RCM Level 6 piano: what the exam asks for

The RCM Level 6 piano exam asks for three pieces, two etudes, scales in eight keys, three kinds of chords, arpeggios, ear tests, and sight reading. The comprehensive certificate also needs Level 6 Theory. In many Canadian provinces, Level 6 with Level 6 Theory counts for a Grade 10 music credit. The pass mark is 60 out of 100.

The marks

Part of the exam	Marks
Repertoire: List A	16
Repertoire: List B	18
Repertoire: List C	16
Repertoire: memory	6
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 pieces

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

List A: Baroque

• Bach, Little Prelude in D Minor, BWV 926
• Scarlatti, Sonata in G Major, K. 63

List B: Classical and Classical-style

• Kuhlau, Sonatina in C Major, Op. 20, No. 1
• Beethoven, Bagatelle in A Major
• Mozart, Viennese Sonatina in C Major

List C: Romantic, 20th-century, and 21st-century

• Chopin, Waltz in A Minor, Op. posth.
• Schumann, “Of Foreign Lands and Peoples”
• Grieg, “Arietta”

The Waltz in A Minor is one of the first Chopin pieces on the RCM lists. Read Chopin for kids.

Each piece played from memory earns 2 marks, for a total of 6.

Canadian composers on the Level 6 lists include Ann Southam, Alexina Louie, Jocelyn Morlock, Barbara Assiginaak, and Stephen Chatman.

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. Examples on the list are the Etude, Op. 139, No. 51, by Czerny and “The Goblin and the Mosquito” by Florence Price. 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, E, B, and D-flat major and in G, E, B, and C-sharp minor, hands together, two octaves.
• Formula patterns, hands together.
• Chromatic scales, hands together, two octaves.
• Triads, hands together, two octaves, broken and solid.
• Dominant 7th chords and diminished 7th chords, hands separately, two octaves. The diminished 7th is a four-note chord built on the seventh note of the key.
• Arpeggios of the tonic triad, the dominant 7th, and the diminished 7th, hands separately, two octaves.

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

The ear tests

• Intervals. All of the Level 5 intervals, plus minor and major 2nds.
• Chords. Major and minor triads, the dominant 7th, and the diminished 7th.
• Chord progressions. Three chords in a major or a minor key: I, IV, I or I, V, I.
• Playback. A tune of up to nine notes.

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 four-measure rhythm.
• Playing. An eight-measure passage, about as hard as a Level 3 piece, with up to three sharps or flats.

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

Theory

Level 6 Theory, for the comprehensive certificate.

What is new since Level 5

• The diminished 7th chord
• Arpeggios of 7th chords
• Keys with five sharps or five flats
• A two-octave chromatic scale, hands together
• Chord progressions in minor keys
• Minor and major 2nds in the ear tests

How a parent can help

• Check the high school credit rules for your province. See RCM high school credits by province
• Ask how the teacher wants scales practiced, and at which speeds
• Play recordings of the pieces at home
• Protect a set practice time as school work grows

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 5 and Level 7. 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.