Beginner, Novice, How can you tell?

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I know this may sound like a very funny question to many people on this forum.However I have always wondered how can I tell if I'm a beginner or novice (I know I'm not an expert)? I first tried to compare myself to people in my high school but I live in an area that very few people play badminton.I would say that I am second or third best on my high school badminton team (the best guy is ranked in the province) and got the MVP award last year from my high school.Can someone tell me how they rank people in terms of skill and maybe I can use that to apply to myself? Any help or words would be greatly appreciated.