Until you have experiance and know what your talking about. It has nothing to do with post count. Some of the pro's only have 3 post, and some of the novices have 2000.
There is really no answer to this because I know a lot of guys who have been using gear for years and still know shit about it except that if they take it it makes them big and strong. I guess you are no longer a novice after you have done a few cycles, right.
steroids is a constant learning experience. novice to a pro.. you will know when you get there. it takes time and you will never know everything about it. everyone's body responds differently to different types and dosages of gear..
In order to answer that, there would have to be some kind of system like a certification process. You will know when you aren't a novice and so will ppl around you who are involved with "it."
I'm pretty sure that there is a test you can take to determine your status, multiple choice/true and false with a essay question at the end! I think ACE or AFFA offers this test! Mass
Some people I know have done 6 or 7 cycles and still have no idea what clomid is, what nolvadex does and they have no idea how to stack compounds properly. They get all their information from their buddy or third or fourth hand sources.
A novice is someone that still has a lot to learn, even some heavy juicers that I know would still be considered novices in my book.
I have an interesting theory that relates to this and knowledge about life in general.
Novices either don't know or repeat words they've heard. (The smart ones listen/read/evaluate and use their own minds and experience - this is how they become knowledgable)
Men of Knowledge don't repeat other's words. They know the answer to the question in an intuitive sense and then translate this knowledge into their own words for another's benefit. (They also tend to disclose when they are quoting someone else's words or something is only their opinion)