Python Fundamentals
18%of exam
Control Flow
29%of exam
Data Collections
25%of exam
Functions + Exceptions
28%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- PCEP-30-02
- Status
- Active until Aug 31 2026
- Questions
- 30
- Time
- 40 min + NDA
- Pass
- 70%
- Cost
- from $69
- Validity
- Lifetime
- Skill
- Trace Python code
Syntax vs Semantics
Syntax
- Legal form
- Checked before run
Semantics
- Runtime meaning
- May raise errors
Form vs behavior
Syntax
- Lexis
- Tokens
- Syntax
- Legal arrangement
- Semantics
- Runtime meaning
- Keyword
- Reserved word
- Identifier
- Name token
- Indentation
- Block structure
- Comment
- Starts with #
- PEP 8
- Style guidance
/ vs //
/
- True division
- Returns float
//
- Floor division
- Rounds downward
Float vs floor
Literals
- True
- Boolean true
- False
- Boolean false
- None
- No value
- 3
- Integer literal
- 3.0
- Float literal
- 3e2
- Scientific float
- 'abc'
- String literal
- 0b101
- Binary literal
- 0o10
- Octal literal
- 0x10
- Hex literal
== vs is
==
- Value equality
- Usually compare data
is
- Object identity
- Use for None
Value vs identity
Operators
- **
- PowerRight binds
- /
- True division
- //
- Floor division
- %
- Remainder
- +
- Add or concat
- *
- Multiply or repeat
- and
- First falsy
- or
- First truthy
- not
- Boolean invert
- & | ^
- Bitwise logic
- << >>
- Bit shifts
I/O + Casting
- print()
- Console output
- sep=
- Join text
- end=
- Finish text
- input()
- Always stringTrap
- int()
- Integer conversion
- float()
- Float conversion
- str()
- String conversion
- type()
- Inspect class
Range Stop
Range stops before the stop.
start includedstop excludedstep moves
break vs continue
break
- Leaves loop
- Skips loop else
continue
- Next iteration
- Loop can finish
Exit vs skip
Flow Picker
- One condition→if
- Fallback needed→else
- Many branches→elif
- Repeat while true→while
- Iterate sequence→for
- Count values→range()
- Stop early→break
- Skip iteration→continue
Branches
- if
- First condition
- elif
- Next condition
- else
- Fallback branch
- ==
- Value equality
- !=
- Value inequality
- < <= >
- Relational tests
- 5 < x < 9
- Chained comparison
- Nested if
- Inner branch
Loop Else
Else means no break happened.
for elsewhile elsebreak blocks
Loops
- while
- Condition loop
- for
- Iteration loop
- range(n)
- 0 to n-1
- range(a,b)
- a to b-1
- range(a,b,s)
- Step by s
- break
- Exit loop
- continue
- Next iteration
- pass
- Do nothing
- loop else
- No break only
Truthiness
- 0
- Falsy number
- ''
- Falsy string
- []
- Falsy list
- {}
- Falsy dict
- ()
- Falsy tuple
- None
- Falsy singleton
- nonzero
- Usually truthy
- nonempty
- Usually truthy
Slice Shape
Slices copy start through before stop.
start includedstop excludedstep optional
List vs Tuple
List
- Mutable
- Methods mutate
Tuple
- Immutable
- Comma creates singleton
Changeable vs fixed
Collection Picker
- Need mutation→list
- Fixed sequence→tuple
- Text sequence→str
- Key lookup→dict
- Missing default→get()
- Add one item→append()
- Add many items→extend()
- Sorted copy→sorted()
Lists
- list
- Mutable sequence
- a[i]
- Index access
- a[:]
- Shallow copy
- append()
- Add one item
- extend()
- Add many items
- insert()
- Add before index
- pop()
- Remove and return
- sort()
- Mutates; returns None
- sorted()
- Returns new list
- del
- Delete target
append vs extend
append()
- Adds one object
- Nested list possible
extend()
- Adds each item
- Consumes iterable
Object vs items
Tuples + Strings
- tuple
- Immutable sequence
- (1,)
- One-item tuple
- (1)
- Integer grouping
- str
- Immutable text
- s[i]
- Character access
- s[a:b]
- Stop excluded
- s[::-1]
- Reverse copy
- strip()
- Trim ends
- replace()
- New string
Dictionaries
- dict
- Key-value mapping
- {}
- Empty dict
- d[k]
- May KeyError
- get()
- Default possible
- keys()
- Key view
- values()
- Value view
- items()
- Pair view
- in d
- Checks keys
- assign key
- Add or replace
Implicit None
No return means None.
print returns Nonepass returns nothingbare return None
print vs return
print()
- Displays text
- Returns None
return
- Sends value
- Exits function
Output vs value
Function Picker
- Need reusable block→def
- Need result→return
- Optional value→default parameter
- Positional extras→*args
- Keyword extras→**kwargs
- Outer assignment→global
Functions
- def
- Define function
- call
- Invoke function
- parameter
- Definition name
- argument
- Passed value
- return
- Send result
- no return
- Returns None
- default
- Fallback argument
- *args
- Tuple arguments
- **kwargs
- Dict arguments
- recursion
- Function calls itself
Parameter vs Argument
Parameter
- Name in def
- Receives value
Argument
- Value in call
- Passed to function
Slot vs value
Handler Picker
- Bad type operation→TypeError
- Bad converted value→ValueError
- List index missing→IndexError
- Dict key missing→KeyError
- Math division zero→ZeroDivisionError
- Name not found→NameError
Scope + Exceptions
- local
- Inside function
- global
- Module scope
- shadowing
- Hides outer name
- try
- Risky code
- except
- Handler branch
- else
- No exception
- finally
- Always runs
- raise
- Trigger exception
- ValueError
- Bad value
- TypeError
- Bad type
- IndexError
- Bad index
- KeyError
- Missing key
else vs finally
except else
- No exception
- After try succeeds
finally
- Always runs
- Cleanup block
Success vs always
Common Traps
input() Trap
Typed digits ≠ Returned string
Power Binding
2 ** 3 ** 2 ≠ 2 ** 9
List Method Trap
sort mutates list ≠ sort returns None
Dictionary Membership
in checks keys ≠ not values
Tuple Singleton
(1,) is tuple ≠ (1) is int
Loop Else
normal finish ≠ not after break
String Mutation
strings immutable ≠ methods return copies
Handler Order
specific first ≠ broad last
Last Minute
- 1.PCEP-30-02: 30 questions
- 2.Pass threshold: 70%
- 3.Control flow weighs 29%
- 4.input() always returns str
- 5.range stop is excluded
- 6.break skips loop else
- 7.List methods may return None
- 8.Tuple singleton needs comma
- 9.in dict checks keys
- 10.No return means None
- 11.== value; is identity
- 12.Specific except before broad
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