Belt Exam Schedule

[Laurentkd]

How often does your dojang have a belt test day (or even have a specific day for testing).
I have seen testing done every 2 or 3 months and everyone has to test on that day or wait another 2 or 3 months. I have seen the same system but with testings done during class time for a week.
I have also seen dojangs that hold a test every single month (although no one tests every month, but the option is always there).

I think it would be nice to have smaller groups testing, and the ability to wait just one month if you aren't quite ready to test.
I also imagine it would be difficult for instructors to hold a testing every single month.

How does it work at your dojang and do you like it?

 

[msmitht]

Hi Lauren,
I do belt testing every other month. If they are ready then they test. If not then they wait until the next one. I have, on occasion, done a private testing for those who miss the exam due to illness, vacation, scheduling conflicts....etc (only once per student). I do BB/Poom testing every 6 months and there is no make up for that one.
It does not matter how you set your schedule as long as you stick to it.

 

[terryl965]

I belt test when we have atleast five students ready for testing, now of course that is in each group let say beginners, middle and advance. My Black Belt test is once a year sometimes around February.

 

[IcemanSK]

I hold tests every 3 months. I hold them on Saturdays (a non-class day). If a student who is ready to test cannot make that day (& tells me a month or more in advance) I try to reschedule for them.

Since I'm in a space that used by other events & programs, I'm not always able to make arrangements. If I cannot, they will need to wait 3 months. I have to schedule test dates a year in advance with the church office.

 

[rlobrecht]

My school tests every month, on Saturdays. On the Saturday of a test, there is no class, although we do have class the other Saturdays. You're not allowed to test each month. Each colored belt is required to wait wait at least two months before testing for the next level (solid to stripe, stripe to solid.) You also have to pass a pre-test before you're allowed to test, which is held during class the week or two before the test date.

Black belt tests are scheduled for every three months, but some quarters they are canceled.

Make-up tests are allowed, and are usually held before or after class.

Rick

 

[granfire]

ITA tests every 8 weeks, the winter cycle around December is a bit longer.

You flunk you get another chance a week later. The whole of the ITA is on the same schedule so on tournaments we are somewhat on the same page.

In that frame the schools can test during class or everybody on one day.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

My club has a grading in march , june, september and december. We have between 3000 and 4000 members and they all come togetther for grading in the one hall. On grading week we do white and yellow belts on monday , blue belts tuesday and red belts thursday. All students grading for black or higher grade on the saturday in an all day grading. All results are given out a week later in our respective classes. Its a huge week and if you cant make grading for whatever reason you just wait 3 months until the next grading week.

 

[xfighter88]

we test every 3 months for colored belts. If you can't make it then you wait til the next one. Poom and BB are every 6 months.

 

[Stac3y]

Color belts every 3 months (approximately) at the end of each session, make-ups scheduled with the instructor; brown belts 3-4 times per year in a full group, or you can test individually if you can't make the scheduled test; black belts, once a year with no make-ups.

 

[dancingalone]

I choose not to have a regular schedule for belt tests. In my opinion, this takes the focus off achieving rank and lets the students work towards proficiency instead of some http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...result&cd=1&ved=0CAYQBSgA&q=arbitrary&spell=1arbitrary color. When I get a large enough group of students that are ready, I will sometimes hold an impromptu examination in class where everyone participates in the test even if I'm not necessarily considering them for advancement. And if you miss class that night, too bad. There's always next time.

Black belt candidates receive notice months ahead of time. This is because I like to bring in my teacher and perhaps a few other black belts from out-of-state if possible and it's an event to plan for.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I have 2 programs. One runs month to month and those testings are scheduled every 3 months. The other runs 4 sessions a year and the test is held at the end of each session. Students may or may not be permitted to test on the regular date. If they have a scheduling conflict we will schedule a make up day fopr them. If they are not allwed to test, or fail, they cannot test again untill the next regularly scheduled date.

Since I am in large Park District gyms I have the luxury of testing all ranks simaltaneously on different parts of the floor with different examiners. That way each student is tested over a continuous period of up to an hour and 15 minutes.

In the old days we tested one group at a time sometimes alternating groups and it took hours and hours which everyone hated.

 

[spinny]

My school is part of a large family of schools. The grandmaster I train with holds testings every 2.5 months for all his and the local instructors' students. (Some schools are a few hours away, so just their students who are testing for black come test with us, but they do their own color belt testings.)

Not everyone tests each time though. Even if they know the curriculum, there is a waiting period they have to hold the rank for. The length of time they have to hold rank is shorter for low ranks and longer for high ranks, increasing progressively. Low ranks like yellow and orange might test every 2.5 months, but higher ranks like brown and red have to wait several months or a year between tests.

So, if you don't make testing (and you have the option of doing it on a Friday night or Saturday morning) you have to wait till the next time. Sometimes it happens that students have a scheduling conflict, but the dedicated ones stick it out and kick-*** the next time.

I don't think testing every month would be at all possible for us, since a panel of 15-30 blackbelts and masters has to assemble to judge the students.

Very occasionally (I've only seen it happen twice in the last few years) we have a special testing for someone who has a scheduling conflict and it would be a disservice to hold them at their current rank until the next time. Then we just do a mini-testing after class sometime in the week before the regular testing.

 

[sfs982000]

My school conducts testing approximately every 2 months with a primary test date and an alternate date about a week or two later for those with scheduling conflicts. If you test on the primary date you find out right away if you passed or not, with the alternate testing you find out about a week later if you passed or not.

 

[SahBumNimRush]

I belong to an association of schools and our Kwan Jang Nim holds tests every 3 months. All of our branch schools come to the main school for test. Our schools from many states away only bring their black belts to the main school for test. But the closer branch schools encourage their students to test under our Kwan Jang Nim for their gup ranks. It creates camaraderie between the students from the various branch schools, and it also prepares the students to testing in front of Grandmaster Sok Ho Kang (which can be intimidating, haha)

As for what the minimum requirements in time length between ranks: 10th-2nd gup are 3 months mimimum between ranks, from 2nd to 1st gup is a minimum period of 6 months, from 1st gup to 1st dan is 1 one year, 1st dan to 2nd dan is 2 years, 2nd dan to 3rd dan is 3 years, and so on.. . (add one year per degree).

I personally spent 7 years attaining my 1st dan from 10th gup. I have been practicing for 24 years and have earned my 5th dan, January 2008.