Certified Associate in Python Programming (PCAP-31-03) Practice Exam

Certified Associate in Python Programming (PCAP-31-03) Practice Exam

About Certified Associate in Python Programming Exam

The Certified Associate in Python Programming (PCAP) certification assesses the candidates skills and knowledge in the advanced areas of programming, including OOP fundamentals, modules and packages, exception handling in OOP, advanced string operations, list comprehensions, lambdas, generators, closures, and file processing.

Skills Evaluated

The certification assesses a candidate's capability to undertake intermediate-level coding tasks in the Python language. This includes the proficiency to design, develop, debug, execute, and refactor multi-module Python programs. Additionally, it evaluates their skills and knowledge in analyzing and modeling real-life problems within the Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) framework, utilizing fundamental concepts and techniques inherent to the object-oriented approach.

Exam Details

• Exam name: Certified Associate in Python Programming
• Exam Code: PCAP-31-03 
• Exam Pre-requisites: None
  
• Exam Validity: Lifetime
• Exam Duration: 65 minutes, NDA/Tutorial: 10 minutes
• Total Questions: 40 Questions 
• Exam Format: Single- and multiple-select questions
• Passing Score: 70% and above
• Exam Language: English

Course Outline 

The Certified Associate in Python Programming (PCAP-31-03) Exam covers the following topics - 

Domain 1: Understanding Modules and Packages (12%)

1.1 Describe the Import and use modules and packages

• import variants: import, from import, import as, import *
• advanced qualifying for nested modules
• the dir() function
• the sys.path variable

1.2 Describe Perform evaluations using the math module

• functions: ceil(), floor(), trunc(), factorial(), hypot(), sqrt()

1.3 Describe and create random values using the random module

• functions: random(), seed(), choice(), sample()

1.4 Identify host platform properties using the platform module

• functions: platform(), machine(), processor(), system(), version(), python_implementation(), python_version_tuple()

1.5 Build and use user-defined modules and packages

• idea and rationale;
• the __pycache__ directory
• the __name__ variable
• public and private variables
• the __init__.py file
• searching for/through modules/packages
• nested packages vs. directory trees

Domain 2: Understanding Exceptions (14%)

2.1 Learn to handle errors using Python-defined exceptions

• except, except:-except, except:-else:, except (e1, e2)
• the hierarchy of exceptions
• raise, raise ex
• assert
• event classes
• except E as e
• the arg property

2.2 Extend the Python exceptions hierarchy with self-defined exceptions

• self-defined exceptions
• defining and using self-defined exceptions

Domain 3: Overview of Strings (18%)

3.1 Overview of machine representation of characters

• encoding standards: ASCII, UNICODE, UTF-8, code points, escape sequences

3.2 Explain Operate on strings

• functions: ord(), chr()
• indexing, slicing, immutability
• iterating through strings, concatenating, multiplying, comparing (against strings and numbers)
• operators: in, not in

3.3 Explain to employ built-in string methods

• methods: .isxxx(), .join(), .split(), .sort(), sorted(), .index(), .find(), .rfind()

Domain 4: Understanding Object-Oriented Programming (34%)

4.1 Learn about the Object-Oriented approach

• ideas and notions: class, object, property, method, encapsulation, inheritance, superclass, subclass, identifying class components

4.2 Learn to Employ class and object properties

• instance vs. class variables: declarations and initializations
• the __dict__ property (objects vs. classes)
• private components (instances vs. classes)
• name mangling

4.3 Learn to Equip a class with methods

• declaring and using methods
• the self parameter

4.4 Learn and discover the class structure

• introspection and the hasattr() function (objects vs classes)
• properties: __name__, __module__ , __bases__

4.5 Build a class hierarchy using inheritance

• single and multiple inheritance
• the isinstance() function
• overriding
• operators:
• not is, is
• polymorphism
• overriding the __str__() method
• diamonds

4.6 Learn to construct and initialize objects

• declaring and invoking constructors

Domain 5: Overview of Miscellaneous Topics (22%)

5.1 Learn to create complex lists using list comprehension

• list comprehensions: the if operator, nested comprehensions

5.2 Learn to embed lambda functions into the code

• lambdas: defining and using lambdas
• self-defined functions taking lambdas as arguments
• functions: map(), filter()

5.3 Learn to define and use closures

• closures: meaning and rationale
• defining and using closures

5.4 Learn basic Input/Output terminology

• I/O modes
• predefined streams
• handles vs. streams
• text vs. binary modes

5.5 Learn about Perform Input/Output operations

• the open() function
• the errno variable and its values
• functions: close(), .read(), .write(), .readline(), readlines()
• using bytearray as input/output buffer