Shaolin Monk, do you by any chance study Songham TKD under the ATA? Seems very similar to it.
Anyways, as an instructor, I don't test students unless I know they can pass. The purpose of the test is to see how they perform under pressure. You have 40 students testing. On average each person has 2 people watching them and usually at least 3 judges watching them. Now throughout the testing you know the judges could ask you to perform anything you have been taught throughout your martial art training at that school. The idea is to try to get the student nervous and see how they handle it. If they know their material well enough, performing their techinques (correctly) are natural for them, and they have gained confidence then it won't be a problem.
Another benifit to this is that once a student learns to handle pressure, being judged on everything you do, and cope with not knowing exactly everything you are going to be required to do, doing stuff like giving presentations for work/school or leading group activities become easy. (Easier at least.)
Anyways, as an instructor, I don't test students unless I know they can pass. The purpose of the test is to see how they perform under pressure. You have 40 students testing. On average each person has 2 people watching them and usually at least 3 judges watching them. Now throughout the testing you know the judges could ask you to perform anything you have been taught throughout your martial art training at that school. The idea is to try to get the student nervous and see how they handle it. If they know their material well enough, performing their techinques (correctly) are natural for them, and they have gained confidence then it won't be a problem.
Another benifit to this is that once a student learns to handle pressure, being judged on everything you do, and cope with not knowing exactly everything you are going to be required to do, doing stuff like giving presentations for work/school or leading group activities become easy. (Easier at least.)
I don't think the real purpose of assessment and evaluation are the prime goals of Martial Arts belt testing anymore according to the posts I see here. 
