Gup test

I went to the first of several gup tests I plan on attending at the dojang yesterday. I really was impressed by the way the test was run. They didn't put everyone who was testing up on the floor all at once. Instead, they had the groups marked out into groups. They were either out running or they were in the room, waiting their turn to get out onto the floor and demonstrate their abilities to do the forms, one steps, Ho Sin Sul, etc. It was refreshing to see these people work because they were not automatically guaranteed a place in that test. They invite people who have demonstrated their abilities in class to the test.

It was a nice thing to see how they handled the examinations. Each of the Dans had a specific student in any given group to watch during the test. Each Dan called his or her student up and they lined up depending on where they were supposed to be. This was a big change from the last test I attended at the old school. There, there wasn't this separation. They had everyone in one room and the senior black belts were responsible for many students. It was a confusing (in my mind) thing. Here, it was good to see how they paid close attention to their student/examinee.

One of my friends has a son who is attending this school. We both came from the other place. She and I discussed it and we agreed that this was a testament to the quality of the instructors they have. Her son looked 300% better at this test than he did at this time last year, when he attended his Dan test. He decided to start over, but believe me, he's a smart kid and will pick up the Korean a whole lot faster than I will. I told him that I thought he'd done very well. I don't know who his examiner was, but I personally think he gave more to this test than he had given last year and it shows.