How to get Python PCAP Certification: Roadmap, Resources, Tips For Success, Based On My Experience

Follow this journey of personal experience -- with useful tips and learning resources -- to help you achieve the PCAP Certification, one of the most reputed Python Certifications, to validate your knowledge against International Standards.



By Mehul Varsha Singh, AI Undergrad at U. of Nottingham.

Python is the most popular programming language of this decade. Period.

Regardless of the reason you start to learn Python, you will need to validate your knowledge at some point in your journey against International Standards.

“If you are learning it, you might as well get a certification out of it.” - Mehul

Certificate RoadMap by the Python Institute OpenEDG

Perhaps the 4 most important and talked about Python certificates are ones offered by The Python Institute OpenEDG.

Python Institute Certification Roadmap By OpenEDG.

I have achieved the PCAP (Python Certified Associate Programming) Certification on August 11, 2021 with 90%.

 

Exam - Key Details

 

  • Examination version: PCAP-31–03
  • Duration: 65 min + 10 min (Non-disclosure Agreement)
  • Number of Questions: 40
  • Passing score: 70%
  • Exam Conducted: Online Proctored by Pearson Vue
  • Exam Format: MCQs (single and multiple)
  • Price: USD 295.00 (without Discount)

Want a Discount on the Certification Fee? When you complete the PCAP Course on Open EDG (Python Essentials Part 1 and Python Essentials Part 2), you will obtain a 50% discount voucher that reduces the exam fee to USD 147.50.

You are not allowed to use an IDE.

My Plan For The Exam

So, I had made up my mind: “Mehul, you got to be PCAP Certified By August.” And, that was me, on the 31st of June!

I then started making a plan in Excel.

In Short: 1 Month Of Preparation and 2 Weeks of Practice Tests.

I went through the Syllabus of PCAP, which is available as a Free and Self-Paced Training Course on Open EDG.

It consisted of 4 Modules (Modules and Packages, Strings and Exceptions, Object-Oriented Programming, and Miscellaneous).

Modules.

I had decided to take up 1 Module/Week.

So, from Monday through Friday, I would go through the syllabus, and on Saturday and Sunday, I would do Questions from W3 Schools to revise those topics.

Within 1 month, I was done with the Syllabus Of PCAP.

For the next 2 weeks, I focused on doing Practice Tests/Mock Exams.

Some more resources and notes:

  1. Cisco Networking Academy (Free and Self Paced, Consists Of An Additional Practice Test, Once Completed you can also get a 50% Discount Voucher for the Exam)
  2. Free Sample Test Provided By Open EDG
  3. You will have 1 Quiz and 1 Test per Module in the PCAP Free Course (Part2) and One Final Summary Test, which you can repeat as many times as you like (given above).
  4. Mock Tests From External Sources (Not PCAP): The level of these Mock Tests was generally tougher than the actual exam, which will give you an edge when attempting the actual exam!I scored 85% at least 3 times before I appeared for the main exam.

  1. Flash Cards: They were extremely effective, especially for instant revision before the exam.
  1. Exam Discussion Dumps

Some Tips!

  1. Focus on the concept.
  2. The exam consists of You may get confused when selecting, as each answer isn’t explicitly different. Use the elimination method when solving.
  3. Practice as many questions as you can, as that will give you an advantage in the exam.
  4. Attempt the Practice Tests with a stopwatch (I was able to finish my final exam in 30 min, spent the rest of the time checking).
  5. When learning, if you don't understand a program, copy-paste it in a debugger and understand the program flow. This will help you in the examination when they ask you to predict the output (especially for object-oriented related problems).

Lastly, don’t feel bogged down if you can't solve a question. Understand the solution, make notes on why the answers were as such, and try again. I personally like to read out each line of the code and solve the question.

Well, that completes my journey through PCAP.

I hope my experience and resources gave you the confidence and motivation to achieve the PCAP with flying colors!

 

Bio: Mehul Varsha Singh is an AI Undergraduate at the University Of Nottingham, and is a trained Dancer, Guitarist, and Maybank Student Ambassador.

 

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