phrase requests - How to degender "separate the men from the boys"?



How can one degender the phrase "separate the men from the boys"?


Examples of how this phrase has traditionally been used:



Math teacher: "The ability to do proofs of this type is what separates the men from the boys in this class."



What has occurred to me so far:



Parent, talking about relative merits of several different possible independent special education evaluators: "It's the training and experience with the specific disability that's going to separate the men from the boys and the women from the girls."



Has anyone found a more concise way of degendering (is that a word?) this expression?


How about something of the form "separate the serious from the __________"? In place of the blank, hopefully a word similar to "dabblers."


I need a phrase that doesn't show disrespect for the folks who are not up to doing the difficult proofs, or who do not have training and experience with the specific disability.




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