Has anyone else here had to go through a special test (much different from a regular evaluation) for their (Junior) Black Belt? Personally, I found my experience challenging, yet fun and informative. I'm curious as to whether systems other than Shorin-Ryu and Isshin-Ryu employ this "Inner Student/Disciple" training before one is deemed ready to be a Shodan/Shodan-ho.

If you don't, then how does the Shodan/Shodan-ho evaluation go about in the system you study?

By Uchi-deshi, do you mean a live-in student? I have never been a live-in student myself, though I have known a few from my time training in Japan. None of them were preparing to test for shodan though. One was a yondan preparing for an all-Asia Karate tournament. Another was traveling to train much as I was but simply didn't have a place to stay, so he lived in a spare apartment next-door to the dojo.

Also, by "junior black belt," do you mean a child attaining shodan or an adult who is not quite shodan yet?

As for what is required of passing shodans where I train (a JKA shotokan karate dojo), the rules are very specific. I believe it says somewhere in the handbook that a shodan should "be able to perform any technique." Any basic kata may be called as well as one advanced kata of choice. For kihon, any techniques up to a certain level listed in the handbook may be called (although my sensei just calls whatever techniques he wants sometimes lol). Then for kumite, usually a free sparing match minus the points is conducted between those testing. Another option for those testing is to forgo the kumite portion and instead perform a practical self-defense demonstration.

All in all, this is not unlike pretty much any of the other preceding tests, except that often those testing for shodan and above will have to do so in front of a room full of 400+ people (since dan gradings are usually held only a few times during the year at training camps).

Its pretty much the same here (an EKO Kyokushin karate dojo). The handbook says the shodan should be able to perform any of the basic techniques and be able to teach them.
Tensho kata, Saiha Kata and Taikyoku sono -ichi -ni -san in ura.
10x2 min. Kumite
and, this I find interesting, only 50 push-ups. Its 3x30 for 1 kyu but only 50 for shodan.... I'm a little bit disappointed -_-

To be honest, I am not sure. My Shihan refers to it as Ushideshi, but in our case, it isn't always full time. Also, we tend to enter this phase only when we are testing for Shodan. (Or Shodan-ho (as in my case), when said student is a minor.)

During this phase, we are handicapped from training with the main class (Unless otherwise invited), We are only allowed to practice when we are alone (Unless we are ordered to practice), We cannot talk to anyone without full Shodan, or higher, and we have to wear our gi inside out with the knots on our obi facing behind us.

WOW! Yeah, I've never heard of anything like that. That sounds intense. I'd probably fail epically at the no-talking-to-kohai rule.
It sounds neat though, since it would make a visual representation of the transformation. Like the metaphor of a pupating caterpillar.

(edit: my apologies for the corniness )

Thats ok. We'll just bring it up later whenever we feel like it.

My last school it was something like uchideshi just not live in. You are to start training the kyu students when sensei said and he suppervised everytime. He made sure you understood all terminology as to answer any newbie questions when sensei was only observing. He made sure you could speak to new potential students without sensei's assistance. Then you were to find extra time out for privates with sensei for one year. It roughly be about an extra 4-5hrs a week. There he would go deeper into kata, kumite, waza, and philosophy. That was a shotokan karate/kokusai jujutsu school. My current shorin-ryu sensei has a uchideshi that trully lives with him. He said for family men it will basically be privates durring the week like my last sensei but if you are not a family man then you will be an uchideshi for one year.

Is it the same for single women or would living in a man's house alone for a year be awkward? lol

Gossip control must be hard in that case.

Um... How exactly does a live-in training look like day by day? Cause all I could picture is running uphill with water, chopping wood, setting up the fire, etc.