RCM Level 10 piano: what the exam asks for

The RCM Level 10 piano exam asks for five pieces, two etudes, technical tests in twelve keys, ear tests, and sight reading. The program of pieces may last up to 30 minutes. The comprehensive certificate needs five written exams. A student who wants to go on to the ARCT diploma needs 75 overall, or at least 70 percent in every section. The pass mark is 60 out of 100.

The marks

Part of the exam	Marks
Repertoire: List A	12
Repertoire: List B	14
Repertoire: List C	10
Repertoire: List D	10
Repertoire: List E	10
Etudes	12
Technical tests	12
Ear tests	10
Sight reading	10
Total	100

A mark of 60 passes, 70 earns Honors, and 80 earns First Class Honors. See RCM exam marks explained.

The rule for students going on to the ARCT

To enter for the ARCT, a student needs a Level 10 mark of 75 or more, or at least 70 percent in each section. Seventy percent means 39 of the 56 repertoire marks, 17 of the 24 marks for etudes and technical tests, 7 of 10 for ear tests, and 7 of 10 for sight reading.

A student who passes but misses that target may retake sections. RCM calls these supplemental exams. The syllabus allows up to three of them within two years of the first exam, for a student whose overall mark was 65 or more.

The pieces

The student plays five pieces, one from each list. Here are a few of the choices.

List A: Works by J.S. Bach

• Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 884
• Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp Minor, BWV 863

List B: Classical

• Beethoven, Sonata in F Major, Op. 10, No. 2, first and second movements
• Mozart, Fantasia in C Minor, K. 475
• Haydn, Sonata in E Major, Hob. XVI:31

List C: Romantic

• Schubert, Impromptu in G-flat Major, Op. 90, No. 3
• Chopin, Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 45
• Brahms, Romance, Op. 118, No. 5

List D: Post-Romantic, Impressionist, and early 20th-century

• Debussy, “General Lavine, eccentric”
• Rachmaninoff, Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2
• Albéniz, “Cádiz”

List E: 20th-century and 21st-century

• Scott Joplin, “Solace”
• Prokofiev, March, Op. 12, No. 1
• Oscar Peterson, “Land of the Misty Giants”

A prelude and fugue is a pair of pieces. In a fugue, one short tune enters in each voice in turn.

There are no extra marks for memory. The examiner takes off one mark for each piece that is not played from memory.

Canadian composers on Level 10 List E include Oscar Peterson, Heather Schmidt, and Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté.

RCM prints a repertoire book and an etudes book for each level in its Celebration Series. The syllabus marks the pieces that are in those books and lists others that a teacher may choose.

The etudes

Two etudes that train different skills, chosen from a list of twelve. Composers on the list include Chopin, Liszt, and Dohnányi. A student may replace one etude with a piece from RCM’s Popular Selection List.

The technical tests

The examiner asks for a selection of these, from memory.

• Scales in G-flat, G, A-flat, A, B-flat, and B major and in F-sharp, G, G-sharp, A, B-flat, and B minor, hands together, over four octaves. With the Level 9 keys, a student has now played every major and minor key.
• Scales a 3rd apart and a 6th apart. The two hands play the same scale, starting on different notes.
• Scales in octaves and a chromatic scale in octaves. The syllabus lets students with small hands play broken octaves.
• Four-note chords, dominant 7th chords, and diminished 7th chords.
• Arpeggios over four octaves, starting from any inversion.

The syllabus sets a metronome speed for each pattern. Ask the teacher for the speeds.

The ear tests

• Intervals. Any interval up to a major 9th.
• Chords. The Level 9 chords, plus the major 7th chord and the minor 7th chord.
• Chord progressions. Five chords in a major or a minor key.
• Playback. A melody of about four measures. The student plays it back and adds chords in the left hand. A student may choose to improvise in place of this test.

The 10 marks are split like this: intervals 2, chords 2, chord progressions 2, playback 4. See RCM ear tests explained.

Sight reading

• Rhythm. A rhythm of four to six measures.
• Playing. A passage of up to sixteen measures, about as hard as a Level 7 piece.

Rhythm is worth 3 marks, and playing is worth 7. See how to practice sight reading at home.

Theory

Five written exams for the comprehensive certificate: Level 8 Theory, Level 9 Harmony, Level 9 History, Level 10 Harmony and Counterpoint, and Level 10 History. Keyboard Harmony may take the place of the harmony exams.

What is new since Level 9

• Five pieces, one of them a prelude and fugue by Bach
• A program of up to 30 minutes
• Scales a 3rd and a 6th apart
• A 70 percent target in every section for students headed to the ARCT
• Two more written exams

How a parent can help

• Ask the teacher for a plan that covers the practical exam and the five written exams
• Learn the supplemental exam rule above. It gives a second chance at a weak section
• Arrange full run-throughs of the program for an audience
• Read ARCT diploma explained if your child may go on

Before you register

RCM can change its requirements. Confirm the pieces, the keys, and the dates with your child’s teacher. For the weeks before the exam, read how to prepare for an RCM practical exam. For the day itself, read RCM exam day: what to expect.

Other levels

Read about Level 9 and the ARCT diploma. For the whole ladder, see RCM levels explained and the RCM certificate requirements tool.

Sources

Checked in November 2026.

• The Royal Conservatory. Piano Syllabus, 2022 Edition.
• Joy Morin, Color in My Piano. Technical requirements charts for the 2022 syllabus, used to cross-check the keys.