test length

[Roys15]

our kyu testings only last as long as a class(1-1.5hours), but black belt testing is an all day affair, is this average, how does this compare to your testings?

[DWx]

I guess for us it depends how many are testing to as how long you are there for.

For us coloured belt gradings are usually a couple of hours as you have to be there while everyone else of the same grade tests. The examiners will most likely be there all day though if lots of students test. The last few blackbelt gradings I've seen were around 3-4 hours. They weren't so much an actual test but more as a demo to the examiner as you don't get put forward for blackbelt until you are are to that standard.

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

It really depends on how many people are participating. when i was gup testing i had a three hour test. now, our gup testing takes an hour to and hour and a half because our schools numbers have gone down greatly over the years.

our black belt testing has consistently been a two to three hour affair. we don't go all day. we could make it all day long but we prefer to keep testers in constant motion for the duration now downtime whatsoever.

[Shotokan-kez]

Kyu grades could go on for a full evening if there are a lot of people taking there gradings. Like someone else said everyone else has to wait while others take theirs. We have two clubs that merge for grading evenings so you can imagine there are a lot of people. Dan grades again depending on how many, usually for one person taking a dan grade it last two hours or so. We would usually run a short course too before each grade so it can be a long affair.

[tallgeese]

We rarely have alot of people testing at any one time so I can't speak to how numbers influence the process.

I'd say that 1-1.5 hours is more than adaquate for yellow, orange levels. 2 for green or purples. Browns should go about 2.5-3. Black is about 4+ hours for the one's I've been part of in one way or another.

[unknownstyle]

kyus are usually about the same as a dan test, but during oyr dan testing we dont do any basics they are look at over the week prior to the test

[Merciless]

It depends on how many people but for us, 1-2 hours usually. I haven't done any black belt tests (yet), but I'd guess they'd be a lot longer.

[Truestar]

Wow, your tests seem short compared to ours. Then again your schools may focus on harder sparring and the like.

I'll be testing for my black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do this July. The test is 21 days long, about 2 hours a day. Throughout the 21 days we will be doing technique to heavy bags quickly, and and with a lot of focus. We do all our forms including a creative form our instructor made up years ago, and we practice different grappling techniques. We also build up physical strength, and everyday we do various exercises ranging from simply hanging to a steel bar, or push-ups at odd angles. The last day we are required to do some breaks on patio blocks, perform our form, and have wooden sticks broken over a few muscle areas on our body.

When I was testing for my red belt I joined for the last 13 days of the 21 days when the last group of black belts came through, and students going from green to blue jump in the last 5 days.

After all that, I guess you could say the actual test is the last day which lasts about 3 hours when we actually have to perform our forms and actually do the breaks. The previous 20 days are more of a build up and an attempt to perfect technique. However in our school we consider the entire 21 days a test, because if you drop out and can't take the heat you've failed.

So it really depends on how you want to look at our way of testing. You could consider the entire 21 days a test, or you could say the last day for 3 hours is the test. Personally? The 21 days can get excruciating, especially in the last few days. So I consider the entire thing the actual test.

[Throwdown0850]

1st Dan Test in Kodokan was around 5-6 hours.. My instructor gave me my belt and said "congratulations, your now an advanced white belt.."

[NewEnglands_KyoSa]

haha, smart man