Silver Skating Skills Test
- Level
- 6 of 8
- Formerly
- Novice moves in the field
- Test takes about
- 12 minutes
- Competition level
- Novice
The Silver skating skills test was the Novice moves in the field test until July 2023. This is where the harder one-foot turns take over: counters on outside and inside edges, rockers in S-shaped patterns, forward loops and backward twizzles.
The judges expect a generally good performance: footwork that is nearly faultless, well-timed body movement, very good flow and power, and no major or repeated errors.
Passing Silver skating skills and the Silver singles test qualifies a skater for Novice competitions.
What's on the test
Skated in this order, without music (soft background music is allowed). Each pattern starts from a standstill, with no more than seven introductory steps.
- Inside three-turns/rocker S steps
- Forward and backward outside counters
- Forward and backward inside counters
- Forward loops
- Backward rocker S step sequence
- Backward twizzles
Before you can take it
How it is marked
Each judge marks every element from −3 to +3, where 0 is the passing average for this level. A judge's total decides their result: pass 0 to 6, honors 7 to 12, distinction 13 to 18. A majority of the judges must pass the skater.
One element may be reskated if needed.
Source: U.S. Figure Skating 2026-27 Rulebook. Requirements change from season to season, so check with your coach or club test chair before you test.