Top 2 Books for OCPJP8 Certification - Java 8 1Z0-809, 810, 813 Exam

This is the second part of the best books for Java 8 certifications. Since you need to pass two exams, OCAJP8 and OCPJP8, to become a Java SE 8 certified developer, I have shared some of the best OCAJP8 books in the last article. In this article, I will tell you more about the second exam, OCPJP8, and suggest the best books to prepare OCPJP8. This exam is known as a professional level exam, and it's more stringent than the associate level exam. The OCPJP8 stands for Oracle Certified Professional Java Programmer. The exam code for this certification is 1Z0-809.

This is if you don't have any prior Java certifications, but you can still become a Java SE 8 certified developer by giving upgrade exams, like 1Z0-810, if you already passed the OCJPJP7 exam and 1z0-813 if you have passed OCPJP6 exams.

The books suggested in this article are primarily for the 1Z0-809 exam, but it can also be used for upgrade exams, like 1Z0-810 (upgrade from Java SE 7 to Java SE 8) and 1Z0-813 (upgrade from Java SE 6 to Java SE 8) certifications.

Btw, in-depth knowledge of Core Java is required to pass this exam in the first attempt and score high. You need to prepare hard even if you have years of experience working in Java because the exam is really focused on subtle details like operator precedence and some corner cases which you generally don't encounter in your day-to-day coding.

Apart from solving Practice problems, I also suggest you go through a comprehensive Java course like The Complete Java Masterclass to learn Java in-depth and fill any gaps you have in your understanding. This has helped many of my readers to score high and pass the exam in the very first attempt and saving $240 for a retake of exams.

2 Best OCPJP8 Books (1Z0 -809) for Java Programmers

Once you passed the OCAJP8 exam, you can appear for OCPJP8. The preparation is very similar to OCAJP8; all you need is a good book, a Java IDE to practice, practice some mock exams and finally buy Whizlabs or David Mayer's Java 8 exam simulator to give finishing touch to your preparation. The first step is selecting a good book.

Unfortunately, you don't have many choices, which are both good and bad. Good because the books you have in the market for OCPJP8 are best and provide comprehensive coverage of OCPJP8 exam objectives. Wrong, because there is no Kathy Sierra book for OCAJP or OCPJP 8 yet.

1. Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 8 Programmer Exam 1Z0-809 By Ganesh, Hari, and Tushar

This is the latest and most up-to-date book to prepare OCPJP8 certification. It's a study guide and meant to be a one-stop guide for preparing OCPJP8. It's written by S.G. Ganesh, Hari Kiran Kumar, and Tushar Sharma. If you remember, Ganesh and Tushar also had a very successful book for Java 7 certification.

The book provides in-depth, and 100% coverage to OCJP8 exam objectives and contains hundreds of practice questions as well as full-length mock exams. The book also includes a useful Java 8 certification FAQ to give you essential information about Java SE 8 certifications, like OCAJP 8 and OCPJP 8.

2. OCP: Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 8 Programmer II Study Guide

This is another excellent book to prepare for OCPJP8 Exam 1Z0-809. The book is written by Jeanne Boyarsky and Scott Selikoff, and it is the second book by them on Java 8 certification. The first book was on OCAJP8, which was also a great book.

If you read this book cover to cover, you would be in perfect shape to clear the OCPJP8 exam, which is a lot harder than OCAJP8. This book also includes 100% exam objectives and contains useful practice questions with the same difficulty level.

The authors are also very active on the Javaranch forum, a one-stop place to get any OCAJP8 help. You can use this book to not only prepare for the 1Z0-809 exam but also upgrade exams 1Z0-810 (java 7 to Java 8) and 1Z0-813 (Java 6 to Java 8).

If you want, you can also combine this book with the Udyan Khatri's OCP 8 Practice Test, which contains 540 high-quality questions. It's also very affordable, you can buy in just $10 on various Udemy flash sales which happens every now and then.

Other Useful resources for OCPJP8 exams

Apart from these two books, you can also take help from the following useful resources for your preparation. Remember, mock exams are vital for getting a better score. You should practice as many mock exams as possible. I have included two of the best Java 8 exam simulator on the list, but if you want, you can also try others.

1.  Oracle Java Certification Course
2. OCP 8 Practice Test by Udyan Khatri
3. 7 free OCPJP 8 Mock Exams
4. Whizlabs OCPJP8 Exam Simulator
5. David Mayer's Java8 Certification Questions
6. OCPJP8 Exam objectives
7. Best Java 8 Books for further reading

That's all about some of the best books to prepare for the OCPJP8 exam. You can either purchase the OCPJP 8 study guide by Ganesh and Tushar or Jeanne and Scott; both are great. Tushar's book is most up-to-date and also the latest in the market. More important is to read the complete book and, if possible, read it multiple times to get the full benefit.

The mantra to success in OCPJP 8 is definitely read a good book, write programs, and then solve mock exams. Just remember that OCPJP 8 is a lot tougher than OCAJP 8, and if you are one who wants to target 100%, better you read multiple books, including some of the core Java 8 books to get a better understanding of new concepts introduced in Java 8.


Other Java certifications articles you may like

• Top 5 Courses to prepare Java SE 8 exam (courses)
• 5 Books to Prepare OCAJP 11 certification exam (books)
• 10 Mock tests for Java 11 Certification (1Z0-815) exam (practice tests)
• Do Java certifications like OCAJP help in Job and Career? (read more)
• OCAJP7 or OCAJP8, which certification should you take? (see here)
• 3 best books for OCAJP7 Certification (list)
• Java 8 resources and tutorials (see here)
• How to pass Spring v5 Certification? (guide)
• The Official Guide of Java SE 8 Programmer II  (see here)
• Do you need to pass OCAJP before taking the OCPJP exam? (article)
• How to prepare for Java 8 Certification? (read)
• 2 books to prepare OCEJWCD (Java EE 6 Web Component Developer) exam? (see here)
• Top 5 OCPJP7 Books for the 1Z0-805 exam (list)
• Why becomes Java certified? Do certified professionals earn more? (read more)

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these OCPJP 8 books then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note. If you have used any other book for your preparation, feel free to share it with us too.

P.S.: If you are looking for a course to prepare Java SE 8 certification, then Oracle Java Certification - Pass the Associate 1Z0-808 Exam! from Udemy is the right place to start it. It explains about new features of Java 8 required for the OCAJP 8 exam.