually) concentrate on what's on the exam more then then general Oracle Docs. As for practice tests, I usually take the one at the back of the book and that is enough for me.
    Jeff Hunter

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
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    Do you have a particular third-party in mind?

    Sybex Perhaps?

    Like you say, passing an exam is a very personal thing... I'm just not sure if I can trust a 90% score on an STS practice exam to turn into a 90% "real-ilfe" exam score.

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    Re: STS Enough?

    Originally posted by waitecj
    I just stuggle with remembering exact syntax in a parrot fashion.
    Quite! Reminds me of the story of someone asking Einstein for his phone number and being suprised when he went to the directory to look it up. Einstein replied (approx): "Why clutter my mind with things I can look up?"

  5. #5
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    Clever bloke, that Einstein.

    (NSS).

    Oracle have had many years to hone the certification technique and it suprises me that they haven't come up with something a little better than what is on offer at present. Of course, I could just be saying that so that I have an excuse if I take the exam and fail...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Posts
    10
    I spent my time with the ILT and doing the examples.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    san diego
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    69

    Lots of studying

    I used the ILTS with the STS. Oh, and I used Sybex and anything else I could get my hands on.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    3,134
    I used the ILT and STS, for me that was the winning combination.

    I think even the most seasoned DBA could fail one of those exams since a lot of the questions are BS, or worded so tricky that it is hard to figure out what they are actually asking.
    I remember when this place was cool.

  9. #9
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    a lot of the questions are BS, or worded so tricky that it is hard to figure out what they are actually asking.
    Agreed. Some of them say give "the most" appropriate answer to this question, and the answer might be any one of them depending on the situation. I end up making assumptions on questions to fill in the holes and end up getting the question wrong... and thats just the practice exams!!
    Assistance is Futile...

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Posts
    1

    Thumbs up

    I used Oraclecoach.com study material and question sets (125 questions) also the Sybex book. And passed the exam scoring 90%.

    I would suggest buying oraclecoach.com question sets which simulates actual exam question.

    Thanks,
    Sachin

    OCP
    7.3,8.0,8i,9i,10g

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