Fas java course aptitude test

quinnd6

I applied to do a Java7 associate developer course with fas so have to do an aptitude test next week.
I was wondering for anyone who has done a fas java course before what do they test you on in the aptitude test?
Is it maths, c++, java itself what?
I have no idea what the aptitude test is about and would like to be able to prepare in some way.

GreenWolfe

quinnd6 wrote: »

I applied to do a Java7 associate developer course with fas so have to do an aptitude test next week.
I was wondering for anyone who has done a fas java course before what do they test you on in the aptitude test?
Is it maths, c++, java itself what?
I have no idea what the aptitude test is about and would like to be able to prepare in some way.

When I was doing mine it was mostly basic maths and english comprehension. I think there were some diagrammatic reasoning questions too, but I'm not sure.

Lyaiera

Yeah, EarthlyPangaea is right.

It's not so much that the questions are really difficult, but they involve a lot of mental manipulation of the problem and data. Add that you have three minutes per question and that's where the difficulty is.

The key really is to read the question properly. There were a number of questions in mine that on first look seem like they could take much longer to figure out but if you approach the question properly it's easy to eliminate half the answers, and then one of the other two is the only answer that could make logical sense. So part of it is not finding the precise answer, but the only possible answer.

Then there are things like they show you a diagram, and they have you mental rotate it 90 degrees, then flip it, then rotate it 180 degrees in another direction and you have to pick what it ends up looking like.

quinnd6

Oh right so no actual programming questions.
Bit difficult to study for then I guess.
Hopefully it should be grand anyway.

counterpointaud

Just get a good nights sleep and a strong coffee before the test and you'll be fine. There are no maths or programming questions per se, just a series of abstract problems of different types.

quinnd6

Great thanks all.

donegal11

What score do you need in the test

quinnd6

I don't know I'm afraid.
They've told me nothing about it.

PhilDawn

I have this aptitude test next week- can you tell me how you got on? Thanks

PhilDawn

quinnd6 wrote: »

I applied to do a Java7 associate developer course with fas so have to do an aptitude test next week.
I was wondering for anyone who has done a fas java course before what do they test you on in the aptitude test?
Is it maths, c++, java itself what?
I have no idea what the aptitude test is about and would like to be able to prepare in some way.

Did you do this aptitude test? I have mine next week and I'm bricking it

shaneo93

im doing my aptitude test next week any tips r hints? im kin of anxious to whats gonna come up on it ? thanks

PhilDawn

shaneo93 wrote: »

im doing my aptitude test next week any tips r hints? im kin of anxious to whats gonna come up on it ? thanks

What day is yours?

shaneo93

It's Tuesday 23rd up in cookstown. U doing it up there aswell?

PhilDawn

PhilDawn wrote: »

What day is yours?

Same day at 11am!! I'm pissed off to be honest because I applied about 4 months ago and was told nothing about this test. No time to prepare. I did a test for a java programming course which was extremely difficult. It wasnt a FAS course- it was a paid course. Ill attach the link so you can practice it.

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tests/computer-test.htm

shaneo93

PhilDawn wrote: »

Same day at 11am!! I'm pissed off to be honest because I applied about 4 months ago and was told nothing about this test. No time to prepare. I did a test for a java programming course which was extremely difficult. It wasnt a FAS course- it was a paid course. Ill attach the link so you can practice it.

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tests/computer-test.htm

Yeah at 11. Yeah sure i only got the letter 3 days ago saying I've to go do an exam to get into this course. I'm not gonna lie I really need to get onto this course aswell nd now I barely have anytime to get ready for it. I'm sure ur in the same boat aswell. Ah thanks man. Much appreciated. There is also a website where u can kind of get used to doing programming in general it's called www.code.org personally I think it's a good website gets the basics of java and all other types of programming.

PhilDawn

shaneo93 wrote: »

Yeah at 11. Yeah sure i only got the letter 3 days ago saying I've to go do an exam to get into this course. I'm not gonna lie I really need to get onto this course aswell nd now I barely have anytime to get ready for it. I'm sure ur in the same boat aswell. Ah thanks man. Much appreciated. There is also a website where u can kind of get used to doing programming in general it's called www.code.org personally I think it's a good website gets the basics of java and all other types of programming.

Yep- I'm freaked out! I sent an email to the guy at the local job centre expressing my frustration and disappointment in him. He assured me was going to get onto the course as I applied well before the threshold was reached. I had my heart set on this course and had an internship lined up in my friends company when I finished. If I don't get onto to I would have wasted the past 4 months.

shaneo93

PhilDawn wrote: »

Yep- I'm freaked out! I sent an email to the guy at the local job centre expressing my frustration and disappointment in him. He assured me was going to get onto the course as I applied well before the threshold was reached. I had my heart set on this course and had an internship lined up in my friends company when I finished. If I don't get onto to I would have wasted the past 4 months.

Fair play to ya for letting him know that he was wrong. It is fairly ridiculous to be honest. I know it's only fas but come on we're not getting a chance from the get-go. Would there be much interest and need for java programmers in much companies? U seem to have more knowledge than me about it?

PhilDawn

shaneo93 wrote: »

Fair play to ya for letting him know that he was wrong. It is fairly ridiculous to be honest. I know it's only fas but come on we're not getting a chance from the get-go. Would there be much interest and need for java programmers in much companies? U seem to have more knowledge than me about it?

To be honest i probably don't- I got that "Java for Dummies" book which I intended to read during August to get some idea of what it's about.

There are a few reasons why I chose this course. One is that you go to any job site and the sector with the largest number of jobs is the IT sector. Two- there is a high demand for decent programmers in Ireland and with the forecasted growth in mobile technology we have a healthy looking future. Three- after 4 years you could be on €70k a year if you continue up skilling and work hard whereas I could go a do a degree which takes the same time and I would only be starting at an entry level job.

Personally I would love to find a job that I truly love doing but this just hasn't happened for me so my motivation is driven by the future salary a job can provide and the easier/nicer life that salary pays for. I am fascinated by the mobile apps today and must download a few every day of the week on my iphone so perhaps I might love being a programmer

shaneo93

PhilDawn wrote: »

To be honest i probably don't- I got that "Java for Dummies" book which I intended to read during August to get some idea of what it's about.

There are a few reasons why I chose this course. One is that you go to any job site and the sector with the largest number of jobs is the IT sector. Two- there is a high demand for decent programmers in Ireland and with the forecasted growth in mobile technology we have a healthy looking future. Three- after 4 years you could be on €70k a year if you continue up skilling and work hard whereas I could go a do a degree which takes the same time and I would only be starting at an entry level job.

Personally I would love to find a job that I truly love doing but this just hasn't happened for me so my motivation is driven by the future salary a job can provide and the easier/nicer life that salary pays for. I am fascinated by the mobile apps today and must download a few every day of the week on my iphone so perhaps I might love being a programmer

Yeah we'll they are pretty good reasons to be doing the course. I was in college last year and one module was computer programming and I really loved it bu hated the course so I really do like programming well I liked as much as I done yano. But yeah it's a hard job pays well if ur good at it. If u like it sure you wud be stupid not to do it.

PhilDawn

shaneo93 wrote: »

Yeah we'll they are pretty good reasons to be doing the course. I was in college last year and one module was computer programming and I really loved it bu hated the course so I really do like programming well I liked as much as I done yano. But yeah it's a hard job pays well if ur good at it. If u like it sure you wud be stupid not to do it.

What course did you do last year?

shaneo93

PhilDawn wrote: »

What course did you do last year?

Electronic engineering in itt

stevenmu

I don't know anything about this specific aptitude test, but FWIW aptitude tests in general don't require any specific domain knowledge or preparation. Typically they are a bunch of logic puzzles, such as calculating what number comes next in a series (e.g. 2, 4, 6, ... ). Sometimes they would include written comprehension, where you would read a paragraph or two and then have to answer a series of questions on it (usually multiple choice).

I doubt you would need any knowledge of Java or programming.

I'd suggest the best preparation you could do would be to find a bunch of generic online aptitude tests, or even IQ type tests, and do those just to make sure you understand how they work.

Tar.Aldarion

PhilDawn wrote: »

Yep- I'm freaked out! I sent an email to the guy at the local job centre expressing my frustration and disappointment in him. He assured me was going to get onto the course as I applied well before the threshold was reached. I had my heart set on this course and had an internship lined up in my friends company when I finished. If I don't get onto to I would have wasted the past 4 months.

You dont need the course, it's not great anyway. Firstly get a java basics book, head first java or something. Understand the basics. Get the main book for the qualification then, it is excellent. Great book, goes through everything you need to know. Do a few sample exams and away you go.

PhilDawn

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

You dont need the course, it's not great anyway. Firstly get a java basics book, head first java or something. Understand the basics. Get the main book for the qualification then, it is excellent. Great book, goes through everything you need to know. Do a few sample exams and away you go.

Thanks- what's the book called?

Tar.Aldarion

PhilDawn wrote: »

Thanks- what's the book called?

There are good forums for the qualification on http://www.coderanch.com/
The authors also post there, and wrote head first java. Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates.
http://www.coderanch.com/t/594049/ocajp/certification/Updated-OCA-study-materials

Their book for the current exam is not out yet but the previous one covers it and more, and can then be used for the harder exam.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Certified-Programmer-Study-Guide-CX-310-065/dp/0071591060/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374243358&sr=8-1&keywords=scjp

chapters 1-5 plus the sections on ArrayList, String, StringBuilder, hashCode(), and equals() cover your exam really well.


New one isnt out til december but you dont need it http://www.amazon.com/Programmer-Study-1Z0-803-1Z0-804-Certification/dp/0071772006/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374243475&sr=8-3&keywords=ocajp

Dont start learning java with the book, do some of the basics yourself first and so on. Still they go through it thoroughly and it will teach you well.

PhilDawn

shaneo93 wrote: »

Electronic engineering in itt

Hi- how did it go today? Was it hard? What did it involve? And was there an interview?

shaneo93

PhilDawn wrote: »

Hi- how did it go today? Was it hard? What did it involve? And was there an interview?

Did u not show? Yeah it went grand. Wasn't hard at all pretty easy actually. Just typical aptitude test. I thought it was pretty easy anyway. There was no java on it just basic arithmetic and language. That's it. No interview whoever they select will go for an interview

PhilDawn

shaneo93 wrote: »

Did u not show? Yeah it went grand. Wasn't hard at all pretty easy actually. Just typical aptitude test. I thought it was pretty easy anyway. There was no java on it just basic arithmetic and language. That's it. No interview whoever they select will go for an interview

No- feckin car broke down on the way but there are going to be more appointments thank god!

I wonder why they've made the test easy. I assumed since there are more than double the number of applicants than actual places they would have set an exam that would distinguish people with a more natural ability with problem solving and so on.

shaneo93

PhilDawn wrote: »

No- feckin car broke down on the way but there are going to be more appointments thank god!

I wonder why they've made the test easy. I assumed since there are more than double the number of applicants than actual places they would have set an exam that would distinguish people with a more natural ability with problem solving and so on.

Just typical when you need your car it breaks down haha. Emm yeah I thought it was going to be harder but I thought I did ok so hopefully it will be ok .

PhilDawn

shaneo93 wrote: »

Just typical when you need your car it breaks down haha. Emm yeah I thought it was going to be harder but I thought I did ok so hopefully it will be ok .

Hi, what sort of maths questions did you get? Was there any sequences or algebra. Need to brush up on my maths a bit. Thanks

syklops

Tips for passing any Fas aptitude test:

-Show up
-Attempt all questions
-Demonstrate some semblance of enthusiasm

shaneo93

PhilDawn wrote: »

Hi, what sort of maths questions did you get? Was there any sequences or algebra. Need to brush up on my maths a bit. Thanks

Yes there was sequences but I found them quite easy. The algebra question got me a little it was kinda hard. And I'm not the best at maths to be honest.

PhilDawn

shaneo93 wrote: »

Yes there was sequences but I found them quite easy. The algebra question got me a little it was kinda hard. And I'm not the best at maths to be honest.

Cool- thanks. Have you had any word back yet? I've applied for a few springboard courses just to play it safe. There is a software and cloud technologies course which you should check out. Here's the link

https://www.springboardcourses.ie/Certificate-in-Software-and-Cloud-Technologies/Science-Mathematics-and-Computing/Computing/Computer-Science/ViewItem.aspx?ItemTypeID=2&ItemID=1623

shaneo93

PhilDawn wrote: »

Cool- thanks. Have you had any word back yet? I've applied for a few springboard courses just to play it safe. There is a software and cloud technologies course which you should check out. Here's the link

https://www.springboardcourses.ie/Certificate-in-Software-and-Cloud-Technologies/Science-Mathematics-and-Computing/Computing/Computer-Science/ViewItem.aspx?ItemTypeID=2&ItemID=1623

No problem. Emm no not yet I'm getting more worried as the days pass to be honest. I think you have to be on the dole for a year to do a springboard and I'm not. But I will check it out anyway.

PhilDawn

shaneo93 wrote: »

No problem. Emm no not yet I'm getting more worried as the days pass to be honest. I think you have to be on the dole for a year to do a springboard and I'm not. But I will check it out anyway.

I checked online and you don't need to be signing for a year. Read this :


https://www.springboardcourses.ie/Help/SpringboardEligibility.aspx

shaneo93

PhilDawn wrote: »

I checked online and you don't need to be signing for a year. Read this :


https://www.springboardcourses.ie/Help/SpringboardEligibility.aspx

Ahhh I see. I may apply for a few of courses that might interest me.

niall300

As far as i remember there are no java/programming questions, It is wothwhile learning something about dos and directory structures in windows. general computer literacy questions.
this is an aptitude test so by its very nature you can't really study either you have an aptitude or you don't. Don't be put off, Java is a very learnable skill, i am currently on a follow-on course studying adavnced java and android app development. the only thing required is a logical approach to problem solving and reasonable intelligence.

example question:
Save all your files to mydocuments
a. yes it makes sense to have all your documents in one place
b. no always save to the c:\ directory
c. no save all files in a relevant directory

in other words no wrong answer but some are "righter" than others.