If a well educated person says that he is a beginner, it is normal and not misleading. I think every student of deen considers himself to be a beginner, as the uloom of Quran and Hadees are infinite and limitless and anything compared to infinity seems nothing. Calling oneself beginner is common among mashaykh.
Yes if a beginner considers himself to be well learned, this is ofcourse misleading.

So I think that the brother sipraomer should not be criticized anymore.