Hi.

The minimum you can get away with is to install Oracle on your home PC and play with the examples given by the certification guide. It is possible to pass OCA/OCP without using the product, but it is alot harder and worth nothing unless you've actually tried thwe stuff out.

The best way to get through the exams is to buy the study guides and learn everything they suggest, do all the examples and use the practice tests.

Remember, OCP is the begining, not the end of the learning process. You will not be a good DBA at the end of the OCP track, you will just have a basic grounding in what being a DBA involves.

The best advice I can give anyone regarding Oracle is USE IT. You can theorize as much as you like but it's not until you start to use the technology that you understand it's strengths and weaknesses.

Cheers

Tim...