import java.io.*; public class Solution { public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { //write your code here BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(System.in)); String a = br.readLine(); String b = br.readLine(); Solution sol = new Solution(); sol.comparison("a","b"); } private void comparison(String a,String b){ if (a.equals(b) ) System.out.println("The names are identical"); else if ((a.length()==b.length())) System.out.println("The names are the same length"); } } OUTPUT: alex alex The names are the same length Process finished with exit code 0 Can someone please enlighten me regarding why the first if statement is skipped?