The CRI Test is a teaching test that is not acceptable to renew the Class rating. I doubt that any FIE would consider conducting a CRI Skills test for a candidate who did not hold a valid Class Rating.
It sounds as though someone has enrolled on a CRI course without holding a valid aircraft rating. JAR-FCL does not specifically state that a valid Class rating must be held before commencing the CRI or the FI course however; the FTO conducting the course will have specific pre-entry requirements that must be met. I would expect that the FTO would require a valid Class rating, or for the candidate to pass the SEP skill test prior to commencing any training.