Skate Canada: CanSkate and STAR Assessments
Start with CanSkate for beginner learning, or choose a STAR assessment discipline below. STAR assessment names also appear in competition categories, but an assessment and a competition entry are different things.
Choose a pathway
Open a pathway for its collected requirements. Expand its records for direct links to individual stages. Read the date and coverage notes before relying on a requirement.
CanSkate
Learn-to-skate progression with staged assessments
Six CanSkate stages develop Balance, Control and Agility. Follow the updated element descriptions rather than assuming an older manual remains authoritative.
Official pathway sourceBrowse 6 collected stage and level records
STAR Skills
Assessment structure
Skills assessments progress through STAR 1–10 and Gold.
Official pathway sourceBrowse 11 collected stage and level records
STAR Freeskate
Assessment structure
Freeskate elements and programs are separate parts. STAR 1 has elements only; Gold has a program assessment.
Official pathway sourceBrowse 20 collected stage and level records
- STAR 1 Freeskate Elements
- STAR 2 Freeskate Elements
- STAR 2 Freeskate Program
- STAR 3 Freeskate Elements
- STAR 3 Freeskate Program
- STAR 4 Freeskate Elements
- STAR 4 Freeskate Program
- STAR 5 Freeskate Elements
- STAR 5 Freeskate Program
- STAR 6 Freeskate Elements
- STAR 6 Freeskate Program
- STAR 7 Freeskate Elements
- STAR 7 Freeskate Program
- STAR 8 Freeskate Elements
- STAR 8 Freeskate Program
- STAR 9 Freeskate Elements
- STAR 9 Freeskate Program
- STAR 10 Freeskate Elements
- STAR 10 Freeskate Program
- Gold Freeskate Program
STAR Dance
Assessment structure
Dance includes step elements, named pattern dances and Gold rhythm dance. Diamond dance is separately documented.
Official pathway sourceBrowse 28 collected stage and level records
- STAR 1 Dance Step Elements
- STAR 2A Dutch Waltz
- STAR 2B Canasta Tango
- STAR 3A Baby Blues
- STAR 3B Dance Step Elements
- STAR 4A Swing Dance
- STAR 4B Fiesta Tango
- STAR 5A Willow Waltz
- STAR 5B Dance Step Elements
- STAR 6A Ten-Fox
- STAR 6B European Waltz
- STAR 6C Fourteenstep
- STAR 7A Foxtrot
- STAR 7B Tango
- STAR 7C American Waltz
- STAR 8A Killian
- STAR 8B Rocker Foxtrot
- STAR 8C Starlight Waltz
- STAR 9A Paso Doble
- STAR 9B Blues
- STAR 9C Silver Samba
- STAR 10A Cha Cha Congelado
- STAR 10B Westminster Waltz
- STAR 10C Quickstep
- Gold A Viennese Waltz
- Gold B Argentine Tango
- Gold C Rhythm Dance
- Diamond Dance Test
STAR Synchro
Team-element assessment structure
STAR 2, 3 and 4 Synchro assessments are distinct from synchronized competition categories.
Official pathway sourceBrowse 3 collected stage and level records
STAR Artistic
Program assessment structure
Artistic assessments are offered at STAR 5, STAR 7, STAR 9 and Gold; the rules include specific progression and challenge conditions.
Official pathway sourceBrowse 4 collected stage and level records
Pairs competition pathway
Competition qualification, not a pair-test ladder
The existing record concerns pairs competition and its prerequisites. It does not identify standalone national pairs assessments.
Official pathway sourceAdult competition plus standard CanSkate/STAR access
Participation and competition pathway
Adult participation uses the documented learning and assessment programs. Adult competition requirements are a separate resource.
Official pathway sourceHow progression works
CanSkate has six stages. STAR does not use one identical ladder across every discipline: Skills runs from STAR 1 to Gold; Freeskate separates elements and programs; Dance includes step assessments and individual dances; Artistic uses STAR 5, 7, 9 and Gold; Synchro assessments cover STAR 2, 3 and 4. Use each discipline’s rules for prerequisites and permitted exceptions.
Adult skating
Skate Canada welcomes adults into its learning and figure-skating programs. Adults can use CanSkate and STAR; adult competition categories are separately documented. Those categories should not be presented as a separate adult test ladder.
Sources and effective dates
The official STAR Assessments page, last updated 10 August 2026, was checked on 20 September 2026. The CanSkate Guide is dated 25 June 2025 and explicitly directs readers to updated element descriptions that replace the manual’s older skills descriptions. The current official documents take precedence over collected extracts.
- STAR Assessments: official rules, updated 10 August 2026
- CanSkate Guide and updated element descriptions
- STARSkate program and entry context
- Adult skating participation
- Adult competition requirements, separate from assessments
What this guide does not establish
Collected level records contain readable material but are not certified complete syllabuses. This guide does not establish CanSkate record portability, a complete virtual-assessment eligibility matrix, assessment appeals or a separate pairs assessment ladder. Confirm current administrative requirements with Skate Canada and the delivering club or school.
These are jurisdiction-specific records. No international equivalency is implied.
Open the full Canada evidence library