try / except / finally flow

What this problem practises

Exceptions are control flow. except clauses are matched top to bottom, finally runs even after a return, and catching too broadly hides the real bug behind a generic message.

This is an output-prediction problem: read the snippet carefully and write down exactly what it prints before anything runs. These questions are interview staples because they test whether you know the language rules, or merely recognise their syntax.

Difficulty: medium — expect to hold two interacting rules in your head at once, such as a boundary combined with a mutation.

The challenge

What will this program print? Type the exact output (both lines, in order).

The code runs in PyDebug’s in-browser compiler. Open the problem, run the snippet, watch the exact error or output, and keep iterating until it is right. Signed-in solves count toward XP and your daily streak.

The snippet

The interactive editor pre-fills exactly this code — read it, then submit your prediction:

try:
    x = int('12a')
except ValueError:
    x = 87
finally:
    print('done')
print(x)

More exceptions problems

• try / except / finally flow medium
• try / except / finally flow medium
• try / except / finally flow medium

Keep going

• Output-prediction strategies — how to predict tricky snippets without running them.
• Browse every exceptions problem in this topic.
• Common Python errors and what they actually mean, plus the Python glossary for any term used on this page.