RCM piano examinations: a parent's guide
The Royal Conservatory of Music is a Canadian institution whose Certificate Program is used widely across the United States. Its piano examinations run from Preparatory level through Level 10, and then to the ARCT diploma. This is what the examination actually involves.
How the levels are arranged
Students begin at Preparatory A and Preparatory B, then work through Levels 1 to 10. Beyond Level 10 sit the Associate Diploma (ARCT) and the Licentiate (LRCM), which are the highest standings the Certificate Program awards.
There is no obligation to take every level. Many students sit an examination every year or two, and some skip levels entirely. The syllabus is a ladder, not a timetable.
What is examined
An RCM piano examination has three parts, and it is marked out of 100.
Repertoire. The student performs three pieces drawn from the syllabus list for their level. This is the largest part of the examination, worth up to 56 marks. Two additional marks are available for each piece played from memory.
Technical requirements. Scales, chords, arpeggios and two etudes, worth up to 24 marks in total. Note that no memory marks are given for the etudes, so a student may keep the score in front of them.
Musicianship. Ear tests and sight reading, worth 10 marks each, for a combined 20.
How it is marked
The pass mark is 60. Above that, the RCM awards four standings:
60 to 69 is a Pass.
70 to 79 is Honours.
80 to 89 is First Class Honours.
90 to 100 is First Class Honours with Distinction.
A student intending to go on to the ARCT diploma should aim higher than a bare pass at Level 10: the RCM asks for an overall mark of 75, or a minimum of 70 in each section.
The theory requirement
This is the part families most often overlook. From the intermediate levels upward, a practical certificate is not issued on the strength of the playing alone. The student must also complete the theory co-requisite for that level, and it must be done within five years of the practical examination.
In practice this means theory cannot be left until the end. A student who plays beautifully at Level 9 but has no theory behind them will not hold the certificate.
What it is good for
RCM examinations give a student a measured, external assessment of where they stand, on a scale that means something to other musicians. They are also a discipline: preparing three contrasting pieces to a deadline, alongside technique and sight reading, is a different kind of work from simply learning repertoire.
They are not for every child, and they are not a measure of musicianship in themselves. A student can play with real feeling and take no examinations at all. What the examinations offer is structure, and proof.
How this differs from the ABRSM
The other board American families meet most often is the ABRSM, and the two are not interchangeable. The RCM examines repertoire, technique, ear and sight reading together in one sitting. The ABRSM offers a choice: a Practical Grade that resembles the RCM in shape, or a Performance Grade that assesses four pieces and nothing else.
We have written about the ABRSM separately. If you are weighing one against the other, read both. There is also a guide to the MEA-NJ piano auditions, which are not examinations at all.
Before you decide
Requirements change. The RCM revises its syllabus periodically, and the details here describe the examination as we currently prepare students for it. The Royal Conservatory's own syllabus is the authority on what is required for any given session.
If you would like to talk about whether examinations suit your child at all, that is one of the things we discuss at the Complimentary Music Assessment.