Practice Tests - Python PCEP Certification Exam - 2026

This Python certification practice test course includes 390 questions designed to help you prepare for the PCEP - Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer exam, currently aligned with exam version PCEP-30-02.

This course is currently aligned with the PCEP-30-02 Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer exam syllabus. Python Institute has announced that PCEP-30-02 is active and scheduled for retirement on August 31, 2026, while PCEP-30-03 is currently in development. Once the PCEP-30-03 syllabus is officially released, this course will be reviewed and updated where needed.

The PCEP-30-02 certification exam has 30 questions distributed across 4 syllabus blocks, as mentioned below -

1. Exam Block #1: Computer Programming and Python Fundamentals (18%)

Objectives covered by the block: 7 exam items

Topics include:

• fundamental concepts: interpreting and the interpreter, compilation and the compiler, lexis, syntax, and semantics

• Python logic and structure: keywords, instructions, indentation, and comments

• literals: Boolean, integer, floating-point numbers, scientific notation, and strings

• numeral systems: binary, octal, decimal, and hexadecimal

• variables and naming conventions

• Basic PEP 8 recommendations

• numeric operators: **, *, /, %, //, +, -

• string operators: * and +

• assignment and shortcut operators

• unary and binary operators

• operator priorities and binding

• bitwise operators: ~, &, ^, |, <<, >>

• Boolean operators: not, and, or

• Boolean expressions

• relational operators: ==, !=, >, >=, <, <=

• floating-point accuracy

• type casting

• basic input and output using print(), input(), int(), and float()

• formatting print() output with sep= and end=

2.    Exam Block #2: Control Flow – Conditional Blocks and Loops (29%)

Objectives covered by the block: 8 exam items

Topics include:

• conditional statements: if, if-else, if-elif, and if-elif-else

• multiple conditional statements

• nested conditional statements

• the pass instruction

• building loops using while, for, range(), and in

• iterating through sequences

• while-else and for-else

• nested loops and nested conditions

• controlling loop execution using break and continue

3.    Exam Block #3: Data Collections – Tuples, Dictionaries, Lists, and Strings (25%)

Objectives covered by the block: 7 exam items

Topics include:

• lists: constructing vectors, indexing, slicing, and using len()

• list methods: append(), insert(), index(), and related methods

• list functions such as len() and sorted()

• the del instruction

• iterating through lists using for loops

• the in and not in operators

• list comprehensions

• copying and cloning lists

• lists inside lists: matrices and cubes

• tuples: indexing, slicing, building, and immutability

• tuples vs. lists: similarities and differences

• lists inside tuples and tuples inside lists

• dictionaries: building, indexing, adding and removing keys

• iterating through dictionaries, keys, and values

• checking whether a key exists

• dictionary methods: keys(), items(), and values()

• strings: constructing, indexing, slicing, and immutability

• escaping characters using \

• quotes and apostrophes inside strings

• multi-line strings

• basic string functions and methods

4.     Exam Block #4: Functions and Exceptions (28%)

Objectives covered by the block: 8 exam items

Topics include:

• defining and invoking user-defined functions and generators

• the return keyword and returning results

• the None keyword

• recursion

• parameters vs. arguments

• positional, keyword, and mixed argument passing

• default parameter values

• name scopes, name hiding/shadowing, and the global keyword

• Python built-in exception hierarchy:

• BaseException

• Exception

• SystemExit

• KeyboardInterrupt

• abstract exceptions

• ArithmeticError

• LookupError

• IndexError

• KeyError

• TypeError

• ValueError

• basics of Python exception handling:

• try-except

• ordering except branches

• propagating exceptions through function boundaries

• delegating responsibility for handling exceptions

PCEP Certification: Exam Information

• PCEP Certification: Exam Information

• Exam Name: PCEP™ - Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer

• Current Exam Code: PCEP-30-02

• Status: Active, scheduled for retirement on August 31, 2026

• Next Version: PCEP-30-03 is currently in development

• Exam Level: Entry

• Prerequisites: None

• Duration: 40 minutes exam + approximately 5 minutes for NDA/tutorial

• Number of Questions: 30

• Format: Single-select and multiple-select questions, drag & drop, gap fill, sort, code fill, code insertion, interactive and scenario-based items

• Passing Score: 70%

• Exam Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, and Japanese

• Course Language: English

• Exam Price: From USD 69, based on the current Python Institute/OpenEDG listing

• Delivery Channel: OpenEDG Testing Service – TestNow™

• Testing Policies: Available on the official Python Institute/OpenEDG website

• Exam Syllabus: Available on the official Python Institute PCEP syllabus page

PCEP certification is a professional Entry-Level Python Programmer Exam to test a person’s ability to understand basic coding related to the Fundamentals of Python Programming. The candidate should have basic knowledge of Python Programming, its syntax, semantics, and basic concepts like the following -

• Basic concepts like literals, print(), input(), numbers, strings, etc.

• Basic knowledge of operators - unary, binary, bitwise, boolean, relational operators, simple strings, data type, evaluation, I-O, etc.

• Control Flow - Loops, If, While, for, break, continue, pass

• Basic data collections - Lists, tuples, dictionaries, strings

• Functions and Exceptions – arguments, parameters, recursion, scope, global keyword, positional and keyword arguments, None, return, yield, default parameters, exception hierarchy, and basic try-except handling.

Other benefits of the PCEP course

• This course will strengthen your Python fundamentals, which can help you write small Python programs and projects with more confidence.

• This course can also help you check whether you are ready to move toward PCAP-level Python preparation.