My copy of php|arch’s Zend PHP 5 Certification Guide by Davey Shafik/Ben Ramsay arrived yesterday, which rather means I should get around to booking the test. The book itself does an excellent job of covering PHP’s many nuances, and would (IMO) be a good guide for any competant programmers using PHP for the first time. I brought the book to make sure that my knowledge was sufficient to take the test before I spent $125 on the voucher, with the intention of ebaying the book once I’d finished, however, having read most of the book last night, I think it would be a good addition to my bookshelf, especially to lend to other developers on my team.
The book is essentially divided into the different subjects that the Zend exam tests: Basics, Functions, Arrays etc, up to Streams, Security and XML & Webservices. Each is presented in bitesized chapters that concisely cover the subject matter, rather than providing an in depth view. Things get a little wierd when database programming is covered, as no PHP is really discussed in this chapter but a rudimentary knowledge of SQL is required for most people writting PHP so it makes sence to cover the subject. Throughout the book there are information points which contain tidbits of advice about the subject – which I assume are things which might not be tested directly in the exam, but are handy things to know, these are pretty neat.
My only real complaint is that the book spine is printed upside down. Seriously though – if you’re studying for the exam, or at least just thinking about taking it and want to make sure that your knoweledge of PHP is sufficient, or you’re already a competant developer, but you’re thinking of dabbling in PHP and want a quick guide to the syntax and nuances of the language, then this would be a great place to start.
My copy of 
