My OCM badge
OCM was my BIG dream 😁. I had heard about OCM in 2005 and always dreamed to become OCM. Honestly, I was dying to become Oracle Certified Master.
I setup my mind to sit for OCM 11g exam in 2013. I enrolled for OCM 11g preparation class in August 2012. The class was phenomenal and had learned a lot from instructor Karan Dodwal. He taught us how to prepare and what to prepare for the exam like Oracle pro does. The class was not a common OCM preparation class it was an Oracle expert guiding us the proper way to prepare OCM. The class was so helpful to start my preparation. He is so inspiring and motivating.
I had attended all pre-requisite course from Oracle University and prepared for almost four years, till 2017. Though I had good instructor for OCM preparation, my OCM preparation was lit bit frustrating. Basically, I did not have list of activity to be done after reading each Oracle documentation. I had 3 days work week at that time so I spent plenty of time reading entire oracle documentation word by word. Since I did not have any list of activity to practice. My preparation was like 1 step forward and 2 step backward. Due to lack of proper activity guide, I was able to prepare just 1% in entire four years.
I was desperately searching for any reference book with list of activity for each skillset. I had read reviews about few OCM books and came to know that those books had not helped people. In mid 2016, I heard about the book "OCM 11G" -by KARMAN AGJAYEV A. I did not read a single review about the book but ordered the book from Amazon. I don't know how I decided to purchase a book that costs around 8000 in my currency, may be my sixth sense insist to do that. Though it took around 3 months to reach the book to my desk, purchasing it was one of my best decision I had made ever.
My Amazon Shipping confirmation email.
For me the book is like a good map. In real, it does not matter how good the map is, mountaineer has to reach summit himself. In contrast, whatever skill the mountaineer has, without a good map he is half prepared to reach summit. So good book, work experiences and dedication of an examiner are core components to pass OCM. I am not marketing this book, but literally this book is awesome and helped me a lot. The best part of the book is a list of activities to practice, Oracle document reference and in-depth explanation with solid and clear examples. I enjoyed a lot reading this book. Thank you Karman for writing such an awesome books.
Me with OCM 11g book.
Finally it happened, on the 19th December, 2017 I received email from Oracle that I passed OCM. I am very thankful to my friends in Banglore: Posh Kanta Pandey, Harihar Paneru and Ajay Acharya. They are good people who had supported me lot during my exam preparation. Without them it was not possible at all. I stayed with them for entire 2 months for the exam. Guys! you are rockstars. Thank you once again. I like to thank my family, friends and everyone who helped me to pass OCM exam.
Email from Oracle Certification Program after I passed exam.
Following are few tips I found useful during my exam.
- Prepare exam as you do prepare for College exam. Write important point in paper and read them repeatedly.
- Good Typing skill is important. Accuracy is more important than words per min. Signup for free in https://play.typeracer.com and do at least 50 type challenges every day.
- Good Skill to navigate Oracle Documentation. Download Oracle documentation offline. Install web server, Apache and start navigating it without Search feature.
- Practice on Linux machine, Forget Windows. If possible install Linux on your workstation. Version of Linux should match version specified in URL http://education.oracle.com.
- Practice with normal USB keyboard. Not a fancy and bluetooth ones
- At least 15 days leave prior to exam. Relax and prepare well. Don't get panic.
- Linux tips and tricks to save time. Linux short cuts for copy/paste and others.
- Linux text editor skills. Prepare for vim.
- Mentally prepare to become OCM. You should believe it before You have it.
A page from my notebook.
A regret 😞
I am extremely sorry for posting this post 2 years late. I must have posted it immediately after exam. I am really a badass, always waiting for right time. I was unknown, the right time is right now, that's why it is termed as present, a gift to human mankind. So guys don't wait for right time, do it now.