I was trying to think of the stuff someone should know if they were going to embark on a study of Tarot as part of the Western occult tradition. BOTA, GD, Thelema, whatever. To get a head start on the homework.
I was thinking that ideally someone would have a few of the archetypical decks. RWS in an Anglo-American context, and probably the Tarot de Marseilles (or one of its clones). Be familiar enough with the major arcana that the name of the card could be produced, given the number. And vice versa. So you'd know the Empress was 3, and 9 was the Hermit. You might not remember every detail, but you'd have spent some time looking at the cards.
Also, a person should be familiar enough with the Hebrew alphabet that they could recognize the letters. Additionally, it would be good if they could distinguish the double letters from the simples and the mothers.
Knowing the signs of the zodiac would be necessary. Putting names to symbols, the order they appear, whether they are associated with fire, earth, air or water. Maybe whether they are cardinal, fixed or mutable? Oh, and to know the names and symbols of at least the 7 classical planets. And their order in a geocentric system.
None of this need be letter perfect. But if someone didn't know it, they should have a cheat sheet.
I'm not sure how familiar someone should be with the Tree of Life. It is not that hard to learn to draw, and memorizing the names doesn't take that long. What does everyone think?
What else is basic, beginner-level knowledge?