After not getting round to doing any exams for 25 yrs ( some of you already know).
I have been trying to pass this gr5 piano theory exam which i have always had nightmares about (lol).
The 1st time i was thrown in at the deep end with out doing any prep (teachers fault) and got next to no results.
The second time i took it whilst i was very ill due to Asthma due to the cold and failed it by 15 points.
Im doing it again in November so any ideas would help.
(im no Rodney Trotter by the way !! )

Lots of past papers with feedback and extra teaching on any weak areas.
Know your scales/key signatures as this covers more than one question in different guises.
Try to learn by understanding rather than rely on memory aids.
Don't enter for the exam unless you are consistently scoring at least in the high 80s on past papers as this gives a good margin for a bad day.

am doing past exam papers and just scraping thru but still got probs with things like intervals where i got a big fat zero ( for some reason)

happy to help here, there was a very recent post that explained intervals on the forum somewhere. Work the major/perfect interval out (remember, always count from the bottom note (which is 1) and then see how much smaller/bigger it is. 1 semitone smaller is either minor (if a 2nd,3nd,6th or 7th) or diminished if a 4th or 5th. 1 semitone smaller from a minor is a diminished.

One semitone bigger than a major or perfect interval in an augmented.

Does that help??

There is a really good software programme/CD called C.A.T.S. which I felt was really helpful for preparing for my grade 5 theory. You can purchase it on the internet.

As for learning the musical dynamics, I found it useful to use index cards which had the Italian or French word on one side and the English on the other. My cards contained every single word which might appear in the exam. everyday I went through them, reading the foreign word, trying to guess it and then turning the card over. It really worked in the exam as I immediately recognised it when I opened the exam paper. I used this in addition to the C.A.T.S. programme.

I really struggled with intervals but managed to scrape the exam with 66%, the pass mark, as I thought I might in 2007. I certainly was not expecting to excel in it..

All the best to you though.

Thanks folks !

I used a book called take 5 and pass first time. and found it really helpful - in getting you to pass the exam (but not necessarily understanding everything for the long term)

Also work out what you need to write down at the start of the exam to help you. I know I drew myself a 'keyboard' to help counting tones and semitones as it's easy to make a mistake in the 'heat of the exam' I also drew out the circle of 5th's and there was some other stuff I can't remember - It took about 20 minutes for me to write out all my notes at the start of the exam - but it really helpped and I'd recomment it as a way to go.

Also work out what you need to double check in the exam to avoid loosing silly marks - for me the one I can remember is ascending and descening for the scale question - very easy to get wrong and lose lots of marks so I knew i needed to double check myself on that question.

Good luck with your exam

It does depend on whether you want the piece of paper to say you know theory to that level or you want to actually know it an so get the piece of paper to prove it.

It reminds me a little of Girl Guide badges. In some companies girls are wearing badges that they've gained without the real interest or knowledge. My understanding was that if a girl had a particular badge she actually had a certain level of proficiency in the subject. It is meant to indicate that she can use that skill in a practical way.