Stripe Testing Stripe tests are conducted only for Dragons, White Belt through Blue Belt.  These are group tests held on the 4th Thursday of each month unless a holiday or inclement weather intercedes, in which event they are rescheduled to a nearby date.  Makeup stripe tests are scheduled on an individual basis only and only under special circumstances.   Generally, it is the child’s (and parent’s) responsibility to be aware of the stripe testing calendar and to plan attendance accordingly.   Children who have passed a belt level promotional test within the last month are generally not eligible for stripe testing as they have not had sufficient time to become familiar with the new skills they are expected to know for the next level.   Exceptions are occasionally possible for very high attendance students or students transferring from another karate school. The criteria for earning stripes are: First Stripe: be able to follow a group leader in demonstrating all the basic skills for the next belt level—all stances, blocks, hand strikes and kicks. Second Stripe: be able to follow a group leader in performing the kata for the next belt level. Third Stripe: generally not awarded on stripe testing night.  The 3rd stripe is awarded only after a successful “mock test” which is an individual demonstration for one of the instructors of all the requirements for the next belt level to ensure all the skills and knowledge have been mastered.  When the 3rd stripe is awarded, a test date is scheduled, usually shortly after, but occasionally deferred a few weeks if the child needs a little more time to polish his or her skills.  Students with 2 stripes are often included in the stripe testing group as it is a good opportunity for them to review all required skills. Stripe awards for all other levels, Green through Red/Black, may be given at any time a Black Belt instructor recommends to Sifu Doyle that criteria for skills mastery have been achieved. Promotional belt level tests: these are private tests.  White through Green Belt are conducted by Sifu Doyle. Brown Belt is test of cumulative knowledge conducted by a panel of CKK Black Belts chaired by Sifu Doyle.  The Brown Belt test is tailored for each candidate, designed to not only test all acquired skills, White through Brown, but to provide a deeper understanding of future expectations on the path toward Black Belt.  Red and Red/Black tests are conducted by Sifu Doyle.  Junior Black Belt tests are conducted by a panel of CKK Black Belts chaired by Sifu Doyle.   Adult Black tests are before a system-wide panel of Black Belts chaired by Professor Lowery at the Middletown Kenpo Karate Studio. Testing is intended to be a positive experience and so we have structured our program in a way that no child who attends regularly should ever fail a stripe test.  Promotion tests to the next belt level, similarly, are only scheduled when we are confident the child will pass.