Although I agree with some of the things you've said, I must point out a few things.
First off, tests are for Pivot, like it's for everything else. Testing doesn't exactly translate to the boring tests we do in school, but it's more like testing out your current skills; how strong your basics are. It builds confidence and makes it easier for Rankers to rank an animator and hence, guide or mentor them.
Second, Pivot has a standard which separates good animators from beginner animators. Pivot isn't Flash; Flash has a lot more tools that allows an animator to explore different art styles, much of which aren't rankable. But you have to agree when I say that bad animations are bad. They can't always express the motive or the point of the animation, and creates confusion, which isn't a trait of a good animation... from which we can derive that the animator isn't that skilled. And to get better, beginner animators are suggested to test out various techniques, get used to what you're trying to achieve & practice, because practice is necessary. And that's the point of tests; to practice, to get better; be it the basics of animating, or effects and what not. If one doesn't want such 'separation' between good and bad animator, there's the "No Rank Zone" for you, or whatever you call it here.
Being good in Pivot means being able to express your story via soundless gifs that has stickmen moving around. A good example that will most likely stay with me forever is Waffles' Handyman Intro. I think it was a full proper animation he made to introduce his stick, and that animation made me feel kind of uneasy, which is a pretty big achievement for a soundless gif that has stickmen moving around. And I know for sure that, to be able to express all that, you need to be good at what you do. You can't be a bad cook and apply for a chef's job; you can't expect people to like your food without being good at cooking That's why beginners go through a generic process like tests and all. That's why we say the same thing over and over to a new person just getting into Pivot: because they all start at the same place.
Now, I do agree with what you're suggesting, making your own stick figures builds up your stickmaking skills, allowing you to create high quality sticks on the go.
And yeah, black line animations are highly generic too. But that's the most basic form of creating a platform in the animation: black line suggests there's a ground, and hence, plants the idea that the animation follows the laws of physics. But for Pivot animators who've spent a good amount of time in Pivot, stop being lazy and make some nice backgrounds.
And about effects, even though animators ought to try it out and work on it, even if its just to get a bit comfortable, I still feel that a beginner shouldn't focus all their time on effects. Effects are like eye-candy, they look nice. But for beginners, it's just a mess and they won't get anywhere with just effects. First get your basics right, then play with effects.
And yes, be creative with movements. It adds personality to your stickfigure, and hence, flares up the atmosphere your animation is creating.
All in all, you've made some really good points, but when it comes to beginners in particular, "do whatever you like" shouldn't be the only suggestion, especially when they're trying to get good in Pivot.
EDIT: Sorry didn't notice this was an old thread. Pardon me for bumping like a newb.
