WKF Testing Eligibility

First Test List

**Should you find any errors in the lists above as they relate to the following procedures, please contact the Referee Certification Committee immediately and provide any documentation that may help correct any issues.

1. Official receives her/his first license (kata judge B, kumite judge B).  They may not apply for upgrade within the same calendar year.  (Also, WKF requirement)
2. Official receives a first WKF license, he/she is added to the bottom of the USA license upgrade list.  They will be eligible to upgrade the following year from the first level license.
3. USA will submit ALL names on the license upgrade list.  WKF to confirm the officials or reject a portion of the officials on the list.
1. If an official is allowed to test and passes, he/she remains on the upgrade list and the priority level is the new license level. Priority is given to higher licensed officials.
2. If an official is allowed to test and fails, he/she is placed at the bottom of the list. The seniority date is adjusted for the date of the failed test.
3. If an official is not allowed to test, due to WKF quotas, he/she will remain in the same position on the list.
4. If an official declines to test, he/she will be placed at the bottom of the list. The seniority date is adjusted for the date of the tournament not attended.
4. Officials with a Kata Judge A or Kumite Referee A license are no longer on the License Upgrade List, but they must maintain their renewal license fees every four years.  Failure to maintain a license places an official at the bottom of the list if he/she wants to renew the license.  The official will progress up the list the same as other candidates.
5. Maintaining status is dependent upon the test candidate having attended two signature events in the 12 months and one signature event in the 24 months prior to an international event or having applied for and received a waiver for the lack of attendance at one of the signature events.  Candidates must also have a current USANKF membership, be Safe Sport compliant, have a Background Check, signed current Conflict of Interest and Code of Conduct forms.
6. If the number of test slots is insufficient to accommodate all officials, priority starts at the top of the list until the slots are filled.  In case of a license tie, priority is determined by the PKF Kata Judge A license or Kumite Referee A license issue date.  If the tie continues, it is broken based on the USANKF’s policy, which is listed below.
7. USANKF Tie Breaking Criteria
1. PKF AA officials are considered first.
2. Each list is based on the date the candidate received her/his PKF A license for that list (kata or kumite).
3. In case of licenses issued on the same date, the date that the candidate earned the National A license for that test (kata or kumite) is the 1st tie breaker.

If a tie still exists:

-The date that the candidate earned her/his NKF AA is considered.

-The date that the candidate earned the PKF AA is considered.

-The Referee Certification Committee will decide the order.