ABRSM Piano Exam Preparation: The Last 12 Weeks

ABRSM exam preparation is mostly a scheduling problem. A candidate who can play the three pieces well but has never done a sight-reading test under a clock will lose marks that a few short, regular sessions would have saved. This guide sets out what the exam actually asks for, how the practical and performance routes differ, and how to spend the last twelve weeks before the date.

What an ABRSM piano exam assesses

A Practical Grade in piano has four parts: three set pieces chosen from the lists in the syllabus, scales and arpeggios, sight-reading, and aural tests. ABRSM describes the exam as face to face. The examiner is in the room, you play, and the whole thing is over quickly. The syllabus gives approximate timings of 12 minutes for Initial to Grade 3, 15 minutes for Grades 4 and 5, then 20, 25 and 30 minutes for Grades 6, 7 and 8.

Grades 1 to 5 have no prerequisite. A candidate can enter at any age without earlier qualifications. Grades 6, 7 and 8 are different: ABRSM asks for a pass in Grade 5 Music Theory, Grade 5 Practical Musicianship, or Grade 5 in a practical jazz instrument before you can enter. If a student is aiming at Grade 6 or above, the theory exam belongs in the plan from the start, not in the final month.

Practical Grade or Performance Grade

There is a second route that suits some students better. In a Performance Grade the candidate submits a video recording instead of sitting in front of an examiner. There are no booking periods: you can submit when you book, or at any point in the following 28 days.

The shape of the assessment changes too. A Performance Grade has four pieces, three from the ABRSM syllabus and a fourth that can come from the syllabus or be any published piece of a similar level. It carries 150 marks, 30 for each piece and 30 for the performance as a whole, with 100 marks for a pass, 120 for a merit and 130 for a distinction. There are no separate scale, sight-reading or aural sections. ABRSM states that the two routes are equivalent in demand and value; the emphasis is simply different.

Our own comparison of ABRSM and Trinity covers the choice of board. Once the board is settled, the rest of this guide applies to either route.

Start with where the student actually is

Every sensible plan begins with a straight answer to one question: how far is the student from the target grade today? A pianist who is comfortable at Grade 4 and wants Grade 5 is in a very different position from one who has taken a long break. On our ABRSM class page we put targeted Grade 5 preparation at three to six months for a student who is already solid at Grade 4, depending on weekly practice. That is a planning figure, not a promise, and it moves with the student.

In a trial class the teacher listens to the student play, notes where the reading, technique and ear sit, and writes the plan backwards from the exam date. If you would like that conversation, you can book a free trial class.

Build all four parts together

The most common mistake is to polish the pieces for months and treat the rest as an afterthought. Pieces carry the most obvious weight, but the supporting tests are where preparation is cheapest to improve.

• Pieces: learn them in sections, hands separately where the texture is dense, and settle on a tempo you can hold when nervous, not the tempo you reach on a good day.
• Scales and arpeggios: short daily repetition beats a long weekly session. Work from the exact requirements for the grade and syllabus year, because they change between syllabuses.
• Sight-reading: ten minutes a day on new material at a level below the grade, played without stopping, builds the habit the test rewards.
• Aural: pulse, rhythm and melody are skills of the ear and respond to little and often, with the teacher or a parent playing the examples.

This is how we structure it on the ABRSM exam preparation course: pieces, scales, sight-reading and aural are developed in parallel across the whole preparation period, so nothing is rushed in at the end.

A shape for the final twelve weeks

This is advice rather than a rule, but it is a shape that works for most grade candidates.

• Weeks 12 to 9: all three pieces played through accurately, scales learned to the required range, daily sight-reading started.
• Weeks 8 to 5: musical detail on the pieces, such as dynamics, phrasing and pedalling, plus regular aural practice and steady scale tempo.
• Weeks 4 and 3: the first full mock exam under exam conditions, in order, without stopping, ideally recorded so the student can watch it back.
• Weeks 2 and 1: a second mock exam, a tidy-up of whatever it exposed, and then very little new. The last week is for calm repetition.

We run at least two full mock exams before the real one, with written feedback after each and specific practice tasks for every weakness. The second mock matters more than students expect, because it shows whether the first mock's fixes actually held.

How online lessons help with preparation

Live lessons over video suit this kind of preparation well. The teacher can loop a difficult bar, slow a passage down and correct hand position as it happens, then send written practice notes so the week between lessons has a clear plan. The camera angle is worth setting up early: a clear view of the hands and the keyboard makes technical corrections far easier.

If the exam will be taken at a centre, the student should still rehearse away from their own instrument at least once, because an unfamiliar piano changes touch and pedal feel. For details on instruments and the exact requirements, check the ABRSM piano page.

Exam entry, dates and fees

Exam entry fees are paid directly to ABRSM and are separate from the lesson fee. Dates, fees and booking windows vary by country and change from year to year, so we do not quote them here; ABRSM's own booking pages are the source to trust. One timing point is worth knowing: the current piano syllabus is valid until 31 December 2026, and a syllabus for 2027 and 2028 follows it. A candidate sitting close to that date should confirm which syllabus their pieces and scales come from.

Common questions

Can a student skip grades with ABRSM?

For Grades 1 to 5 there is no prerequisite, so a candidate can enter a grade without having sat the ones before it. Grades 6 to 8 need a qualifying Grade 5 in theory or practical musicianship first. A teacher can tell you whether skipping makes musical sense, which is a separate question from whether it is allowed.

Is the ABRSM exam taken online?

ABRSM describes the Practical Grades as face to face. Performance Grades are submitted as a video recording. Lessons with Kraga are online either way, and we prepare students for whichever route they enter.

Do I need Grade 5 theory?

Only if you plan to enter Grade 6, 7 or 8 practical. Below that the theory exam is optional, though the reading skills it builds help every part of the practical exam.