Test your Java skills.
Even with many years of experience with programming in Java one cannot claim that he or she has mastered the language. What I found out with experience is that unless your job offers you diverse problems to solve, you are more likely to work on similar projects and hence may end up using the exact features of the language. And this leads to being forgetful about the minute and basic aspects of the language. To stay up-to-date with the latest developments in any area it is vital that you regularly read relevant magazines, books, and/or subscribe to the blogs. It is also important that you test your knowledge of the subject by taking quizzes once in a while. A good quiz will make you think about the subject broadly and will also point out your weak points. This will not only help you think about what you have learned over the years but it will also tell you the aspects of the subject that you need to improve on. For Java developers who would like to check their knowledge of their beloved programming language here are two sites. Java BlackBelt and Better Programmer.
JavaBlackBelt
is a community for Java and open source skills assessment. It is dedicated to technical quizzes about Java related technologies. This website offers quizzes to developers to assess and demonstrate their Java skills and knowledge.
This is the place where Java developers have their technology knowledge and development abilities recognized. Everybody is welcome to take existing and build new exams.
JavaBlackBelt offers several multiple-choice exams that thoroughly test your knowledge from Java basics to some of the advanced topics of the language. To take the exams you will have to register with the website. Once you have your account setup you can start taking exams. For most exams you will need JavaBlackBelt credits but the website is currently offering basics exams for free (no credits are required). When you pass an exam you earn credit points that you can use towards your future exams. Another way to earn credits is to submit questions to be included in the exams. Also if you take beta exams you can earn some credit points.
Although most of the questions are good you may encounter few trivial questions. On the other hand I found few questions which may belong to the text books and may not serve you in your day to day development work. Overall this is an excellent website to measure Java skills.
Better Programmer
If you think multiple-choice questions do not offer an accurate way of assessing Java skills you can head to Better Programmer. Instead of testing your Java skills through multiple-choice questions this website tests your ability to write programs. It offers a short exam (25-50 minutes) which is divided into four sub tasks. For each task you will get a problems description and you will have to develop the code to solve the problem in allotted time. This exam will test your programming skills. You don’t only need to know the Java syntax but will also be required to write a program that solves the problem. This exam is more closer to real-world situations and I believe it is more accurate than the multiple-choice questions.
Give them a try and see where you stand!.
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Caco_Patane:
Better Programmer is a kinda hoax. I’m the #20 in world results and I don’t usually code or like Java, neither take the test.
Caco_Patane’s last blog post..Maquinaria de la Nave
Posted on May 16th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Jason Shutters:
Im not too good at Java, I am a little scared to see how I will do. Might turn out to be shameful!
Jason Shutters’s last blog post..Hurricane Shutters Buy Guide
Posted on May 18th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Zaheer:
Caco_Patane, I will check BetterProgrammer.com again. I don’t know how you were able to get to #20 rank.
Posted on May 18th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Zaheer:
Jason, you can try these test without worrying about the score. No one else will have access to your score. The tests will give you some indications of the area you might need to improve on. Good luck.
Posted on May 18th, 2008 at 7:25 pm