PCEP Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic Practice Question
This PCEP practice question tests your understanding of control flow, loops, lists and logic. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company stores employee data as a list of dictionaries. Each dictionary has keys 'name' and 'age'. Which code correctly counts employees older than 30?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
count = 0
for emp in employees:
if emp['age'] > 30:
count += 1
Option C is correct because it uses a simple `for` loop to iterate directly over each dictionary in the `employees` list, checks if the value of the `'age'` key is greater than 30, and increments the counter accordingly. This is the most Pythonic and readable approach for counting elements that satisfy a condition.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
count = 0
for i in range(len(employees)):
if employees[i]['age'] <= 30:
count += 1
Why it's wrong here
Condition uses <= 30, counting employees 30 or younger.
✗
count = 0
i = 0
while i < len(employees):
if employees[i]['age'] > 30:
count += 1
Why it's wrong here
Missing i increment causes infinite loop.
✓
count = 0
for emp in employees:
if emp['age'] > 30:
count += 1
Why this is correct
Correctly increments count for each employee over 30.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
count = [emp for emp in employees if emp['age'] > 30]
Why it's wrong here
Returns a list, not the count.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Python Institute often tests the distinction between creating a filtered list and counting elements, so the trap here is that option D looks correct but produces a list instead of a numeric count, which is a subtle but critical difference.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Python dictionaries are hash tables, so accessing `emp['age']` is O(1) on average. The `for` loop in option C directly iterates over the list's iterator, avoiding the overhead of indexing and the `range()` function. In real-world data processing, using list comprehensions (like option D) with `len()` is often more efficient for counting, but the question specifically asks for code that 'counts' and option C correctly accumulates the integer count.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PCEP exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic — This question tests Control Flow, Loops, Lists and Logic — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: count = 0
for emp in employees:
if emp['age'] > 30:
count += 1 — Option C is correct because it uses a simple `for` loop to iterate directly over each dictionary in the `employees` list, checks if the value of the `'age'` key is greater than 30, and increments the counter accordingly. This is the most Pythonic and readable approach for counting elements that satisfy a condition.
What should I do if I get this PCEP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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