When I took the pre-bronze MITF test, my coach insisted on 4 crossovers on the perimeter stroking end pattern, even though I claimed 3 is more natural for me. He did not explain why. OTOH, he wanted me to do 4 strokes down the rink, saying 6 strokes are for very small skaters. The diagram shows 6 strokes while rule book says
perform four to eight straight strokes depending on the length of the ice and the strength of the skater.
But for the Perimeter Power Stroking on bronze MITF, he never specified the number of crossovers for the end pattern, I just did whatever I felt comfortable with.
For outside and inside spirals, the rule book says
The exact number of spirals will depend on the size of the rink and the strength of the skater, however a minimum of four spirals down each length of the rink must be skated.
even though the diagram shows 5 spirals, I have been practicing 4.
Based on the wording quoted above, *my* understanding is the USFS testing committee allows some room for interpretation because skater's size, strength, and even rink size vary. If they want to be really specific with the number of steps, the number appears in the test description.
Or if they want to be REALLLLLLY specific, they could number the steps like the compulsory ice dance patterns, lol.