Assessing a new student

A diagnostic first session that tells you where to place the student and what to work on first.

Spend the first session diagnosing, not teaching. You need to know how the student thinks, not only what they know.

Diagnostic session (about 60 minutes)

1. Talk (5 min): experience, tournaments played, goals, how they practise now, what they enjoy.
2. Puzzle ladder (15 min): start two levels below their estimated rating and step up until they fail three in a row. Note speed as well as accuracy.
3. Endgame check (10 min): K+Q vs K, K+R vs K, basic opposition; for 1400+ add Lucena and Philidor. Use the play-out positions against the engine.
4. Thinking aloud (15 min): give a quiet middlegame position and ask them to choose a move while speaking. Listen for checks/captures/threats, candidate moves, and whether they consider the opponent’s reply.
5. Their games (15 min): replay two recent losses. Where did the game turn? Did they notice it themselves?

What to write down after the session

• Placement level and the reason.
• Top three weaknesses, in order of how many points they cost.
• Strengths to build on (attacking flair, good memory, calm under pressure…).
• Practical constraints: time available per week, online/OTB, age and attention span.
• Enter a first skill assessment in the app (Lessons & assessments tab) so progress is measurable from day one.