Theory Examination Tips

These tips are honed over years of presenting candidates for theory exams through the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. The following are general and global tips that are relevant at any grade level.

PREPARATION & PRACTICES
1. Complete theory workbook and read companion texts by Eric Taylor. Do every exercise.
2. Know all relative major/minor relationship with key signatures.
3. When asked to copy printed score, always line up your bar lines with the printed score before beginning to write; in other words, set up first.
4. Complete under examination conditions, a minimum of four (4) past papers. Four papers comes as one set for a given year. Do every question on each paper. Leave no required question blank.

PROCEDURES (for exam)
1. Get your exam student number, the venue and time, from the school a few days before.
2. Prepare your sharpened pencils (soft pencils are better), clean eraser, ruler, sharpener, reading glasses as necessary, and keep in one place together.
3. Plan to, and do arrive 30 minutes ahead. Cool off and rest your head.
4. Be seated 10 minutes before exam begins.
5. Answer CAREFULLY every question. DO NOT LEAVE ANY QUESTION UNANSWERED EXCEPT WHERE YOU ARE GIVEN TO DO A or B or C as the case may be.
6. Do not give more than one answer when ONE is required.
7. NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOU ARE CHECK YOUR WORK.! Verify that every piece of music that you have written has time signature AND key signature. (You already know that C major and A minor have NO sharps or flats as KS.)