PCPP2 Database Access Practice Question
How do you retrieve the number of documents matched by a PyMongo 'find' operation without fetching all documents into memory?
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
✓
collection.count_documents(filter)
The count_documents() method on a collection is the recommended way to get a count.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
cursor.count()
Why it's wrong here
The count() method on cursor is deprecated.
- ✗
collection.size()
Why it's wrong here
size() is not a valid method on collection objects.
- ✗
len(list(cursor))
Why it's wrong here
This loads all documents into memory, which is inefficient.
- ✓
collection.count_documents(filter)
Why this is correct
count_documents is the modern, non-deprecated method.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official Python Institute exam blueprint
This PCPP2 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 PCPP2 exam.