Conservatory Canada is a national music exam board based in London, Ontario. It examines piano, voice, guitar, violin, and other instruments, in a classical stream and in a contemporary stream. The exams run from Grade 1 to Grade 10. Each is marked out of 100, and 60 is a pass. A student can take an exam in person in the spring, or online at almost any time of year.
Who Conservatory Canada is
Conservatory Canada was formed in 1997, when the Western Ontario Conservatory of Music in London and the Western Board of Music in Edmonton joined their exam systems. Its roots go back to the London Conservatory, founded in 1891. In 2002 it closed its teaching rooms to work on exams alone. After Grade 10 it offers an Associate diploma, the ACCM, and a Licentiate diploma, the LCCM.
Two streams
Classical. The exams are called Grades. The syllabus mixes the classical forms with room to choose newer pieces.
Contemporary Idioms. The exams are called Levels. The pieces come from blues, swing, rock, pop, and world music, and the skills tests include improvisation. This stream is offered for piano, voice, and guitar.
A Contemporary Idioms piano student may play contemporary pieces and take the skills tests from the classical syllabus. Conservatory Canada says both streams count the same for high school credit.
Conservatory Canada lists exams in piano, guitar, voice, violin, trumpet, clarinet, flute, and organ.
What is in a classical piano exam
This is the mark split for Grade 5 classical piano.
| Part | Marks |
|---|---|
| Five pieces, 10 each | 50 |
| Memory, 1 for each of four pieces | 4 |
| Technique | 14 |
| Sight reading | 10 |
| Aural tests | 10 |
| Keyboard skills | 6 |
| Background information | 6 |
| Total | 100 |
Four of the five pieces come from set groups in the syllabus. The fifth is the student’s own choice.
A few parts are not found in most other exams.
- Background information. The examiner asks about the pieces and their composers.
- Keyboard skills. The student adds chords to a melody.
- A bonus mark. A program with a piece by a Canadian composer earns one extra mark. See Canadian composers for kids.
- A mini-lesson. A family can buy a 15-minute lesson with the examiner, held right after the exam. The teacher and the parents may sit in.
How long the exam lasts
Conservatory Canada says it gives students more time with the examiner, so that every piece is heard to the end.
| Exam | Length |
|---|---|
| Grade 1 | 20 minutes |
| Grade 8 | 40 minutes |
| Grade 10 | 65 minutes |
From Grade 7, a student may split the exam into two parts and take them in different sessions. There is also a Recital Assessment, which is pieces only, with no skills tests.
The marks
| Standing | Marks |
|---|---|
| First-Class Honors with Distinction | 90 to 100 |
| First-Class Honors | 80 to 89 |
| Honors | 70 to 79 |
| Pass | 60 to 69 |
Grade 10 has a higher bar. The piano syllabus asks for 70 percent in the pieces and in each skill.
Theory
Written theory starts to count at Grade 5. The certificate for a playing grade is issued when the matching theory exam is done.
| Playing grade | Written exams |
|---|---|
| Grade 5 | Theory 1 |
| Grade 6 | Theory 2 |
| Grade 7 | Theory 3 |
| Grade 8 | Theory 4 |
| Grade 9 | Theory 5, and History 5 or 6 |
| Grade 10 | Theory 6, and History 5 and 6 |
Theory 1 to 3 cover rudiments, and Theory 4 to 7 cover harmony.
A theory exam can be written on any day of the year, in any quiet place. Conservatory Canada calls this a flex theory exam. A responsible adult, who can be a parent, prints the paper, watches the student write it, and scans it back. Register at least two weeks ahead.
Conservatory Canada’s theory exams line up with RCM’s. Its transfer chart matches Theory 1 with RCM Level 5 Theory, and so on up to Theory 4 with RCM Level 8 Theory.
Three ways to take a playing exam
In person, in the spring. In 2026 the spring session ran from May 25 to June 30, and the deadline to apply was March 13. Check the site for the 2027 dates. Conservatory Canada no longer holds in-person exams in August.
Online, as a flex eExam. The student plays for a live examiner over Zoom, on an acoustic or a digital piano. A second method links two digital keyboards over the internet. Book at least two weeks ahead, or four weeks ahead between May 1 and July 15. eExams began with piano and now cover voice and strings as well. Conservatory Canada says 70 percent of its students now take a flex exam.
In person, as a flex exam. A few centers can hold an in-person exam outside the spring session. The list includes Greater Vancouver, Kelowna, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, London, Peterborough, and Ottawa.
Results for flex exams are posted within two to three weeks. Results for the spring session are posted within four to six weeks.
High school credit
Conservatory Canada lists these exams for high school credit. A student needs both the playing exam and the theory exam.
| Province | Playing grades | Theory | School grades |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island | Grades 6, 7, and 8 | Theory 2, 3, and 4 | Grades 10, 11, and 12 |
| Manitoba | Grades 5 to 8 | Theory 1 to 4 | Grades 9 to 12 |
| Ontario | Grades 7 and 8 | Theory 3 and 4 | A credit below Grade 12, then a Grade 12 credit |
| Newfoundland | Grades 7 and 8 | Theory 3 and 4 | Music 2206 and 3206 |
Quebec gives credit in Secondaire 1 to 5 for any grade of playing exam. Rules change, so ask the school before you count on a credit.
Conservatory Canada and RCM
The two systems are close in shape. Both have ten grades, a pass at 60, and theory from Grade 5. Read RCM levels explained for that side.
Conservatory Canada adds a contemporary stream, the background questions, the mini-lesson, and flex booking. RCM also runs in the United States. Ask which system your child’s teacher uses.
How a parent can help
- Ask the teacher which stream fits your child, classical or contemporary
- Ask whether the exam will be in person or online, and book the date early
- Add the mini-lesson if your child likes to ask questions
- Plan the theory exam with the playing exam from Grade 5
- Help your child learn two or three facts about each composer for the background questions
Sources
Checked in November 2026.
- Conservatory Canada. Exam session dates and deadlines.
- Conservatory Canada. The CC difference.
- Conservatory Canada. All about eExams.
- Conservatory Canada. Students.
- Conservatory Canada. Classical piano and Contemporary Idioms piano.
- Conservatory Canada. New classical piano syllabus, 2018.
- Conservatory Canada. Classical piano, Grade 10.
- Conservatory Canada. Classical voice syllabus rules and regulations, for the marking standards.
- Conservatory Canada. Theory and history.
- Conservatory Canada. Transcripts and credits.
- The Canadian Encyclopedia. Conservatory Canada.
- Gouvernement du Québec. Conservatory Canada.
More from this guide
This article is part of Music exams for kids: how RCM, ABRSM, and other graded exams work.
ABRSM Grade 5 theory: what parents need to know
Why ABRSM asks for Grade 5 theory before Grade 6, what the online exam covers, how it is marked, and when to start preparing.
ABRSM grades explained for parents: from Initial Grade to Grade 8
How ABRSM music exams work: the Prep Test, Initial Grade, Grades 1 to 8, Practical and Performance Grades, the marks, and the Grade 5 theory rule.
ABRSM Practical vs Performance Grades: how to choose
The two kinds of ABRSM grade exam compared: what a child plays, how each is marked, how a Performance Grade video works, and which one fits.
ARCT diploma explained: what it is and who takes it
What the RCM's ARCT diploma is, the performer and pedagogy kinds, what a piano student plays, the written exams, and what comes after it.
Certificate of Merit music exams explained for parents
How California's Certificate of Merit works: who can enter, the levels, the yearly evaluation, the online theory exam, honors, and key dates.
How to prepare for an RCM practical exam: a week-by-week plan
A 12-week plan for an RCM practical exam: when to finish the pieces, when to start ear tests and sight reading, how to run a mock exam, and what a parent can do.
Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.