Understanding Oracle Certification | Oracle9i DBA JumpStart

Why become Oracle certified? The main benefits are that you will have much greater earnings potential and that the Oracle certification program carries high industry recognition. Certification can be your key to a higher salary, a new job, or both. Once you make it through this book, you’re ready to prepare for a certification program.

Oracle offers a number of ways to prove your knowledge of Oracle’s core products through three levels of certification. For each Oracle certification, Sybex offers a solution that can help you pass the exams.

Oracle Certified Associate (OCA) OCA candidates must pass two exams: Introduction to Oracle9i: SQL (1Z0-007) and Oracle9i Database: Fundamentals I (1Z0-031). The first exam is administered via the Internet or at an authorized Oracle testing center, and the second one is administered at an authorized Oracle testing center. The OCA candidate may take the exam Introduction to Oracle: SQL and PL/ SQL (1Z0-001) instead of 1Z0-007, but this exam is only available at an authorized Oracle testing center. To help you obtain the OCA, Sybex provides the following:

OCA/OCP: Introduction to Oracle9i SQL Study Guide (exam 1Z0-007: Introduction to Oracle9i SQL)
OCA/OCP: Oracle9i DBA Fundamentals I Study Guide (exam 1Z0-031: Oracle9i Database: Fundamentals I)

Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) The Professional level of certification builds on the OCA certification, challenging candidates to pass two additional exams at an Oracle authorized testing center. The first exam is Oracle9i Database: Fundamentals II (1Z0-032), and the second is Oracle9i Database: Performance Tuning (1Z0-033). Candidates for the OCP must also complete an Oracle University course in order to obtain the OCP credential. To help you obtain your OCP, Sybex offers the following:

OCP: Oracle9i DBA Fundamentals II Study Guide (exam 1Z0-032: Oracle9i Database: Fundamentals II)
OCP: Oracle9i DBA Performance Tuning Study Guide (exam 1Z0-033: Oracle9i Database: Performance Tuning)

Oracle Certified Master (OCM) OCM is Oracle’s most prestigious and challenging certification. To obtain this certification, you must be an OCP, take two advanced Oracle Education classroom courses, and complete a hands-on, two-day practicum exam at one of several Oracle University education facilities around the world.

The certification path you choose depends on your area of expertise and your career goals. The latest information on Oracle’s certification programs can be found at www.oracle.com/education/certification.

Note

For more information about the Oracle Study Guides published by Sybex, visit www.sybex.com.

Tips for Taking the OCA/OCP Exams

All of the Oracle exams are divided into two categories: the “easy” questions and the “hard” questions. The candidate will be required to answer correctly a minimum number of questions in each group to pass the exam.

Each exam has approximately 60 to 90 questions and must be completed in 90 minutes. It’s okay to go back to previous questions, so answer the questions you know right away and return to the harder ones later, so you don’t run out of time.

There is no negative scoring, so there is no benefit to leaving a question unanswered. Eliminate the obviously wrong answers first, and if you’re left with just two possible correct answers, your odds of selecting the correct answer are much greater than randomly choosing between four or five answers. Sometimes, other questions in the exam have information that allow you to eliminate wrong answers in the question you’re working on.

Scheduling and Taking an Exam

Once you’ve prepared for and are ready to start pursuing Oracle9i certification, you’ll need to sign yourself up to take the proper exams.

You take the Introduction to Oracle9i SQL exam (1Z0-007) via the Internet. The cost is $90, and you can either pay online or obtain a voucher from Oracle by mail and specify the voucher number when registering for this exam. To take the exam, a 56Kbps modem or broadband connection is highly recommended. Your web browser also needs to be up to date; Internet Explorer 5.0 or Netscape 4.x are the minimum requirements.

Once you think you are ready to take one of the other exams, call Sylvan Prometric Testing Centers at (800) 891-EXAM (891-3926) or visit www.prometric.com to find the closest testing center and schedule the exam. Before you call, get out your credit card because each exam costs $125.

You can schedule the exam for a time that is convenient for you. The exams are downloaded to the testing center. You show up at your scheduled time and take the exam on a computer.

After you complete the exam, you will know right away whether you have passed. At the end of the exam, you will receive a score report. It will list the areas that you were tested on and how you performed. If you pass the exam, you don’t need to do anything else—Prometric sends the test results to Oracle. If you don’t pass, it’s another $125 to schedule the exam again, and you must wait 30 days before retaking the exam. But at least you will know from the score report where you did poorly, so you can study that particular information more carefully.