Key takeaways
- Testing is optional, so plenty of adults skate happily for years without it and plenty love having a test to work toward.
- Adults 21 and over can choose the adult track or the standard track, and adult skating skills tests from Bronze up come in a 21+ version and a 50+ version.
- Since July 2023, Moves in the Field is called Skating Skills and the free skate tests are called singles tests. A lot of what's online still uses the old names.
- You need a U.S. Figure Skating membership to test, each test carries a U.S. Figure Skating fee that the host club collects along with its own charges, and the result is a pass (sometimes with honors or distinction) or a retry.
- Your coach or your club's test chair will have the current requirements for each test.
If you've spent any time around a rink, you've heard someone say they're working on their Bronze, or that they passed a skating skills test last weekend. Those are U.S. Figure Skating tests, and they're one of the clearest ways to mark progress in this sport. They can also be confusing, partly because the names changed in 2023 and a lot of what's online still uses the old ones.
This page explains how the system fits together for adults in the United States. It also gives a short summary of what each adult singles test asks for, with the documents behind every rule listed at the end. If you skate in another country, your national federation runs its own tests, and they won't match these.
What a test is
A test is a set of skills you skate for one or more judges at a test session, usually hosted by a local figure skating club. Each test has a list of required elements, and the judges decide whether you've met the standard for that level. There's no ranking against other skaters, which is the big difference from a competition. You're only measured against the test itself.
A passed test stays on your record with U.S. Figure Skating. That matters if you compete, because the tests you've passed help decide which levels you can enter at U.S. Figure Skating competitions. If you only ever skate for fun, the level is simply yours to enjoy. Learn to Skate USA class levels are a separate thing, so finishing a group class level isn't the same as passing a test.
The adult track and the standard track
Adults aged 21 and over get a choice. The adult track is a separate series of tests just for adults, and the standard track is the same series of tests younger skaters take. You can test on either. Which one suits you depends on your goals, so it's worth talking through with your coach before your first test.
The adult track runs Pre-Bronze, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Adults who have passed Gold can carry on to adult Intermediate, Novice, Junior and Senior tests. Adult skating skills tests from Bronze up are offered in a 21+ version and a 50+ version for skaters 50 and over, and your coach can help you decide which one to take.
Everything the judges look for at your level
It covers every element on the Pre-Bronze to Gold tests, with a practice log and a mock test for each level and a page for test day.
Get the packThe 2023 name changes
In July 2023, U.S. Figure Skating renamed several tests. Moves in the Field, the tests made up of edge, turn and stroking patterns, became Skating Skills, and the free skate tests became singles tests. The standard-track levels were renamed at the same time, and the standard track now runs pre-preliminary, preliminary, pre-bronze, bronze, pre-silver, silver, pre-gold and gold, so a skater who passed the old senior free skate counts as having passed gold singles. That's why an older article and a newer one can describe the same test in completely different words.
The renaming also means two different tests can now share a name. Standard-track Bronze, for example, is not the same test as Adult Bronze. When someone mentions a level, it's worth asking which track they mean.
Skating skills, singles and dance
Skating skills tests are set patterns of edges, turns and stroking that show how well you control your blade and carry speed. Singles tests are a program skated to music that includes the jumps, spins and footwork required for that level. These are the two kinds of test most adults take, and your coach will know which to take first and how the two fit together at each level.
For the 2026-27 season, U.S. Figure Skating's singles test chart sets out the four adult tests like this. Adult Pre-Bronze is a program of up to 1:40 with two jump elements and two spins, and only half and single jumps are allowed, not the single Lutz or single Axel. Adult Bronze runs up to 1:50 with four jump elements, two spins and a step sequence, and every single jump except the Axel is allowed. Adult Silver runs up to 2:10 with five jump elements, two spins and a step sequence, and it allows the single Axel but no doubles. Adult Gold runs up to 2:40 with five jump elements, three spins and a step sequence, and it adds the double toe loop and double Salchow. The full element lists, and the skating skills patterns for each level, are in that chart and in the rulebook, which anyone can download from U.S. Figure Skating. Our printable Adult Test Prep Pack puts the Pre-Bronze to Gold elements in one place with a practice log, if you'd rather have them on paper.
There are also dance tests, including adult pattern dance and free dance tests, and they're a nice option if you like moving to music more than jumping. U.S. Figure Skating has pairs tests too. If dance appeals to you, ask a coach who teaches it, because the tests and the training look quite different.
How a test session works
Clubs hold test sessions on set dates and post a registration deadline for each one. To test, you need to be a U.S. Figure Skating member, and you sign up through the club hosting the session. Each test has a registration fee set by U.S. Figure Skating, which you pay to the host club, and clubs can add their own charges for running the session, so some charge more for skaters from other clubs. If you're testing away from your home club, you'll also need written permission from your home club's test chair, so check both before you register. Coaches often charge for coming to a test too, which is worth asking about early.
On the day, you'll check in, warm up and then skate your test while the judges watch. Your coach will usually be at the boards to send you off. It goes by faster than you'd expect, and almost everyone is nervous.
The result is either a pass or a retry, and most tests can also be passed with honors or with distinction when the marks are high enough. Skating skills tests and adult pre-bronze and bronze singles tests can be taken again from the 13th day after (a retry on May 1 can be retaken on May 14), and adult silver and higher singles tests have no waiting period at all. Whatever the result, read the judges' comments with your coach, because they tell you exactly what to work on next.
Should you test?
Testing is optional, and there's no right answer. Some adults love having a clear goal with a date on it, and passing a test is a proud moment at any age. Others skate for fun and fitness and would rather spend the money on ice time.
If you're unsure, treat your first test as an experiment. Pick the first level on the adult track, work toward it with your coach, and see how you feel about the process. If you're thinking about competing, testing becomes more useful, since your tests help set your competition level, and our page on preparing for your first adult competition covers that side. When you start looking at dates, our competition calendar lists adult competitions to enter and the big events to watch, month by month, so you can see what's ahead while you work toward your next test.
Getting ready for your first test
Start by asking your coach which test makes sense first and what's on it. A good sign you're ready is when you can skate every element comfortably on an ordinary day, not just a good one. Practice the whole test in order, including the bits in between the elements, so the sequence feels familiar.
A few weeks out, try a mock test. Ask your coach or a skating friend to watch you skate it once from start to finish, without stopping, the way you will on the day. It shows you where nerves creep in, and it gives you a chance to practice carrying on after a wobble.
If nerves are a big part of it for you, you're in good company. Our page on building confidence on the ice has ideas that work for tests too. Our goal-setting guide can help you plan the weeks leading up to it. And if someone's asking what you'd like before test season, the Adult Test Prep Pack is in our gift guide.
U.S. Figure Skating updates its rules, so check the current rulebook or ask your club's test chair before you rely on any detail here.
Sources
The rules on this page come from U.S. Figure Skating's own documents, listed below with the rule numbers and pages we used. U.S. Figure Skating updates them every season, so check the current versions before you rely on any one rule.
- U.S. Figure Skating, 2026-27 Rulebook: rule 4001 (who can test, PDF p. 137), rule 4003 (the 13th-day wait after a retry and the tests with no wait, p. 137), rule 4110 (written permission to test away from your home club, p. 139), rules 4701 to 4705 (test fees, p. 146), rules 5011 and 5012 (the standard and adult skating skills tests and the 21+ and 50+ versions, p. 151), rule 6212 (the adult singles tests, p. 165) and rules 6311 to 6314 (what the judges expect on each adult singles test and how it is marked, p. 169).
- U.S. Figure Skating, 2026-27 Singles Test Requirements (PDF pp. 5 and 6): the jump elements, spins, step sequences and maximum times for the adult Pre-Bronze to Gold singles tests.
- U.S. Figure Skating, 2023-2024 Test Grandfathering Chart (pp. 1 and 2): the July 2023 renaming of free skate tests to singles tests and Moves in the Field to skating skills, and which new level each old test matches.
- U.S. Figure Skating, Test Structure and Figure Skating Levels and Adult Skating pages: how testing works, the adult and standard tracks, and the adult test levels.
