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Python Basics for Complete Beginners
Learn the core ideas of Python programming from scratch: variables, decisions, lists, loops and functions. Five short lessons and a quiz, with a certificate of completion.
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The short version
Free, no payment details
Sign up with your name and e-mail and confirm it with a 6-digit code. There is nothing to buy.
About 68 minutes
5 short lessons and one final quiz. Your progress is saved, so you can stop and come back on any device.
Certificate of completion
Finish every lesson and score 70% or more on the final quiz. Retakes are unlimited.
Not a program
This free short course is not part of a Ucademy diploma or certificate program and gives no program credit.
What you will learn
- Install Python 3 or use a browser editor, and run code at the interactive prompt and from a script file
- Store and calculate with numbers and text using variables, f-strings and input()
- Make decisions in code with if, elif, else, comparisons and, or, not
- Work with lists and dictionaries and repeat actions with for and while loops
- Write functions with parameters and return values and explain why local variables stay inside them
- Read an error message and fix a bug with a simple step-by-step routine
Who it is for
Adults with no programming experience who want a first taste of coding: career changers, office staff, students and anyone considering a path in software development.
What you need
- A computer with an internet connection
- Python 3 installed from python.org, or any free online Python 3 editor
- About 70 minutes in total, plus time to type and run the examples
Lessons
- 1Meet Python: your first program13 min
- 2Variables, numbers and text13 min
- 3Making decisions with if statements13 min
- 4Lists, loops and dictionaries14 min
- 5Functions and a complete small program15 min
- ✓Python Basics for Complete Beginners: final quizfinal quiz
Where this course can lead
Software & Web Developer Diploma
This course is a short, practical introduction. The full program goes much further: 960 hours online of full-stack development: web pages, programming, databases and team tools.
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See the course →Frequently asked questions
Yes. You create a free Ucademy account, take the five lessons and the quiz, and pay nothing.
Yes. When you finish the lessons and pass the quiz you receive a certificate of completion from Ucademy. The course is not part of a Ucademy diploma or certificate program.
About 70 minutes of reading, plus time to type and run the code. The course is online and self-paced, so you can take one lesson at a time.
No. The course starts from zero and explains every term the first time it appears. You only need basic computer skills.
Use Python 3, the current line of the language, which you can download free from python.org or use in an online editor.
Start Python Basics for Complete Beginners today
Free, online and at your own pace, with a certificate of completion.