PCAP Object-Oriented Programming Practice Question
A class has a method that does not access any instance or class data. What decorator should be used to define it as a utility method that can be called on the class itself without requiring an instance?
⚠ Common exam trap
PCAP often tests the confusion between @staticmethod and @classmethod, where candidates might think @classmethod is for utility methods, but it actually receives the class as an argument.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
@staticmethod
A @staticmethod decorator defines a method that does not receive an implicit first argument (self or cls). It can be called on the class itself without creating an instance, making it suitable for utility functions that do not access instance or class data. This matches the requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
@property
Why it's wrong here
@property is intended for instance-method attribute access: it turns a method into a getter that normally requires the implicit `self` parameter and typically computes a value from instance state. Since the method in question accesses neither instance nor class state, applying `@property` would force it to be accessed as an instance attribute, but without `self` its signature is incompatible. Even a property with a trivial implementation is still semantically bound to an instance, so it does not match the described behavior.
- ✓
@staticmethod
Why this is correct
@staticmethod is correct because it explicitly declares that the method does not receive the implicit first argument—neither `self` nor `cls`—so it can be defined and called without any reference to instance or class state. It is still stored on the class for organizational purposes, but behaves essentially like a plain function in terms of argument binding. This makes it the exact decorator for a method that accesses no instance or class data.
- ✗
@abstractmethod
Why it's wrong here
@abstractmethod is used to mark a method as a required interface that subclasses must implement when the class inherits from `ABC` (or has an `ABCMeta` metaclass). It does not alter how arguments are passed; an abstract instance method still receives `self`, and an abstract class method still receives `cls`. Decorating the method with `@abstractmethod` does not make it independent of instance or class state, so it addresses a completely different concern than the one described.
- ✗
@classmethod
Why it's wrong here
@classmethod passes the class itself as the first positional argument, conventionally named `cls`, through a bound method descriptor. Even though the method may not access instance state, it still has access to class variables, methods, and can be overridden in subclasses. For a method that intentionally has no dependency on either instance or class state, `@classmethod` introduces an unnecessary `cls` argument and is therefore not the minimal, appropriate choice.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PCAP question from scratch — 421 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Python Institute exam blueprint
This PCAP practice question is part of Courseiva's free Python Institute certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCAP exam.