> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# PCEP exam overview

> PCEP-30-03, Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer: what the exam covers and how the modules map to it.

**PCEP™ – Certified Entry-Level Python Programmer** is the first of the two Python Institute exams in this course. It checks that you can read, trace, complete, and write simple Python programs.

| | |
| - | - |
| **Exam code** | PCEP-30-03 |
| **Questions** | 35 |
| **Time** | 50 minutes |
| **Passing score** | 70% |
| **Valid for** | 5 years |
| **Blueprint** | Version 1.5, revised November 2, 2026 |

## Exam sections

Every objective is worth about one question, so the section weights follow the number of objectives.

| Section | Questions | Weight |
| - | - | - |
| 1. Computer Programming and Python Fundamentals | 6 | 17% |
| 2. Control Flow: Conditional Blocks and Loops | 8 | 23% |
| 3. Data Collections: Lists, Tuples, Sets, Dictionaries, and Strings | 9 | 26% |
| 4. Functions and Exceptions | 7 | 20% |
| 5. File Handling and Module Imports | 5 | 14% |
| **Total** | **35** | **100%** |

## Modules

Modules 1 to 14 cover all 35 objectives, in blueprint order. Each module page lists the objectives it covers and the skills the exam checks for each one.

| Module | Section | Objectives |
| - | - | - |
| [Module 1: How Python runs your code](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-01/outline.md) | 1 | 1.1.1, 1.2.1 |
| [Module 2: Literals and variables](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-02/outline.md) | 1 | 1.3.1, 1.3.2 |
| [Module 3: Operators, expressions, and console I/O](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-03/outline.md) | 1 | 1.4.1, 1.4.2 |
| [Module 4: Conditional execution](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-04/outline.md) | 2 | 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 |
| [Module 5: Loops](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-05/outline.md) | 2 | 2.2.1, 2.2.2, 2.2.3, 2.2.4, 2.2.5 |
| [Module 6: Lists](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-06/outline.md) | 3 | 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.1.3 |
| [Module 7: Tuples and sets](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-07/outline.md) | 3 | 3.2.1, 3.3.1 |
| [Module 8: Dictionaries](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-08/outline.md) | 3 | 3.4.1 |
| [Module 9: Strings](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-09/outline.md) | 3 | 3.5.1, 3.5.2, 3.5.3 |
| [Module 10: Defining functions](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-10/outline.md) | 4 | 4.1.1, 4.1.2, 4.1.3 |
| [Module 11: Flexible arguments and scope](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-11/outline.md) | 4 | 4.1.4, 4.1.5 |
| [Module 12: Exceptions](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-12/outline.md) | 4 | 4.2.1, 4.2.2 |
| [Module 13: File handling](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-13/outline.md) | 5 | 5.1.1, 5.1.2 |
| [Module 14: Modules and imports](https://python-training.ipoint-labs.com/pcep/module-14/outline.md) | 5 | 5.2.1, 5.2.2, 5.2.3 |

The full blueprint is on the [Python Institute PCEP-30-03 syllabus page](https://pythoninstitute.org/pcep-exam-syllabus).


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