I have a belt test in my kung fu class later today (11:30am).  I don't know what it is about belt tests, but they are a minor irritation to me.  I don't get very excited about them.  Basically what happens is you stand up in front of your teacher and the advanced students and go through forms and basic techniques (punches, kicks, blocks, etc.) and they determine if you're ready to advance to the next belt level.  Sometimes there is sparring of some sort involved and some schools (particularly those that teach Korean arts) have you break stuff like bricks, wood, etc.  It all depends on the school and the instructor and the candidates skill level.

The thing that bothers me about belt tests is that they seem like a distortion of what martial arts is about.  I don't really get excited about the belt because to me it is just a fashion accessory.  I'm not going to stop training when I get my black belt, and I don't train harder for the test than I do every other day of the year, so what is the big deal?  I'm not particularly concerned about what rank I am at any given time, I'm more concerned with how well I can execute techniques, what kind of shape I'm in, and how well I fight.

So, I'm off to take this test and hopefully when I'm done I'll get another color belt to tie around my waist.  Wish me luck!

Update:  I passed the test...now I have a yellow belt in the current system I'm studying (northern praying mantis)