Thursday, February 09, 2006

JavaBlackBelt

Following a post on TheServerSide.com, I found a very interesting site: JavaBlackBelt.com. The site is a community for Java & open source skills assessment. I joined it, took couple of tests, and it’s cool!

The site uses a very interesting (and, I would say, unusual) system to promote participation and, at the same time, prevent cheating. All tests are free – in terms of “real world” money. But most of the tests cost some “contribution points”. Members of the site get contribution points for submitting new questions and commenting on the existing ones. The price for the tests is realistic, but it will definitely require quite some involvement in order to achieve high degrees of certification.

Of course, it will require some time for JavaBlackBelt to become as recognized as BrainBench. Most of the tests are still in beta stage, and even stable tests have some errors. But, since the site is community-driven, it will get power very soon. Definitely a “must-visit” for any Java programmer.

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