PCEP study plan

Write and run 20 short scripts mixing int, float, bool and str literals with + - * / // % **, predicting every result before execution and logging any mismatch.

Convert values between int, float, str and bool, and state which values are falsy (0, 0.0, '', [], (), {}, None, False).

Build a single-file script that reads two values with input(), casts them, and prints a formatted result using print() with sep and end arguments.

Complete 30 index and slice predictions on lists and strings, including negative indices, step values and out-of-range cases, marking which raise IndexError.

Identify and fix 10 deliberately broken snippets involving unterminated strings, wrong indentation and mismatched operators.

Apply list methods append, insert, extend, remove, pop, sort, reverse, index and count across 20 scenarios, stating for each whether the method mutates in place or returns a new object.

Demonstrate aliasing versus copying by writing snippets using b = a, a[:], list(a) and a.copy(), and showing where a shared reference changes observable behavior.

Build a word-frequency counter over a 300-word text using a dictionary with get, setdefault, keys, values, items, update and pop.

Use at least 15 string methods (split, join, strip, replace, find, rfind, startswith, endswith, upper, lower, isdigit, isalpha, isspace, title, center) and slice strings with negative steps.

Solve three deduplication and overlap problems with set operators | & - ^ and explain why a set cannot contain a list.

Pack and unpack tuples in assignment, function returns and swap statements, and explain why tuple immutability prevents item assignment.

Write 20 if/elif/else blocks covering comparison chaining, in, not in, is, is not and truthiness, predicting the branch taken before running each one.

Trace short-circuit evaluation of and, or and not across 15 expressions that call side-effecting functions, recording exactly which calls execute.

Rewrite 10 nested if statements as flat elif chains or conditional expressions and justify each rewrite.

Diagnose 10 snippets that raise IndentationError or SyntaxError, fix them, and state the PEP 8 rule that was violated.

Write for loops over range() with start, stop and step, and over strings, lists and dictionaries (keys, values, items), stating the iteration order for each.

Use while loops for eight accumulating and searching tasks, and write down the exact condition that terminates each loop.

Control loop flow with break, continue and the loop else clause across 12 exercises, predicting whether else executes in each case.

Build a nested-loop multiplication table and a pattern printer, then rewrite the multiplication table using a single loop.

Debug five infinite loops by adding a counter, a state print or a corrected condition.

Define and call 20 functions covering positional arguments, keyword arguments and default values, including a demonstration of the mutable default argument trap.

Explain return semantics by writing functions with no return, an early return, and a return of multiple values as a tuple.

Trace name resolution across 12 nested-scope snippets using the local, enclosing, global, built-in order, then rewrite one using the global keyword and argue why that is usually avoidable.

Write five recursive functions (factorial, Fibonacci, digit sum, list length, binary search) and print the recursion depth for each.

Use try/except/else/finally in 12 snippets and predict exactly which blocks execute for success, handled error and unhandled error outcomes.

Catch specific exceptions (ValueError, ZeroDivisionError, TypeError, KeyError, IndexError, FileNotFoundError) instead of a bare except, and justify each choice.

Raise and re-raise exceptions with raise, and validate inputs with assert while noting that the -O flag disables assertions.

Place 10 built-in exceptions into the standard hierarchy and state which base class a broad handler should target.

Open, read (read, readline, readlines), write and append text files in modes 'r', 'w', 'a', 'r+', 'rb', predicting file contents after each operation and verifying with a hex or repr dump.

Refactor eight file snippets to use the with statement so files close even when an exception is raised, and confirm closure by inspecting the file object.

Import modules with import x, from x import y and import x as z, and use functions from math, random and platform in 10 working snippets.

Diagnose six runtime failures involving FileNotFoundError, ModuleNotFoundError, a wrong open mode and a file used after close.

Re-attempt every entry in your error log and confirm each mistake is now explainable in one sentence.

Complete two 45-question timed mocks spanning all five domains and score 85% or higher on both.

Drill the 20 weakest objectives surfaced by the mocks until each is answered correctly twice in a row without notes.

Compress operator precedence, mutable versus immutable types, and the exception hierarchy onto a single reference page you can redraw from memory.