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I had considered taking the MySQL Core exam as I have a few years experience of using it in a working environment already, but the MySQL Certification Study Guide gives an excellent preparation for the exam - it uses constant and concise examples throughout and is well thought out. The points that I found harder to understand were made clear by the book showing these points from different angles.
The points are further validated by the use of an "Exercises" section at the end of each chapter, essentially giving you some exam style questions for the chapter just completed. These questions are extremely searching and I felt compelled to give an accurate answer as possible. Both the questions and answers were extremely well written and thought out, helping to give a high level of feedback to the user.
Whilst the book is not written from a reference perspective, I found it helpful in the way topics that I'd not previously experienced were put across to the reader. It was not written as if to say "You should already know this", whereas some books I've read almost belittle the reader for not knowing what's being written.
Having read the book I now feel as if I have been given training that is more than sufficient for the exam, and fully look forward to taking the exam itself, in the very near future. The book itself is extremely well written, and I'd recommend it to anyone considering taking the exam.
I've been using MySQL for about 3 or 4 years now, more recently in a high availability situation which is the prime reason I'm looking to take the certification. I've got about 15 years experience in computing and feel that I have a good technical knowledge, and always look to learn new things. I use MySQL daily, and feel that it has developed extremely well recently.
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