Self-Assessment Rubrics¶

Rate yourself honestly on each skill. Use the scale to identify strengths and gaps, then focus your practice on areas scored 1-3.

Rating Scale: - 1 — No idea: Have not encountered this concept yet - 2 — Seen it: Recognize the concept but cannot apply it independently - 3 — Can do with help: Can accomplish this with documentation or examples open - 4 — Confident: Can do this from memory in most situations - 5 — Can teach it: Could explain this clearly to someone else and handle edge cases

Levels 0-2: Beginner¶

Core Python Fluency¶

#	Skill	Rating (1-5)
1	Can I write a function from scratch without copying an example?	___
2	Can I read an error traceback and identify which line caused the problem?	___
3	Can I explain what my code does, line by line, to someone else?	___
4	Can I choose between a list, dict, and set for a given problem?	___
5	Can I write a for loop and a while loop and know when to use each?	___
6	Can I open, read, and write files without looking up the syntax?	___
7	Can I use f-strings to format output clearly?	___
8	Can I break a problem into smaller functions instead of writing one long script?	___

Beginner milestone: Score 4+ on items 1-3 before moving to Level 3.

Levels 3-5: Intermediate¶

Design and Quality¶

#	Skill	Rating (1-5)
1	Can I design a solution (pseudocode or outline) before writing code?	___
2	Can I write pytest tests for my own functions?	___
3	Can I refactor duplicated code into reusable functions or classes?	___
4	Can I use logging instead of print() for debugging?	___
5	Can I read and navigate someone else's Python project?	___
6	Can I use try/except to handle expected errors gracefully?	___
7	Can I create and use virtual environments for project isolation?	___
8	Can I write a module that another script can import and use?	___
9	Can I use list comprehensions and generator expressions appropriately?	___
10	Can I read library documentation and apply new APIs without a tutorial?	___

Intermediate milestone: Score 4+ on items 1-4 before moving to Level 6.

Levels 6-8: Advanced¶

Architecture and Integration¶

#	Skill	Rating (1-5)
1	Can I explain architectural trade-offs (e.g., monolith vs. microservices, SQL vs. NoSQL)?	___
2	Can I integrate external REST APIs and handle authentication, pagination, and errors?	___
3	Can I work with databases using an ORM (SQLAlchemy) and write raw SQL when needed?	___
4	Can I handle concurrent operations safely using asyncio or threading?	___
5	Can I debug without print() — using breakpoint(), pdb, or a debugger?	___
6	Can I profile code to find performance bottlenecks?	___
7	Can I design a data model with proper relationships and constraints?	___
8	Can I write integration tests that test multiple components together?	___
9	Can I use decorators and context managers to reduce boilerplate?	___
10	Can I package a Python project with pyproject.toml and manage dependencies?	___

Advanced milestone: Score 4+ on items 1-5 before moving to Level 9.

Levels 9-10: Expert¶

System Design and Leadership¶

#	Skill	Rating (1-5)
1	Can I design a complete system from business requirements to implementation plan?	___
2	Can I mentor others on Python best practices and explain why behind the rules?	___
3	Can I contribute to open-source Python projects (read codebase, submit PRs, follow conventions)?	___
4	Can I evaluate competing approaches and articulate the trade-offs of each?	___
5	Can I design for observability (logging, metrics, tracing) from the start?	___
6	Can I plan and execute a zero-downtime migration or deployment?	___
7	Can I write architecture decision records that future developers will understand?	___
8	Can I identify and remediate security vulnerabilities in Python applications?	___
9	Can I design APIs that are versioned, documented, and backward-compatible?	___
10	Can I lead a technical design review and give constructive feedback?	___

Expert milestone: Score 4+ on items 1-4 to consider yourself production-ready.

How to Use This Assessment¶

Take it honestly. There is no grade — this is for your own planning.
Retake every 2-4 weeks to track growth. Date your assessments.
Focus practice on your lowest-scoring items within your current tier.
Do not skip ahead to a higher tier until you hit the milestone for your current one.
Use the projects — each curriculum level is designed to build the skills listed above.

Assessment Log¶

Record your scores over time:

Date	Beginner Avg	Intermediate Avg	Advanced Avg	Expert Avg
YYYY-MM-DD	___._	___._	___._	___._
YYYY-MM-DD	___._	___._	___._	___._
YYYY-MM-DD	___._	___._	___._	___._

Honest self-assessment is the fastest path to improvement. Rate where you are, not where you want to be.