Took the first aikido test the other day, passed! This sensei I take it from has 7 levels to black belt so this is the first step in a very long path to black belt. Takes about 4 years here, whew! Good stuff though.

Congratulations.

Aikido Kudos, Kevin!!!

Congratulations! To celebrate, I have arranaged a match between you and Steven Seagal. ReadY?

Seriously, I think that a promotion in a Japanese dojo is usually more meaningful than a promotion here in the US. We hope to see many more of your promotions posted on this forum. Keep up the good work, but don't get so involved that you forget to order our tea!

If I'm good and continue to go twice a week, I might be able to take 6th kyu in March. Got a class tonight!

Congratulations Kevin. Aikido is a wonderful practice.

Congratulations

How many techniques you had to do at the first test?

First had to demonstrate basic rolls, etc., easy enough. Then had to do about 6-8 techniques but each had to be done both left and right. Many aikido techniques have a method where you move your opponent forward (omote) and another where you kind of step in behind and pull them (ura), hard to explain.

The guy who gave the test was from a completely different dojo, never had seen him before. You do this in front of a lot of people so you better have it down.

All in all, first test not too tough. They basically won't let you take it if you haven't put in the time.

I've read much about aikido in the past. I took some classes but it was too early in the morning. They had us doing rolls all the time which I'm not good at. I was always getting dizzy.

I took Kenpo for six years

I'm sorry but I have to take offense at this (despite your having qualified your post with "usually"). I'm ranked in four Japanese arts and have shodans in two of them (jujitsu and aikido). My sokei was offered an automatic kudan and directorship of the Kodokan if he'd return to Japan for a year (he didn't). He does nothing but teach martial arts; I think his qualifications, plus the fact that the dojo is in a Japanese church, ensure that our promotions are sufficiently meaningful in any Japanese sense.
Congratulations, Kevin. What style do you study? My belt is in Tomiki (which is my sokei's style; he was a student of the founder), but I've always been attracted to Yoshinkai.

I don't even know what style it is but it's part of the Aikikai association. I was supposed to take 6th kyu test 2 weeks ago but was in Arizona so now I must wait until July.

I've always heard this referred to as "honbu style," which is actually the aikido equivalent of the Kodokan. This is the original style and the one associated with O-Sensei. Tomiki is competitive, Yoshinkan is combative, and I don't really know anything about "ki style." These were the biggies when I used to play (I haven't in many years); I think there are probably other styles as well, but I'm not familiar with them.
Aikido is outrageous. My sensei's wife (she's the niece of the founder of Tomiki aikido) is an incredible aikidoka in her own right who commented more than once that unlike judo, aikido could be practiced into old age. Aikido is great fun; re your comment on knee-walking, I remember my sensei trying hard not to crack up while observing my astonishment that I could do it! I was very grateful that I'm fairly ambidextrous because we had to demonstrate techniques on both sides when we tested. You've been warned!

Every move, practice, exercise we do is practiced on both sides, front, and back. Has been this way since day one so this so far has not been an issue.

From what I can tell by watching videos of how they do things in the USA and other places, everything here seems more relaxed. The first test I took was rather intimidating however. They brought in some guy from Tokyo who I had never seen before and I had to do the test in front of a lot of people. Granted, the first few tests are pretty easy. There is one guy in my class who is a Judo teacher at a local high school and surprisingly, he did not pass his 1 kyu test last week and he practiced well for it. I think it gets stricter the higher up you go.

Oh, it does. I don't know if you guys use a technique called "mai otoshi," but if you do, you'll see what I mean.
On the other hand, once you start to master techniques (falls in particular), you'll have the distinct feeling that your body is performing a miracle.