 <p>Yes, the question sets used for both exams are identical and the Sierra/Bates book is good preparation material. In order to prepare even better, I would advise to take some mock tests first. There is a large number of free ones on the net.</p> <p>EDIT: as to the naming ambiguities - the certificate was issued by Sun Microsystems and called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCJP#Sun_Certified_Java_Programmer_.28SCJP.29">SCJP - <strong>Sun Certified Java Programmer</strong></a>. After Oracle acquired Sun in early 2010 (the agreement has been signed in 2009), the certificate has been officially renamed to <strong>Oracle Certified Professional Java SE Programmer</strong> or OCPJP. Many people continue to call it SCJP though.</p>