The linear features category includes all basic knowledge and all skills related to handrails, collecting features, and catching features as they are used and defined by orienteers at different stages of technical development. 

This skill category includes the process for identifying route choice legs and finding and selecting routes. This category specifically does not include following through with and executing the route once it’s been selected.

The map holding and folding category includes all skills related to how to hold the map and fold it so the most relevant part of the map is showing and also keeping the map oriented at all times.

Simplification is the process by which an orienteer selects and uses the important information on a map and in a terrain and filters out those details that are less relevant, allowing them to navigate much faster. This is a category of skills that is introduced in the Train to Train stage of the LTAD with identifying and looking for handrails and attackpoints.

The control flow category includes looking not just the advanced skills related to the process of 'flowing through controls' but also the more fundamental skills related to finding and punching controls, understanding and using control descriptions, and at a more intermediate level, attacking and exiting controls.

The race tactics categories includes such knowledge and skills as knowing when to use certain strategical orienteering techniques and when to push speed or navigation. Techniques for approaching and executing the various orienteering race formats, such as point-to-point, relay, rogaine, etc. are also included. Sport psychology skills such as focussing are not included in this navigation skills category.

Compass skills include all skills related to using one's compass effectively such knowing how and in what situations to use the compass, different compass bearing techniques, and more. Fundamental skills such as folding the map properly, and using the compass to find north and travel the cardinal directions are also included here as a precurser to more advanced orienteering skills.

Relocation is an important skill not just from an orienteering race perspective but also from a safety perspective. For this reason relocation skills are included in some form as early as Learn to Train. At this earlier stage, relocation consists mostly of how to bail from a course when lost and progresses from there through the LTAD stages.

The map understanding and interpretation category is what many orienteers typically think of owhen they think of map reading. This category includes skills related to looking at an orienteering map and understanding what you are looking at and being able to interpret the map so you can relate it to the terrain. It starts with knowing all the symbols and colours on the maps and progresses to interpreting contours and other subtle features. This category is a very heavy focus of the Learn to Train and Train to Train stages.

The map reading technique category refers to the techniques of map reading (using the different forms of map reading) and all such related skills. This is an category is a distinct extension of the map understanding and interpretation category and is a focus of the later excellence stages.

The continuous map reading and route planning category includes those skills and techniques related to 'flowing' through an orienteering course and not having to stop to determine what to do next. This includes, reading ahead, looking for route choices before you get to the decision point and more.

The interpretation and understanding of the physical terrain and features and the ability to navigate through them. In the later excellence stages of the LTAD this category also includes understanding what features will look like in specific, unfamiliar, competition terrains.

The fundamental orienteering knowledge and skills category contains the knowledge and skills that orienteers need to participate in orienteering. Knowledge and skills in this category include such things as knowing how the timing system works, how the course is marked on the map and the rules of orienteering.