
This course includes our updated coding exercises so you can practice your skills as you learn.
See a demo
Set up Visual Studio Code as a cross-platform editor and integrated development environment. Learn features like debugging, Git integration, syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, snippets, refactoring, and extensible plugins.
Install Visual Studio Code, set up language extensions like Python, and explore features such as autocomplete, debugging, code navigation, and source control integration.
Set up Python coding in Visual Studio Code, create and save a hello world program, print messages, and run the script in terminal to execute with the interpreter.
Define a variable as a storage location with an associated symbolic name or identifier that holds a value, which may change during program execution.
Explore Python variables and memory allocation, learn how assignment and the print function work, and practice basic data types: numbers, strings, tuples, dictionaries—plus multi-variable assignments, deletion, slicing, and concatenation.
Explore core data types such as boolean, integer, character, float, double, and string. Understand memory allocation for value types and differentiate assignment from equality in strongly and weakly typed languages.
Explore Python data types by examining lists, tuples, and dictionaries; learn zero-based indexing, heterogeneous list elements, read-only tuples, and key-value access for data handling.
Master Python data type conversion using built-in functions to convert strings to integers and floats. Transform values by converting to long, complex, lists, dictionaries, and Unicode representations.
Explore how variables store user input and computed values, and how arithmetic and logical operators shape expressions. See how remainder, relational, and conditional operators yield boolean results guiding decisions.
Explore if statements and conditional logic, using boolean conditions to execute code blocks and choose between addition or subtraction in a simple calculator.
Explore decision making in Python by using single and nested if statements, elif and else branches, with proper indentation and boolean logic to control program output.
Explore loops and iteration by showing a while loop printing hello world five times, compare do-while, and discuss endless loops and condition evaluation.
Learn how to implement loops in Python, including while, for, and nested loops, with examples showing conditions, increments, and how an infinite loop occurs.
Explore how Python implements loops and iteration, including while and for loops, range-based iteration, nested loops, and the else clause that runs when a loop completes.
Explore arrays in C by storing multiple integers in a 10-element, zero-based, single-dimensional array, including creation, initialization, indexing, and iterating to print elements.
Explore 2D arrays and multi-dimensional arrays, compare them to one-dimensional arrays, and understand index, size, and length through class, school, and student examples.
Learn how multidimensional (two-dimensional) arrays use row and column indices with integers, explore a reviewer–movie rating example, and compute the average rating via sum.
Discover how functions are reusable code blocks with input and output that drive modular programming. See how signatures, return types, and parameters define a function, with examples like hello world.
Explore Python functions, from defining with def to creating user defined functions, passing parameters, returning values, and understanding scope and code reuse for modular programs.
Explore file input and output in programming, learn file modes (read, write, append, read/write), and see examples in C++, Java, and Python for creating and manipulating files.
Learn basic input and output in Python by using print and input, and perform file operations with open, write and read modes, including reading from the keyboard.
**** This course contains pretty much everything you need to pass the exams. ****
Welcome to the PCEP – Certified Python Programmer Complete Course by Dr. Chris Mall. This course covers everything you need to know to pass the Python PCEP-30-01 & PCAP-31 Certification Exam.
This course includes an overview of the Python PCEP Programmer Exams methodology used in a programming environment.
WHAT YOU'LL RECEIVE IN THIS PYTHON PCEP PROGRAMMER PREPARTION COURSE
Exam block #1: Basic Concepts (17%)
Objectives covered by the block (5 exam items)
fundamental concepts: interpreting and the interpreter, compilation and the compiler, language elements, lexis, syntax and semantics, Python keywords, instructions, indenting
literals: Boolean, integer, floating-point numbers, scientific notation, strings
comments
the print() function
the input() function
numeral systems (binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal)
numeric operators: ** * / % // + –
string operators: * +
assignments and shortcut operators
Exam block #2: Data Types, Evaluations, and Basic I/O Operations (20%)
Objectives covered by the block (6 exam items)
operators: unary and binary, priorities and binding
bitwise operators: ~ & ^ | << >>
Boolean operators: not and or
Boolean expressions
relational operators ( == != > >= < <= ), building complex Boolean expressions
accuracy of floating-point numbers
basic input and output operations using the input(), print(), int(), float(), str(), len() functions
formatting print() output with end= and sep= arguments
type casting
basic calculations
simple strings: constructing, assigning, indexing, immutability
Exam block #3: Flow Control – loops and conditional blocks (20%)
Objectives covered by the block (6 exam items)
conditional statements: if, if-else, if-elif, if-elif-else
multiple conditional statements
the pass instruction
building loops: while, for, range(), in
iterating through sequences
expanding loops: while-else, for-else
nesting loops and conditional statements
controlling loop execution: break, continue
Exam block #4: Data Collections – Lists, Tuples, and Dictionaries (23%)
Objectives covered by the block (7 exam items)
simple lists: constructing vectors, indexing and slicing, the len() function
lists in detail: indexing, slicing, basic methods (append(), insert(), index()) and functions (len(), sorted(), etc.), del instruction, iterating lists with the for loop, initializing, in and not in operators, list comprehension, copying and cloning
lists in lists: matrices and cubes
tuples: indexing, slicing, building, immutability
tuples vs. lists: similarities and differences, lists inside tuples and tuples inside lists
dictionaries: building, indexing, adding and removing keys, iterating through dictionaries as well as their keys and values, checking key existence, keys(), items() and values() methods
strings in detail: escaping using the \ character, quotes and apostrophes inside strings, multiline strings, basic string functions.
Exam block #5: Functions (20%)
Objectives covered by the block (6 exam items)
defining and invoking your own functions and generators
return and yield keywords, returning results,
the None keyword,
recursion
parameters vs. arguments,
positional keyword and mixed argument passing,
default parameter values
converting generator objects into lists using the list() function
name scopes, name hiding (shadowing), the global keyword
Once you complete this course, you'll know everything you need to know to pass the PCEP – Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer Certification Exam.
So What Are You Waiting For?
Enroll Today!