Java Certification

This topic might be better suited to the life at work forum, but I wasn't sure so here it is.

I've been doing Java development off and on for probably 7 years. I've never been certified by Sun. I have the opportunity to take the certification exam for 1.5 (beta exam) at a discounted price in two weeks. I'm really leaning towards doing it.

My questions are 1) has anybody out there taken any of these exams before 2) do you think it is helpful in getting promoted/finding work and 3) has anyone heard anything about how the exam has changed since 1.4? Any response would be helpful at this point as I have a limited time to make a decision.