The fastest way to max a skill in The Sims 4 is the cheat stats.set_skill_level Major_SkillName 10, typed after testingcheats true. Without cheats, you max a skill by practising it on the right object, in the right emotion, with skill books and a mentor to speed things up. Most adult skills stop at level 10, minor skills at 5 and Vampire Lore at 15.
How to max a skill with cheats
- Open the cheat console: Ctrl + Shift + C on PC, Cmd + Shift + C on Mac, or all four shoulder buttons at once on PlayStation and Xbox.
- Type
testingcheats trueand press Enter. - Select the Sim and type the skill cheat, for example
stats.set_skill_level Major_Painting 10.
Replace the number with any level you want. If a cheat does not work, the Sims Wiki suggests trying adultmajor_ in front of adult skills, skill_child_ for children and skill_toddler_ for toddlers.
Skill cheat names
| Skill type | Cheat (max level) |
|---|---|
| Major skills | stats.set_skill_level Major_Charisma 10. Also works with Comedy, Fishing, Gardening, GourmetCooking, Guitar, Handiness, HomestyleCooking (Cooking), Logic, Mischief, Painting, Piano, Programming, RocketScience, VideoGaming, Violin, Writing and the pack skills such as Baking, Singing, Herbalism or Knitting |
| Minor skills | stats.set_skill_level Minor_Dancing 5 (also Minor_Medium, Minor_Mediaproduction, Minor_Juicefizzing) |
| Other minor skills | stats.set_skill_level Skill_Fitness 10, Skill_Bowling 5, Skill_Dogtraining 5 |
| Vampire Lore | stats.set_skill_level Vampirelore 15 |
Note that Cooking is called Major_HomestyleCooking in the cheat, not Major_Cooking. There is no base game cheat that maxes every skill at once. You enter one cheat per skill.
Skill caps
- Major skills (teens and older): level 10.
- Minor skills such as Bowling, Dancing and Media Production: level 5.
- Vampire Lore (Vampires): level 15.
- Children: Creativity, Mental, Motor and Social.
- Toddlers: Communication, Imagination, Movement, Thinking and Potty. Potty only has 3 levels.
How to max skills without cheats
- Use the right emotion. Focused Sims learn mental skills such as Logic and Handiness faster. Inspired Sims are better at creative skills.
- Read the skill books in order. Every skill book has three volumes. Volume 1 works until level 4, Volume 2 from level 4 to 7, and Volume 3 after level 7. A book that is too easy gives the “Amateur Hour” moodlet, one that is too hard gives “What the What?”.
- Find a mentor. A Sim with level 5 or higher in most skills can mentor another Sim on the matching object, which speeds up learning.
- Start early. Toddler skills carry over to the matching child skills when they age up. A toddler with level 3 in four skills gets the Happy Toddler trait (+10 % skill gain), and one that maxes all fundamentals except Potty gets Top Notch Toddler (+25 % skill and career gain).
- Practise the skill itself for the last levels. Books get you far, but most of the work at levels 8 to 10 comes from using the skill object.
One small change in the October 27, 2026 update: EA fixed the grammar in the title of the second cooking book, which now reads “Cooking Vol 2: Let’s Keep Cooking!”.
FAQ
Is there a cheat to max all skills at once?
Not in the base game. You use stats.set_skill_level once per skill. Mods like MC Command Center add more control if you change Sims often.
How do I lower a skill again?
Use the same cheat with a lower number, for example stats.set_skill_level Major_Logic 3.
Which skill should I max first?
Handiness pays off in every household, because a handy Sim can repair and upgrade objects so they stop breaking. See our guide to getting upgrade parts.
Sources: Sims Wiki, List of skills (The Sims 4), The Sims 4/cheats and List of books in The Sims 4; EA patch notes, October 27, 2026. Updated October 28, 2026.