Advice for choosing exam centre please!, Do ABRSM go on place or date? Options

[Piano Meg]

I'm entering my first candidate for an exam this session (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

I live half-way between two exam centres: one is a huge church building with a long walk past the examiner to get to the piano(!), and the other is a private home with a grand piano. The piano pupil I'm entering (for a prep test) gets tense quite easily so I think the private home would be better for her, esp as the owner allows candidates to come and have a go before the exam. The problem is that centre has requested the 6th week which is the one week my pupil can't do.

If I put down the preferred centre with a last possible date, will ABRSM automatically change the centre if it would be the wrong date or should I really put down the alternative centre? Are they more likely to allot you based on centre or date? The centres are less than 10 miles apart if that makes a difference.

Thanks for your help! I'd like the first one to go as smoothly as possible!!

[SaxLad]

I'm entering my first candidate for an exam this session (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

I live half-way between two exam centres: one is a huge church building with a long walk past the examiner to get to the piano(!), and the other is a private home with a grand piano. The piano pupil I'm entering (for a prep test) gets tense quite easily so I think the private home would be better for her, esp as the owner allows candidates to come and have a go before the exam. The problem is that centre has requested the 6th week which is the one week my pupil can't do.

If I put down the preferred centre with a last possible date, will ABRSM automatically change the centre if it would be the wrong date or should I really put down the alternative centre? Are they more likely to allot you based on centre or date? The centres are less than 10 miles apart if that makes a difference.

Thanks for your help! I'd like the first one to go as smoothly as possible!!

Usually (In my knowledge) ABRSM have dates they are at the centres (depending on how busy they are, some are active for the whole period some only for a few weeks). AB say that they will try and get you as close to your preferred date, so if you put the week you are likely to get the end of that week if that is the time they are there for.

Do you know the weeks 100%? Might be worth getting in touch with AB to see what weeks each centre is? Also perhaps you could suggest to parents of said pupil that they might like to see what each venue is like (playing on the fact the owners let them use their piano) and get said child to choose for themselves.

That said there are many more experienced people on the forums than myself so, it may be worth waiting for one of them to come along (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Piano Meg]

Thanks SaxLad. It's helpful to know some centres are active for the whole time and how they use preferred weeks. The parents are happy to go with my recommendation on venue so that's not a problem. It's just that they cannot make the 6th week - er, make that 5th!, whoops!, the last week anyway - and that's the week our preferred centre has asked for.

My first instinct was to go for that centre anyway (putting down a last available date) and hope that the centre gets an earlier week, but I don't want to risk it if that would mean needing to request a change at the last minute if they do get an appointment allocated in that last week.

If I put down a last available date and then the centre I ask for is only used after that date, will they change the centre for me or just disregard the last available date?


Rrrrr - Sorry to waffle. I'm a terrible decision-maker! I just want to give my pupil the best chance to do well.

[Czerny]

Nobody on here can tell you for definite or has any influence over what's going to happen, so my advice would be to ring or email the Board and explain exactly what you've described here. I've always found them to be very helpful.

[Piano Meg]

Nobody on here can tell you for definite or has any influence over what's going to happen, so my advice would be to ring or email the Board and explain exactly what you've described here. I've always found them to be very helpful.

Thank you.
Will do!

[AnnC]

I think that whatever centre you ask for you will get. What you won't necessarily get is the dates you want. The centre itself gets the date they request because they have booked the venue. Your best bet is to contact the local honorary representative and ask what dates they anticipate having. They won't be able to tell you definitively because the number of days they need an examiner for depends on the number of entries they receive. But they should be able to tell you the week(s) they are likely to get. It's what I used to do before I had special visits. You'll get more joy from the local rep than you will with the Board itself.

[owainsutton]

For a prep test for a nervous character, I'd suggest that 'trying out' the venues beforehand might be counterproductive - it might make it seem like a bigger deal that it actually is, and cause the child to put more pressure and expectation on himself.

You could also flip the 'big church' problem around: "Aren't you just so fortunate to get to play in such a beautiful building?"

[Susie]

Do you have the option of a third centre even if it's a little further away? Environment can influence a pupil's confidence.

[Piano Meg]

Thank you!

I've now emailed ABRSM and also the local rep, so hopefully that will get me the info I need! But it sounds like I probably need to put down the safer, though least preferred, centre to make sure the dates are OK.

I've already been trying to get my pupil to relax her hands/arms more with breathing deeply/stretching/pretending to eat a muffin with one hand whilst doing 5-finger exercises with the other! I'll just have to do more of that and apply it to the exam situation to hopefully help with extra nerves at a big venue.

Thanks for your help!

For a prep test for a nervous character, I'd suggest that 'trying out' the venues beforehand might be counterproductive - it might make it seem like a bigger deal that it actually is, and cause the child to put more pressure and expectation on himself.

You could also flip the 'big church' problem around: "Aren't you just so fortunate to get to play in such a beautiful building?"

Thanks - that's a good point. I can definitely emphasize the positives and she knows she can't fail this one so perhaps this is a good time to experience such a venue (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[owainsutton]

Oops: *herself. I promise it wasn't linguistic chauvinism, I was just thinking about my solitary piano pupil who's working towards prep test material!

[Piano Meg]

Do you have the option of a third centre even if it's a little further away? Environment can influence a pupil's confidence.

I think they're the only two (normal, anyone can enter centres) in our county, so probably not. It's not her first music exam as she's done percussion with the county music service, who have their own centre, so at least she knows what to expect. I'd just hoped to make it as relaxed as possible as she's had bad experiences with the percussion exams and, adding to that, she's naturally got quite a lot of tension in her hands and puts a lot of pressure on herself too. But we'll make the best of it and hopefully get the nicer, warmer environment for grade 1!

Maybe for another session I can check out anyone who has their own visit that might let my pupils tag along for if the same problem comes up again.

Oops: *herself. I promise it wasn't linguistic chauvinism, I was just thinking about my solitary piano pupil who's working towards prep test material!

I hadn't noticed until you said! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)