Testing fees

[foggymorning162]

OK the thread about what do you pay got me thinking because most of the schools around here are pretty comparable in price our school only differs in the fact that we don't use contracts, but I've heard of some pretty outrageous testing fees so I was wondering what everyone else pays?

Gup test $20
BB test $50
I've been told MB don't pay to test?

 

[Xue Sheng]

$0

Traditional CMA, no belts, no ranks

 

[bostonbomber]

$0

Traditional CMA, no belts, no ranks

Same here.

 

[Blindside]

$0

In kenpo we had belts, but there wasn't a cost to test.

In Kali there aren't any belts, and ranking is awarded when you are good enough, no tests.

Lamont

 

[hkfuie]

I pay my instructor to test. Ranged from $20 and up to $100 at BB3rd. By then he had to rent a hall b/c he lived out of town. This was in TKD.

I quit a school later that charged $250 for a one hour test during regular class time. Suddenly I was up to test early for 2nd dan just before Christmas. After that I just decided I would only test with my original instructor in TKD. I know he will never test me before it is time.

I don't charge students to test. I trained in KF for a while and there were no testing fees. I like that.

 

[pete]

$0

there are no testing or rankings for our internal arts program (tai chi chuan, bagua)

we do have belt rankings for our kids kenpo program, no fees or charges.

pete

 

[KempoGuy06]

its been so long since i tested that I cant remember...LOL. I think 25 until brown and then its 50

B

 

[ArmorOfGod]

I charge nothing, but if they pass, they owe five dollars. That covers the price of the certificate and frame.

AoG

 

[thesandman]

$30 for exams. This covers renting the space (I do not have a central location) belts, certificates and boards.

It's slightly more for black belt due to the higher cost of the belt itself and certificate, but not by a lot.

 

[tshadowchaser]

After I left TKD MDK back in 1970 I have never paid again for a testing fee in any organization I have belonged to. Unless you count blood sweat and pain

I charge dedication, hard work, and maybe blood and sweat

 

[terryl965]

I have seen them in my area for 45-70 dollars and anywhere from 150 - 5000 dollars for a BB. Kinda of sad people would pay that.

 

[Kacey]

I charge $25 per gup rank; that covers the belt and certificate (about $5) and the rest is a fundraiser for the class - the money is used to buy supplies (boards, rebreakables, to have a supply of doboks and sparring gear on hand for those who want to buy them, helps cover tournament fees, etc.).

 

[Twin Fist]

i charge my students $20 for beginners, and prob $30 for advanced, to pay for the belts and boards

 

[thetruth]

Hey guys here I go
My first Kempo instructor was pretty good and things were reasonably priced when I started. We had quite a number of students and our kyu gradings were on the main basketball court of a huge rec centre here in Melbourne and they went for 3-4hours. We paid about $60 from memory but figured the court wasn't for free and it was a bit of an occasion so the price was fine. My 1st dan test was held at the karate school and a crappy church hall and went for 13 hours total. Seven hours at the school Friday night and seven hours on the Saturday between a running track and the church hall. This grading cost $1000 originally(ended up they needed another $200 for unexpected costs) but we got a flash certificate and embroidered belt. (there's a couple of hundred accounted for WTF!!!) We actually never received our 1st dan certificates and word was they were never made. Only after I left and demanded my second dan certificate(that grading cost about 3-400 and was a few hours in the new dojo which I'm sure our 1st dan tests help pay for) was I told they were allegedly destroyed when the school was deliberately flooded (karma?):BSmeter:. Anyways if your black belt grading costs more than $100 something is wrong and they are after cash not quality students.

:soapbox:

Cheers
Sam:asian:

 

[Phoenix44]

$30, and I think that's high.

On the other hand, where I trained previously, the black belt test specifically included a series of 10 special prep classes, two days of testing, an embroidered belt, nice certificate, and a celebratory dinner for the candidate, his/her family, and the examiners. I think it's worth a couple of hundred dollars.

 

[foggymorning162]

Hey guys here I go
My first Kempo instructor was pretty good and things were reasonably priced when I started. We had quite a number of students and our kyu gradings were on the main basketball court of a huge rec centre here in Melbourne and they went for 3-4hours. We paid about $60 from memory but figured the court wasn't for free and it was a bit of an occasion so the price was fine. My 1st dan test was held at the karate school and a crappy church hall and went for 13 hours total. Seven hours at the school Friday night and seven hours on the Saturday between a running track and the church hall. This grading cost $1000 originally(ended up they needed another $200 for unexpected costs) but we got a flash certificate and embroidered belt. (there's a couple of hundred accounted for WTF!!!) We actually never received our 1st dan certificates and word was they were never made. Only after I left and demanded my second dan certificate(that grading cost about 3-400 and was a few hours in the new dojo which I'm sure our 1st dan tests help pay for) was I told they were allegedly destroyed when the school was deliberately flooded (karma?):BSmeter:. Anyways if your black belt grading costs more than $100 something is wrong and they are after cash not quality students.

:soapbox:

Cheers
Sam:asian:

These are the kind I'm talking about. I've heard of beginners testing for $75 and also testing every few weeks so they can get more money out of you.

 

[YoungMan]

Hate to say this, but the cost of the test, certificate, and belt is relative to whose name is on it. In other words, you get what you pay for.
My Dan testings cost hundreds of dollars. Considering my instructor's reputation and name in the Taekwondo community, worth every penny.

 

[dancingalone]

Hate to say this, but the cost of the test, certificate, and belt is relative to whose name is on it. In other words, you get what you pay for.
My Dan testings cost hundreds of dollars. Considering my instructor's reputation and name in the Taekwondo community, worth every penny.

Thankfully, that's not how it is in all martial arts.

 

[YoungMan]

Granted, there are schools that high fees to test and earn dan certification that are not worth the paper they're printed on. And there are some, like ours, where a certificate and belt are very valuable. Again, if you charge nothing for a test, belt, and certificate, it most likely ain't going to be very good. My instructor has put 50 years into Taekwondo and gone all over the world. Expensive? Maybe. Worth it? You betcha. I wouldn't want to certified through anyone else.
You can have your $5 tests and $5 organizations. If you want gourmet food from a top of the line restaurant you have to pay for it.

 

[thetruth]

Granted, there are schools that high fees to test and earn dan certification that are not worth the paper they're printed on. And there are some, like ours, where a certificate and belt are very valuable. Again, if you charge nothing for a test, belt, and certificate, it most likely ain't going to be very good. My instructor has put 50 years into Taekwondo and gone all over the world. Expensive? Maybe. Worth it? You betcha. I wouldn't want to certified through anyone else.
You can have your $5 tests and $5 organizations. If you want gourmet food from a top of the line restaurant you have to pay for it.

How much is yours?? I'm sure there are instructors just as qualified as yours out there who don't overcharge. I believe if instructors are in the arts to pass on the knowledge and not purely to make money then the belt tests should be a reasonable price. I know Judo instructors that have been doing Judo for 50+ years and trained in Japan but it still only costs you about $50 for your black belt test. I believe that a students effort should be down payment towards a reasonably priced belt test.

Cheers
Sam:asian: