The PCEP is a certification exam for the Python coding language provided by the Python Institute. TechSmart’s CS201 and CS202 curricula currently cover roughly 70% of the material found on the PCEP certification exam. In order to prepare your students for this exam, including the remaining material, we have developed a PCEP certification prep course.
Prep Course Content
TechSmart’s PCEP Prep Course modules contain a mix of review and new material. Some new material will be covered later in the CS200 course series, but is taught earlier within the Prep Course to allow students to take the certification exam sooner. The course specific syllabi below give breakdowns of which lessons contain new/preview material, and which are purely review.
Course Options
There are several TechSmart courses that contain PCEP Prep material, as detailed below:
- The PCEP: Certification Prep Material course contains only PCEP Prep modules and assumes that students have already taken CS201 and CS202. This course can be completed by students asynchronously, or taught in a class setting depending on teacher preference. Syllabus
- The CS201: Coding in Python 1 + PCEP course is the standard 201 course with student-paced modules populated throughout the Homework / Other Activities section as their topics are encountered in the main course. Syllabus
- The CS202: Coding in Python 2 + PCEP course is the standard 202 course with student-paced modules populated throughout the Homework / Other Activities section as their topics are encountered in the main course. Syllabus
- The CS201: Coding in Python 1 + PCEP (EOC) course is a streamlined* version of the base CS201 course, and includes Section 1 of the PCEP Prep content. Syllabus
- The CS202: Coding in Python 2 + PCEP (EOC) course is a streamlined* version of the base CS202 course, which includes Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the PCEP Prep content. Syllabus
- The CS201L: Coding in Python 1 & 2 + PCEP (EOC) course is a streamlined* version of the base CS201L course, and includes PCEP Prep material after Unit 3 and after Unit 6, based on what was covered in each set of units.
*To make room for certification prep, non-core material such as Research Projects, Industry Practices, and secondary Coding Exercises have been removed. These can be re-added from the activity library based on teacher preference.
Preparing for the PCEP Certification Exam
No matter which prep course your class uses, the certification prep material is intended to fully prepare students for taking the PCEP, and includes frequent practice assessments, as well as an end-of-course practice certification exam. This article contains more information on next steps to take the exam.
Student-Led versus Teacher-Led Option
As a part of the PCEP Prep course offerings, TechSmart has developed an instructional activity type that can be either completed asynchronously by students on their own, or synchronously in an in-class setting.
Student-Led
Students can watch the included Instruction Video in the Assignment Panel in place of having their teacher present and discuss slides. This video will cover all of the material found in the slide deck, and has built-in pause points for students to test code or work on the provided worksheet.
Students can review the guiding questions in the assignment panel of each instruction before deciding starting the activity. If they don’t feel confident answering the questions, they should watch the video and complete the attached worksheet.
Each instruction comes with handouts to help students cement concepts and answer any questions they may have. These include:
- A written transcript of the video’s audio
- Lesson notes highlighting key points covered in the instruction
- A practice worksheet that focuses on topics tested on in the PCEP Exam (If applicable)
- An answer key for the sample code in the video and worksheet (if applicable)
Teacher-Led
These instructional activities also contain a slide deck and notes that mirror CS200 activities, and can be taught the same way as all normal Instruction Activities. After teaching, direct students to complete the worksheet in the assignment panel, and review the answer key as a class when desired.