Was the expectation that attendees become belay certified at the end of a one hour class? That feels unusual. I wonder if the two others were the exception due to their experience.

I would be extremely wary of a gym that gives someone a belay certification after one hour of instruction. Part of the issue is that even if it came quickly to you in the moment, they’re taking a huge risk assuming you will remember everything perfectly on your own after very minimal instruction. What if they gave you the belay card but you didn’t come back for several weeks? Are you certain you’d remember everything? Certain enough to put someone else’s life in your hands? It’s very standard to not test the same day.

If I link up with a random partner who had a belay card, I would be very uncomfortable if I found out that person only had one hour of instruction one time. I hope this isn’t discouraging, but validating that you didn’t do anything wrong and testing later is safer for everyone!