The former Australia head coach said it is “hard to get a gauge” how good Leicester can be until the new season begins.
“I need to get on the ground, you need to be competing with those teams to understand the league,” he said.
Cheika, who led Irish side Leinster to a European Champions Cup victory against his new club in 2009, will take charge of his first game away at Exeter Chiefs on 21 September.
“I’ve been in the Celtic League – now the URC – the Top 14, which I haven’t mastered, and now the Premiership is something I want to master,” he added.
