Free guide
Stop running belt tests from a spreadsheet.
A short guide for school owners on tracking belt eligibility without a spreadsheet. Criteria design, instructor signoff, test-day runbook, and how to handle BJJ stripes, TKD poomsae, and custom ladders.
- How to design criteria you don't have to argue about every quarter.
- Single vs dual instructor signoff: pick one and live with it.
- A printable belt-test-day runbook.
- How to talk to parents about 'almost ready.'
Chapters
- 01
The hidden cost of spreadsheet belt tracking
Why two weeks of prep is the symptom, not the problem.
- 02
Designing rank criteria that don't change every test
The fields every belt should have, and the ones that quietly cause arguments.
- 03
Curriculum, not just classes
How to track skill signoffs so attendance isn't a proxy for readiness.
- 04
Instructor signoff without bottlenecks
Single signoff, dual signoff, head-instructor override. Pick one rule and live with it.
- 05
Promotion eligibility in one view
What the screen should show, and what should never be on it.
- 06
Belt test day, hour by hour
A printable runbook for the day itself, plus a list of common day-of failures.
- 07
Stripes, levels, and non-karate ladders
BJJ, TKD, MMA, custom: the same model, different terminology.
- 08
Communicating progress to parents
What to share, what to keep internal, and when 'almost ready' becomes a fight.
A taste of chapter 02
The five fields every belt should have.
Most spreadsheets carry far more columns than they need. The ones that hold up across quarters share roughly this shape. Pick yours once, then leave it alone.
The full guide explains why each field is here, why time-in-rank is the field most schools get wrong, and what to do with students who fall just short.
Example criteria
Blue belt
- Class count24 minimum since last promotion
- Time in rank120 days minimum
- Curriculum22 of 22 skills signed off
- Instructor signoffHead instructor required
- Test fee$45 paid
Want the workflow, not just the guide?
The guide works in any system, even a spreadsheet. Rosterra runs the whole flow automatically: criteria evaluation, signoff, test rosters, and certificates. Book a 20-minute demo to see it.