NextKick runs your whole belt test in one flow: create the test, let students register and pay, score them on the evaluation page, promote them, and hand out certificates. This guide walks through each step in order.
Before you start, make sure you have:
A rank system with its ranks set up (and a testing fee per rank if you charge by rank). See How do I set up a Rank System?
An evaluation template for each rank you test. See How to Use Evaluation Templates by Rank.
A certificate template. See How to Create and Print Belt Certificates.
Step 1: Create the test
Go to Events → Testing and click Create. The form has five parts.
Basic information
Testing Type: Choose Single Testing for one session on one day, or Multi-Session Testing for several sessions. With multi-session, each member can register for only one session.
Testing Title (up to 50 characters), Description, and an optional image (PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF, up to 5MB).
Rank System: Pick one or more rank systems that this test covers.
Certificate Templates: Pick the template used for this test's certificates.
Testing fee
Rank-based: Each student pays the fee set for their current rank.
Session-based: You set one fee per session.
Optionally add Tax (%) and a Late Fee for registrations after the cutoff date.
Testing schedule
Add the session title, date, start and end time, and capacity (or No Limit). Turn on
Show Testing Time if students should see the time. Otherwise they see the date only.
Registration period
Set when registration closes: a date range, or a set time before the test starts. Registration stays open until 11:59 PM on the end date.
Tip: To take make-up registrations, set the end date after the testing date.
Registration settings
Invite Only: Only students you add as candidates can register. This applies to both the member app and online forms.
Add Registration Survey, Custom Page Link and Agreement: Collect answers or a signed agreement at registration.
Hide from students: Keep the test out of the member app.
Click Save to create the test.
Step 2: Add candidates and open registration
Open the test from the Testing list. The Candidates tab is where you manage everyone taking the test.
Add candidates yourself
Click Add Candidates.
Filter by membership, rank, tip or status. Click 80%+ to show only students who have reached at least 80% of their rank progress.
Check the students you want and click Add.
Let students register on their own
Students can register in two ways:
Member app: The test shows in the app unless you turned on Hide from students.
Online form: Share a registration form for the test. See How to Create a Sign-up Form.
If Invite Only is on, only the candidates you added can register, in the app or on a form. Use this when you decide who is ready to test.
Step 3: Track registration and payment
Each candidate row shows their rank system, current rank, next rank, testing fee, attendances, days at rank, rank progress, status and invoice.
Use the filter chips at the top to see one group at a time: All, Invited, Joined, Paid, Promoted, Did Not Pass, 80%+ and Unpaid. Unpaid is the quickest way to find who still owes the testing fee.
Status | Meaning |
Invited | You added them as a candidate. They have not registered yet. |
Joined | They are registered for the test. |
Paid | The testing fee is paid. |
Promoted | They passed and moved to the next rank. |
Did Not Pass | They took the test and did not pass. |
To change a status by hand, check the students, click Status update, pick the new status and click Update. Options that don't fit the selected students' current status are grayed out.
Step 4: Score students on the evaluation page
On test day, score each student right in NextKick. You don't need paper score sheets.
Check the students on the Candidates tab, then click Actions → Evaluate.
The evaluation page opens with your students listed on the left. Pick a student to score.
Go through each step and tap a score from 0 to 10 for each item. The steps come from that rank's evaluation template, for example Attendance, Characteristics, Physical, Technical (Poomsae, Sparring, Kicks, Breaking) and Long run.
On Final Review, check the total score and add feedback for the student.
Click Save.
Helpful while scoring
Previous scores: A dot on a score shows what the student got last time, so you can see progress at a glance.
History: Click History on the student card to see past evaluations.
Completed: Students you've finished scoring show a Completed tag in the list.
Layout: Use the view buttons at the top right to switch between one student at a time and a grid of students.
To see a student's scores later, click View in the Evaluation column.
Step 5: Promote students
When scoring is done, mark who passed.
Check the students who passed.
Click Status update, choose Promoted, and click Update.
For students who didn't pass, choose Did Not Pass instead.
Promoted students move up to their next rank. If you use Auto-Add to Matching Classes, they're also added to the classes for their new rank. See How to Set Up Your Class Schedule.
Step 6: Hand out certificates and send results
NextKick creates each promoted student's certificate automatically from the template you picked in Step 1. The student's name, date of birth, new rank and test date are filled in for you.
Preview: Click View in the Certificate column to see one student's certificate.
Many at once: Check the students and click Actions → Generate Certificates first. Then use Print Certificates or Download Certificates. You can't print or download until certificates are generated. Generated certificates are saved to each student's Documents and appear in the student app.
Send results: Use Actions → Send Testing Results to let students and parents know how they did.
Email candidates: Use Actions → Send email for reminders before test day.
Export: Use Actions → Export to download the candidate list.
Order belts and uniforms: Click Order form at the top of the test page. It shows how many new belts you need for each rank, broken down by size, plus uniform sizes. Click Export to send it to your supplier.
FAQ
Can I test students from more than one rank system in the same test? Yes. Select more than one rank system when you create the test.
Can I charge different fees for different belts? Yes. Choose Rank-based fees, and each student pays the fee set for their current rank.
How do I take late registrations? Turn on Late Fee to charge extra after the cutoff. To accept make-up registrations, set the registration end date after the testing date.
How do I find students who are ready to test? In Add Candidates, click 80%+ to show students at 80% or more of their rank progress.
Who can see and register for a test? By default, students whose rank is included in the test can see it in the member app and register. Turn on Invite Only so only the candidates you add can register, in the app and on online forms. Turn on Hide from students to keep the test out of the member app.
Why isn't a student listed in Add Candidates? Check three things. The test must include the student's rank system (Rank System in Step 1). A student at the last rank of a rank system has no next rank, so add the next rank or link the rank system to the next one. See How to Link Rank Systems. In a Multi-Session test, each student can register for only one session, so students already registered for another session aren't listed.
Do candidates get a message when I add them? Not automatically. Use Actions → Send email on the Candidates tab, or set up an automation with the Testing Invited event in Marketing Tools → Automations. See How to Set Up Automations.
Where is the testing fee set? With Rank-based fees, each rank has a Testing Fee (For next rank) in its rank system. It's what a student at that rank pays to test for the next rank. See How do I set up a Rank System?.
How do I record a testing fee paid in cash or check? The testing invoice is created when the student registers. Open the invoice from the student's Invoices tab, click Pay Now, and choose Cash/Check.
Can I delete a test? Only before any testing invoices are issued. Once candidates have invoices, the test can't be deleted.