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Exam countdown chart

A free music exam countdown chart to print: what to have ready at 12, 8, 6, 4, and 2 weeks before a practical exam, and a grid to tick each part every week.

Ages 7 and up1 pageFree to print for home and classroom use

A practical exam has more than pieces in it. It also covers technical tests, ear tests, and sight reading, and those are easy to leave until the end. This chart puts the last twelve weeks on one page.

How to use it

The top half is the plan. It follows our week-by-week guide to an RCM practical exam. Count back from the exam date and write a date beside each step. Tick each job when it is done. The teacher's plan comes first, so cross out or change any step the teacher sets another way.

The bottom half is a weekly check. At the end of each week, your child ticks the parts of the exam that got practice. An empty box in the ear tests row shows up fast.

The chart suits ABRSM, Trinity, and other graded exams too. The names of the parts differ a little from board to board.

Only the sheet below prints. It fits letter and A4 paper. For a clean page, turn off headers and footers in the print window.

Exam countdown chart

Name
Exam
Exam date
Teacher

The plan

WhenDateWhat to have done
12 weeks to go
  • The pieces are chosen and the notes are learned
  • The exam is booked
  • The books are in hand
10 to 8 weeks
  • Play each piece from memory, one section at a time
  • List every scale, chord, and pattern, and play a few each day
  • Ear tests and sight reading, five minutes a day
6 weeks
  • First mock exam, in order, with no stops
  • Record it and write down two or three things to fix
4 weeks
  • Play the pieces for people
  • Fix the weak spots, slow, with the metronome
  • Technical tests reach the speed in the syllabus
2 weeks
  • Two or three more mock exams
  • Practice the first ten seconds of each piece
  • Fill in any forms and mark the first page of each piece
The last week
  • Keep practice normal and a little lighter
  • Change nothing
  • Protect sleep

Every part, every week

Weeks to go121110987654321
Pieces
Technical tests
Ear tests
Sight reading

Exam countdown chartkidsclassicalmusic.com