What is my pickleball skill rating? Take this quiz to get rated

This article was written in collaboration with USA Pickleball

Ever wondered what your pickleball rating is? Your pickleball skill rating is a gauge of how good you are at the game. Getting rated is important if you want to play fun, competitive games at your level and track your progress over time.

In pickleball, there are several different ways your ability can be assessed and rated. Read on to learn all about pickleball ratings, and why they’re important. Once you understand the system, why not take USA Pickleball’s short quiz and get your own personal pickleball rating assessment?

There’s a simple system known as a “general pickleball skill level” helps players properly categorize themselves for recreational play. You have three options:

Many clubs and leagues use these basic classifications because they’re a useful way to help level the players so they can start playing together.

In this pickleball rating system, beginners include everyone from first-time players to those who can sustain a short rally. These players would range from 1.0-2.5. They can hit simple shots, and have a basic understanding of how to play pickleball, including the rules and basic strategy.

Intermediate players have a rating of 3.0-4.0. They understand the rules and strategy and can sustain a rally using a combination of shots, including dinks and drop shots. They can hit with some spin and good aim, and have fewer unforced errors. This is probably the majority of players you’ll find at your local pickleball court or club.

Advanced players score 4.0 and above. They are proficient and adept in all aspects of the game. They play with patience and use advanced pickleball strategies to create opportunities to attack. Overall, advanced players can execute all types of shots consistently.

These rating levels are a great way to divide up players in open play sessions because you ensure everyone is playing with opponents of a similar skill level. That keeps it fun for everyone.

For a more in-depth skills assessment, let's explore the pickleball “self-rating” system, and how it works. This method is exactly as it sounds: you give yourself a skill rating between 1.0 and 6.0 based on certain criteria. This means you have to be honest with yourself when assessing your skills.

Luckily, USA Pickleball publishes a list of pickleball skill rating guidelines on how you should score yourself. Your score depends on which pickleball skills you’ve mastered.

Below are the USA Pickleball rating (UTPR) instructions, along with the UTR-P rating scale used by USA Pickleball for competitive league and tournament play. Note that UTR-P self-ratings are called “provisional ratings” (e.g. P3) and eventually convert to digital computer-generated ratings from documented tournament and league results.

See where you are using this guide:

Still not sure where you fit? Use this simplified chart to find the description that best matches your game:

So, here’s the million-dollar question: how do you improve your pickleball rating? The simple answer is by getting better at the game.

The best way to do this is by practicing. Play as much pickleball as you can. Try out the best practice drills when you can’t find an opponent, and watch tutorials on YouTube when you’re off the court. If you’re very serious about improving, consider investing in a pickleball machine to consistently drill without a partner.

Taking pickleball lessons is another great way to up your pickleball rating. Coaches can help you to hone your skills and give you great pointers, tips, and drills.

Lastly, if you continually push your limits, you’ll notice your game improving. Try playing against higher-rated players when you can. Work on new skills against less experienced players and incorporate improved skills and strategies into evenly-skilled matches. This will give you the best overall environment to improve.

For players interested in participating in more structured and competitive leagues and tournaments, there are several rating platforms used by league organizers and tournament directors. Player ratings are calculated based on match results entered into the platforms.

Here are the most common types.

UTR-P is the pickleball ranking system from well-known tennis-brand UTR (Universal Tennis Rating). Later in 2024, USA Pickleball will formally adopt UTR-P ranking for all their events, including the National Championships being held in Arizona in November. This will replace the USA Pickleball ratings used for tournament play (known as “UTPR”).

Similar to the tennis version, the UTR-P ranking system gives pickleball players a score (1.0-10.0). This rating is regardless of age, gender, nationality, or geographical location.

This is new and exciting for rec players. As well as being used for computer-generated ratings for competitive tournaments and league play, a UTR-P rating can be used for recreational play when self-rating.

It’s easy to get your own UTR-P rating. Simply go to the UTR-P website and click “Get UTR-P Rated”. After inputting some information about you and your match history, you’ll receive a rating in minutes.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have match results (once you’ve made a UTR account). If that’s the case, you will receive a provisional rating.

DUPR stands for Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating. This system was devised by Steve Kuhn, founder and former CEO of Major League Pickleball (MLP).

This is a more advanced pickleball rating system that calculates a player's ranking based on game results instead of criteria or self-reporting. Their rating system aims to standardize ratings across ages, genders, and locations by analyzing match results and placing them along a rating scale (2.000-8.000).

The system is primarily used for tournaments and other competitive events like leagues. After a tournament or league, a player’s results are sent to DUPR and their rating updates dynamically. These structured events often require a certain DUPR score to enter, like a 4.5+ DUPR league.

DUPR also accepts recreational matches as inputs, as long as the match is validated. This means all participants must confirm the match results before it can be accepted by DUPR.

In theory, this means that every match you play could be counted toward your pickleball rating, even though you might never play an official tournament. All you need to do is report your wins and losses to DUPR, get validation from all players and your rating will be calculated.

Over time, your score adapts to your real skill level. This is because your most recent matches have more influence on your overall rating.

On May 28, 2024, DUPR announced the launch of the DUPR Reliability Score. This measures DUPR’s confidence in a given player's rating, further helping players and organizers set up leveled play. DUPR considers a score of 60% or above a reliable rating. The more scores you enter into DUPR, the higher your Reliability Score will be over time.

The idea of DUPR is to democratize pickleball skill ratings and allow everyone to have a rating based on results. Currently, though, DUPR is used primarily for structured competitive play, whereas most recreational play is organized by the self-reported system I mentioned earlier.

First, head over to the DUPR website and download the app. Create a free account and input your match results. Then you’ll get a rating.

While UTR and DUPR are by far the most popular rating systems for competitive play, there are other software-based ratings platforms. Here’s an overview of each:

The Global Pickleball Network (GPN) has over 120,000 players registered on its database. You can use their rating system to get a playing level.

You can input league, tournament, and practice match results. Like with DUPR, this system provides separate rankings for pickleball singles and doubles. Their rating system goes from 2.0-6.0.

After signing up and getting your ratings, you’ll have a profile page that other players can see. This shows your level, ranking, match history, and a chart of the changes in your playing level over time. Your GPN rating can also be integrated into your DUPR rating.

Until recently, USA Pickleball had their own system for rating all official USA Pickleball tournaments. This was known as UTPR (Tournament Player Ratings). The system is being phased out for USAP tournaments and leagues, to be replaced by UTR-P.

Now that we’ve discussed some methods for working out your pickleball skill level rating, let's consider why it’s important. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player, it’s never fun to play against opponents with an entirely different skill level to yours. It’s not fun for either side.

So, by knowing your general pickleball rating, you can avoid the frustration of playing against someone who is way more advanced (or way less advanced) than you are. Knowing your pickleball skill rating makes it easier for everyone to enjoy the game to its fullest. As your pickleball journey progresses, your rating will also come in handy when registering for tournaments and events.

That concludes our overview of pickleball ratings and how to get your rating. Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the different ways to assess your pickleball skill level.

As you continue advancing, don’t forget about those new players coming into the game. Make them feel welcome, encourage them along, and help them enjoy this great sport we all love. We will all get better that way.

If your rating has improved recently and you want to upgrade your paddle, check out my list of the best pickleball paddles. For more gear options, check out my other pickleball gear reviews.

Following Pickleheads' recent partnership with USA Pickleball, we collaborated on revamping this article, making sure it contained all the most up-to-date information. Learn more about how Pickleheads is now the official court finder of USA Pickleball.