Quick answers to the belt test questions schools ask most, from taking cash on test day to finding a missing student. Most answers use the test's Candidates tab: go to Events → Testing and open the test.
To set up and run a test step by step, see How to Run a Belt Test.
Payments
A student on an invite-only test paid cash on test day. How do I record it?
On the Candidates tab, check the student. They show as Invited. Click Status update, choose Paid, click Update and confirm. NextKick issues the testing invoice and records it as a cash payment right away, without notifying the family. If the test has no fee, the status changes to Paid without an invoice. You can select several invited students at once.
What's the difference between Joined and Paid for an invited student?
Joined issues the testing invoice and emails it to the family, so they can pay. Paid issues the invoice and records a cash payment right away, without notifying them.
When is the testing invoice created?
Invite Only tests: students you add show as Invited, with no invoice. The invoice is issued when they register, or when you change their status to Joined or Paid.
Open tests (Invite Only off): the invoice is issued when the student registers. If you add a student with Add Candidates, their invoice is issued right away.
A student has no testing invoice. How do I take their fee?
Click Add payment in the student's Invoice column. It appears for students without an invoice, such as invited students or students promoted without registering. The payment window opens with the testing fee already filled in. Promoted students without an invoice can't be changed to Paid, so use Add payment for them.
Why are two students at the same belt charged different fees?
They're in different rank systems. With Rank-based fees, the fee is set for each rank, so the same belt can have a different fee in each rank system. Compare that belt's Testing Fee (For next rank) in both rank systems. See How to Set Up a Rank System
Can I take testing fees only at the front desk?
Yes. In Settings → Payments, turn off Credit card and ACH for Promotion Testing, and leave In-house payment on. See How to Set Payment Methods for Each Revenue Type.
Candidates
Why isn't a student listed in Add Candidates?
Check these:
The student isn't in any of the test's rank systems. Only members in the test's rank systems can be added.
The student is on the last rank of their rank system, so there's no next rank. Link that rank system to the next one. See How to Link Rank Systems.
In a Multi-Session Testing, the student is already registered for another session. Each student can register for only one session per test.
For other causes, see the FAQ in How to Run a Belt Test.
Why is the candidate list shorter than I expected?
A test includes only the rank systems chosen in its Rank System field. Students in other rank systems aren't listed. To include them, click Edit on the test and select more rank systems. You can select several.
Can I split one test into time groups, such as 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM?
Yes. Choose Multi-Session Testing when you create the test, and add a session for each group. Each student can register for only one session. The testing type can't be changed after the test is created.
A student wants to test after registration closed. What do I do?
Open the test, click Edit, and change the Registration Period. For make-up registrations, choose Date Range and set the end date after the testing date. Registration stays open until 11:59 PM on the end date. You can also add the student yourself with Add Candidates.
Why are students in the same test scored on different items?
Each belt, for example yellow to orange, can use its own evaluation template. See How to Use Evaluation Templates by Rank.
Copying, removing and deleting
How do I set up the next test quickly?
In Events → Testing, click the copy icon on the test’s row, then click Confirm. The copy keeps all the test’s settings, including the date, fee, rank systems, registration period, Invite Only and survey. It doesn’t copy the student list. Its title ends in "- Copy (1)", so edit the title and date before families register.
Can I copy the student list from one test to another?
No. Add the students to the new test with Add Candidates.
How do I take one student out of a test?
On the Candidates tab, check the student and click Actions → Remove from list. This permanently deletes the student's entry and evaluation data from the test. Invoices already issued aren’t deleted. If the student had an unpaid testing invoice, void it so the family isn’t asked to pay. Students who were already promoted can't be removed.
Don't use Delete at the bottom of the page for this. It deletes the whole test.
Should I keep or delete a test after it's over?
Either is fine. Deleting a test doesn't undo promotions, so students keep their new rank. A test can't be deleted once invoices have been issued to its candidates.
What families see
A family can't see the test in the student app. Why?
Check these three things:
Hide from students is turned on for the test.
The test is Invite Only, and the student wasn't added as a candidate. Invite Only applies to the student app and online forms.
The student isn't in any of the test's rank systems.
Why didn't a family get an email about the test?
Test invitations are emailed only if the Testing Invited automation is active. Go to Marketing Tools → Automations and check it under Event & Testing. You can also email candidates yourself with Actions → Send email on the Candidates tab. See How to Set Up Automations.
To see what a family was sent, open the student's profile and click Message History. See Why Isn't a Family Getting Emails or Notifications?