Due to my avoidance of everything USFSA-related, and my hiatus from figure skating, I find that the world has gone mad and USFSA now has MITF tests. (And ISI has become a wallflower.)

I've decided that I should take the MITF tests so that I understand better how to prepare students. I am eligible for the Grandfather Clause, but I think I should do it step-by-step.

Now to prepare -- I'm starting at the very beginning (a very good place to start) -- any MITF Test-Taking Tips?

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Get a coach. I'm not being nasty here - I'm serious. I did figures (and ISIA) as a kid, and while there are some similarity in the turns and such, the philosophy and basics are totally different. IMO, without a coach, you don't stand a chance no matter what figures you may have passed.

On the plus side, you will see an improvement in your skating from the tests.

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

I knew someone who did the Adult Moves without a coach -- except for herself, and managed to pass all of them through Gold.

Another person I know, an adult skater who would have been grandfathered in at Novice, has tried taking Novice Moves without going through all the other Moves first -- I don't think that was a good idea --

Testing moves is not like testing anything else -- specificially because you are moving fast (hopefully) with no music to guide you. In Dance and Freestyle, there is always music. With figures, you were used to doing them in the quiet.

That was the hardest part for me-- being alone in the quiet with just the sounds of my blades with everyone watching...

But doing Moves will be good for your skating, that's for sure!! (And they are not as easy as they look!!)

OK, prove me wrong

I'd still recommend a coach .

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"The only place where success comes before work is in a dictionary." -- Vidal Sasson

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Unknown

Well, even she said it was crazy, and she also said she had the worst coach in the world: herself.

I would definitely recommend a coach.

The coach is an excellent point, as is practicing more often.

One person suggested taking the tests one at a time instead of signing up for multiple tests.

I'm not asking for tips on the elements, more on taking the tests. What to expect, in other words, in terms of attire, paperwork, odd things that might happen.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

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Before you take a Moves test, watch a Moves test. Every club runs them slightly differently, within the confines of the rules. Some clubs single panel, others have a full panel. In some areas, skaters "dress up" for Moves test; in other areas, they don't. It's hard to tell you what to expect in your particular club, so I think you should go watch. That's what I did before I started testing.

to echo skaternum... watching a few MIF tests, especially at the level(s) one intends to test, gives one a chance to see how the local judges are interpreting the standards.

An understanding of the passing standards, as one has seen skated, is invaluable to minimizing re-tests due to reasons other than "bad skates" or the like.

Practice practice practice! Pre-preliminary moves are pretty impossible to fail, but judges won't hesitate to fail you on the others, so make sure you are ready before you sign up for one!

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- Ashley

I would definitely take one test at at time, or the most one MITF and the corresponding FS test (Though I believe that you said you'd already taken the FS).

As for the tests themselves, the attire is casual competition attire, most usually. Women in skirts/dresses, but they need not be extremely fancy. Men in skating pants and nice skating shirts.

Paperwork is usually just the application, which you have to know what type of deadline it is (ie, postmarked by or THERE by a certain date... sounds like common sense, but you'd be surprised). After the test you get a judges sheet with comments on the elements and your score.

You probably already know that if you fail a test, you can reskate 28 days later. Odd things that may happen are hard to guess because every judges panel is different, right down to the number of judges. Other than that, just make sure you're prepared and know the correct patterns for your level. Good luck!

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"Without a struggle, there can be no progress" ~ Frederick Douglass