Da Capo Academy of Music logo

Blog

RCM Exams: Your Complete Guide

April 8, 2020 by Taras (Terry) Babyuk
RCM Exams Complete Guide cover

Table of Contents

What is RCM?

RCM stands for Royal Conservatory of Music, which was founded in Toronto, Canada in 1886 and prides itself on being one of the largest and most respected music-education institutions in the world. RCM offers a variety of exams as part of its popular “Certificate Program”. These exams evaluate students' proficiency on a musical instrument or knowledge of music-related concepts and topics. Students who successfully pass their exams receive an official certificate recognizing their achievement. RCM certificates are well-regarded and widely-recognized as being an objective and reliable measure of a student's musical proficiency. According to RCM, more than 100,000 of their exams are taken every year across North America.

rcm building in Toronto
The RCM building at 273 Bloor St. West, Toronto, Canada

Types of RCM Exams

Practical Exams

RCM practical exams

Practical exams are mostly about your ability and expertise on your instrument. They are usually done one-on-one with an examiner and can take place either in-person or (since Covid-19) online through Zoom. Practical exams generally consist of four parts: “repertoire”, “technical requirements”, “ear tests” and “sight reading”, but the exact structure can differ depending on the instrument and level.

1. Repertoire - for this part, students are required to perform a set number of musical pieces, each representing a different style and musical period. Each piece can be chosen from a wide selection of options that RCM provides. The higher the student's level, the more pieces they must perform and the bigger their complexity. This is the longest part of the exam.

2. Technical Requirements - designed to complement the demands of the repertoire, this part is sub-divided into “technical tests” and “etudes”. Technical tests are things like scales, chords, and arpeggios, which are meant to develop students' technical prowess and finger dexterity. Etudes are shorter musical pieces designed to develop a specific technical skill within a musical context.

3. Ear Tests - this part of the practical exam involves almost no playing on the part of the student. Instead, the the student is asked to listen to and correctly identify things like intervals, chord qualities, and chord progressions, which are played by the examiner. Students are also required to listen to a short melody and then play it back to the examiner.

4. Sight Reading - this is where students are given a musical excerpt that they have (hopefully) never encountered before. After clapping the rhythm of a short passage from this excerpt, they must then play the whole excerpt. As a general rule, the difficulty level of the sight-reading excerpt is 3 levels below the level for which you are doing the exam. So for a level 6 exam, the sight-reading excerpt will be comparable in difficulty to RCM level 3.

Written Exams

These exams take place either in arcm exams - written classroom setting with a supervisor or online on your computer. The most common written exams are “theory”, “history”, and “harmony”.

1. Theory - these exams test students' knowledge of the building blocks of music and include topics such as major and minor scales, chords, intervals, rhythm, transposition, etc.

RCM practical exams

2. History - as the name suggests, history exams test students' knowledge of important dates, musical eras and developments associated with each one, biographical information of well-known composers, etc. Expect to do plenty of memorizing here.

3. Harmony - harmony is what happens when many sounds come together. On this exam, students are tested on their knowledge of concepts such as counterpoint, chord progressions, harmonization, cadences, modulations, phrase structures, compositional techniques, and more.

List of RCM Exams

Practical Exams

Note: exams and exam names might differ from instrument to instrument. For purposes of demonstration, the following list is for piano. To see a list of practical exams for other instruments, download the appropriate syllabus from the RCM website by clicking here.

Exams (piano only example)
Preparatory A
Preparatory B
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10
Associate Diploma (ARCT) in Piano, Performer
Associate Diploma (ARCT) in Piano, Pedagogy
Licentiate Diploma (LRCM) in Piano, Performer

Source: RCM Piano Syllabus, 2022 Edition

Written Exams

Note: this list only includes exams that are part of the “Celebrate Theory” book series (and are also the most popular). You can find more exams in the “RCM Exam Fees” section. Keep in mind that Preparatory to Level 4 theory levels are not tested with formal examinations.

Exams
Level 5 Theory
Level 6 Theory
Level 7 Theory
Level 8 Theory
Level 9 Harmony
Level 9 History
Level 10 Harmony & Counterpoint
Level 10 History
ARCT Harmony & Counterpoint
ARCT History
ARCT Analysis

Source: RCM Theory Syllabus, 2016 Edition

List of Instruments Offered

musical instruments
Accordion
Bassoon
Cello
Clarinet
Classical guitar
Double bass
Euphonium
Flute
Harp
Harpsichord
Horn
Oboe
Organ
Percussion
Piano
Recorder
Saxophone
Speech arts and drama
Theory
Trombone
Trumpet
Tuba
Viola
Violin
Voice

Source: The Royal Conservatory


How Long Are RCM Exams?

a clock

Practical Exams

RCM does not specify exact length for its practical exams, but they generally go anywhere from 15 minutes for beginner levels to over 1 hour for the advanced levels.

Written Exams

Written exams have time limits and students must finish their exam within the allotted time.

ExamIn-PersonOnline
Level 5 Theory1 hour1 hour
Level 6 Theory2 hours1 hour
Level 7 Theory2 hours1 hour
Level 8 Theory2 hours1 hour
Level 9 Harmony3 hoursnot available
Level 9 Historynot available70 minutes
Level 10 Harmony & Counterpoint3 hoursnot available
Level 10 Historynot available110 minutes
ARCT Harmony & Counterpoint3 hoursnot available
ARCT Historynot available150 minutes
ARCT Analysis3 hours

For all other exams and up-to-date information on this topic, please visit the RCM website at this link

RCM Exam Dates

Remote (online) Exams

Remote exams can be booked on a continuous basis. You can register for a Remote Exam from your RCM account.

In-Person Exams (2023-2024)

AUGUST 2023 SESSION
Registration OpensApril 4, 2023
Registration DeadlineJune 6, 2023
Theory ExaminationsAugust 11 & 12, 2023
Practical ExaminationsAugust 14 - 26, 2023
DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024 SESSION
Registration OpensSeptember 12, 2023
Registration DeadlineNovember 7, 2023
Theory ExaminationsDecember 8 & 9, 2023
Practical ExaminationsJanuary 15 - 27, 2024
APRIL 2024 SESSION (PIANO ONLY)
Registration OpensNovember 14, 2023
Registration DeadlineJanuary 9, 2024
Theory Examinationsnot available
Practical ExaminationsApril 15 - 20, 2024
MAY/JUNE 2024 SESSION
Registration OpensJanuary 16, 2024
Registration DeadlineMarch 5, 2024
Theory ExaminationsMay 10 & 11, 2024
Practical ExaminationsJune 3 - 22, 2024

For more Exam dates, please visit RCM website at this link


For US dates, please visit RCM website at this link

RCM Exam Fees

The below are Canadian fees. For US fees, click here


The fees below are up to date as of September 2023.

Practical Exam Fees

ExamFee
Preparatory (non-piano)$66
Preparatory A$66
Preparatory B$66
Level 1$107
Level 2$131
Level 3$159
Level 4$169
Level 5$190
Level 6$205
Level 7$217
Level 8$274
Level 9$310
Level 10$495
Level 10 Split:
Repertoire Only
$345
Level 10 Split:
Technique, Ear Tests, and Sight Reading
$345
Level 10 Split:
Technique, Orchestral Excerpts,
Ear Tests, and Sight Reading
$345
ARCT Performer$825
ARCT Teacher (non-piano)$809
ARCT Teacher Part 1 (non-piano)$510
ARCT Teacher Part 2 (non-piano)$510
Elementary Piano Pedagogy$433
Intermediate Piano Pedagogy$453
Advanced Piano Pedagogy Practical$572
Advanced Piano Pedagogy Viva Voce$572
Licentiate - Piano Performance$999
Level 9 Keyboard Harmony$206
Level 10 Keyboard Harmony$232
ARCT Keyboard Harmony$284

Written Exam Fees

ExamFee
Level 5 Theory$139
Level 6 Theory$149
Level 7 Theory$159
Level 8 Theory$175
Level 9 Harmony$206
Level 9 History$206
Level 10 Harmony & Counterpoint$232
Level 10 History$232
ARCT in Composition & Theory$960
ARCT Harmony & Counterpoint$283
ARCT Analytic Techniques$283
ARCT History$283
ARCT Teachers Written$283
Elementary Piano Pedagogy Written$195
Intermediate Piano Pedagogy Written$215
Advanced Piano Pedagogy Written$283
Academic Qualifying Exam$965
Aural Skills$265
Baroque Harmony & Counterpoint I$272
Baroque Harmony & Counterpoint II$272
Classical Harmony & Counterpoint$272
Music History after 1900$272
Music History up to 1900$272
Orchestration I$272
Orchestration II$272
Post-1900 Composition Techniques$272
ARCT in Composition$963
ARCT in Theory$963
Romantic and Post Romantic
Harmony and Counterpoint
$272

Source: The Royal Conservatory


For most up-to-date information on fees, visit RCM website at this link

How Are RCM Exams Graded?

Practical Exams

Mark breakdowns for each section can differ depending on the instrument (and exam type), but Repertoire is by far the most important part across all instruments, worth at least 50% of the total exam mark.

To give you an idea of how a typical RCM exam is broken down, here is an example from a Grade 5 piano exam, since piano is the most popular instrument among exam takers.

RCM practical exams
mark breakdown for RCM Level 5 piano

Repertoire: students are required to perform a total of 3 pieces and can earn 2 extra marks per piece if they have it memorized. A maximum of 56 marks can be earned for this section.

Technical Requirements: includes technical tests and 2 etudes. Note that no memory marks are given for the etudes, which means students can have their sheet music in front of them while playing if they wish. A maximum of 24 marks are given for this section.

Ear Tests and Sight Reading: fall under the “Musicianship” component of the test and are worth 10 marks each, for a combined total of 20.

The exam is out of 100, with 60 being the passing grade.

Starting at level 5, students must also write a co-requisite theory exam if they wish to earn a Comprehensive Certificate for their particular level. For level 5, the co-requisite theory exam is Level 5 Theory.

To view requirements for all RCM Piano Levels, click here

Written Exams

Here is an example of one of my past exams, which is equivalent to what is today “Level 6 Theory” (yes, I was a theory nerd).

As we can see, the mark is out of 100, with 10 marks given for each of the topics on the left.

Keep in mind that topics/questions might be different depending on which theory level exam you are writing.

The passing grade is 60.

RCM level 6 theory exam results

Classification of Exam Marks

This is how RCM classifies your score

FIRST CLASS HONORS
WITH DISTINCTION
90 - 100%
FIRST CLASS HONORS80 - 89%
HONORS70 - 79%
PASS60 - 69%
FAIL0 - 59%

When are RCM Exam Results Posted?

Practical & Written Exams

Marks:

1-2 weeks after the examination

Official results and examiner's comments:

4-6 weeks after the examination

RCM Exams and High School Credits

High school students in Canada can earn credits with RCM exams. In Ontario, students can earn 2 out of the 30 credits required to graduate by successfully passing the RCM Gr. 7 and Gr. 8 practical exams along with their theory co-requisites. For information on other provinces, click here.

For US test takers, it is up to each state/school board to decide whether to count RCM examinations towards high school credits, so check with your school.

RCM Contact Information

CANADA

Phone: (416) 408-5019 or 1-800-461-6058

Fax: (416) 408-3151

Email: candidateservices@rcmusic.ca

Address: 273 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1W2

UNITED STATES

Phone: 1-866-716-2223

Fax: 1-866-716-2224

Email: usaccountservices@rcmusic.ca

Address: 60 Industrial Parkway, Suite 882, Cheektowaga, NY, 14227-2713 USA

Just fill out our quick trial lesson form and wait to hear from us within 1-2 business days. If you like your trial lesson, you can sign up for regular lessons with us! Our lessons are available online (Zoom or Skype) as well as in-person if you live close to our location. Start learning your favorite instrument with one of our amazing teachers today!