Interactive Quiz ⋅ 10 QuestionsBy Joseph Peart Share Get hands-on with Python lists in this quick quiz. You’ll revisit indexing and slicing, update items in place, and compare list methods. Along the way, you’ll look at reversing elements, using the list() constructor and the len() function, and distinguishing between shallow and deep copies. For a refresher, see the Real Python guide to Python lists. The quiz contains 10 questions and there is no time limit. You’ll get 1 point for […]

Interactive Quiz ⋅ 9 QuestionsBy Joseph Peart Share In this quiz, you’ll revisit how to tame the file system with Python’s pathlib module. You’ll reinforce core pathlib concepts, including checking whether a path points to a file and instantiating Path objects. You’ll revisit joining paths with the / operator and .joinpath(), iterating over directory contents with .iterdir(), and renaming files on disk with .replace(). You’ll also check your knowledge of common file operations such as creating empty files with .touch(), […]

Interactive Quiz ⋅ 8 QuestionsBy Joseph Peart Share In this quiz, you’ll test your understanding of The Zen of Python. By working through this quiz, you’ll revisit core aphorisms and learn how they guide readable, maintainable, and Pythonic code. The questions explore practical tradeoffs like breaking dense expressions into smaller parts, favoring clarity over cleverness, and making code behavior explicit. The quiz contains 8 questions and there is no time limit. You’ll get 1 point for each correct answer. At […]

The Zen of Python is a collection of 19 aphorisms that capture the guiding principles behind Python’s design. You can display them anytime by running import this in a Python REPL. Tim Peters wrote them in 1999 as a joke, but they became an iconic part of Python culture that was even formalized as PEP 20. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll understand: The Zen of Python is a humorous poem of 19 aphorisms describing Python’s design philosophy Running […]

When you’re writing robust code, tests are essential for verifying that your application logic is correct, reliable, and efficient. However, the value of your tests depends on how well they demonstrate these qualities. Obstacles such as complex logic and unpredictable dependencies can make writing valuable tests challenging. The Python mock object library, unittest.mock, can help you overcome these obstacles. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to: Create Python mock objects using Mock Assert that you’re using objects […]

Last month brought exciting performance news for Python! The Python 3.15 alphas showed JIT compiler speed gains of up to 7–8% on some platforms, while pandas released version 3.0, delivering the most significant performance improvements in years. The Python Software Foundation also received considerable investments in Python security and launched the 2026 Python Developers Survey, and PyTorch 2.10 deprecated TorchScript. Time to dive into the biggest Python news from the past month! Python Releases and PEP Highlights Last month brought […]

The idea of attending a Python conference can feel intimidating. You might wonder if you know enough, if you’ll fit in, or if it’s worth your time and money. In this guide, you’ll learn about the different types of Python conferences, what they actually offer, who they’re for, and how attending one can support your learning, confidence, and connection to the wider Python community. Prerequisites This guide is for all Python users who want to grow their Python knowledge, get […]