Does anyone ask the examiner if they can try out the piano before starting an exam?

Do examiners, in your experience, offer that opportunity?

yes.

I ask if I can test the touch and find the 'biting point' of the pedal.

My Grade 3 examiner allowed me to practise on the piano before the exam.

Car Expert

Yes, the examiner offers. I play any scale , see how the pedal feels like.

One of my pupils who has her grade 5 on Friday rang the church where the exams are held and went along on the weekend and tried the piano for nearly an hour, maybe an idea if you know a contact.

One of my adult pupils did that, Possom, a couple of terms ago... and the vicar heard her play and asked her to play for church services. She's just been asked to take over all the church music and form a choir. And she's only Grade 4. I'm not sure how that is going to work out.

Nope, I didn't ask - but then again I've only sat one exam!!!
It was grade 8 piano, but the examiner gave me a C major scale to "start me off" and try out the piano.

I would like to mention that in some exam centres, it is possible to request practice times on the exam piano before the actual exam. Depending on the venue, a small fee may be charged.

The examiner might have been surprised to learn that melody thought a scale was something you found on the side of a fish as recently as eight months ago

Yes, our examiners allow you to do 1 piano scale to warm up.

My daughter will exam in G3 singing today (and G4 piano on Thurs) and the same practice piano will be in the practice room so she's going to have a quick play of that today too, once she's warmed her voice up. I know its not the same as the 1 in the exam room, but both pianos (practice and exam) are much worse than ours and it takes some getting used to, to drop down that level of responsiveness.

If you can get in to test it, do.

Yup...... it's true haha, I wonder if the examiner could tell?

I've never tried out an exam centre piano before the exam, and I don't think it was an option at my centre - a local music teacher's music room on a baby Bechstein. Instead, I tried out every other piano I cound find, and still use that technique now. If I can play my pieces on my piano, my teacher's piano, a really clapped out piano, a digital piano etc. then whatever the exam piano, it's unlikely to phase me too much.

I think examiners are actually quite inconsistent about this, at least in my experience. Some will offer the opportunity; others will not. I doubt any of them would refuse if one asked, but it's nice to be offered rather than have to approach the subject, in a stressful situation . I would test it if I was offered (have been on two occasions); but wouldn't ask if it wasn't offered.

That said I always pick scales first to get the feel for the piano anyway.

I've done that!

I'd just like to describe something relevant that happened at a local festival recently; maybe it's common, but I've never experienced it before. As each entrant went up to play, the adjudicator actually told them to try out the piano. Some seemed grateful for the opportunity, but most seemed to be doing it only because it was expected, and clearly felt ill at ease to do so in front of an audience. They had no idea what to actually DO to "try out" a piano, and most ended up giving a preview of their first competition piece. We all knew, therefore, before they had even started, who was in the running and who was not. Obviously an exam scenario is different, but it would be useful for all candidates to have a rehearsed idea of what to actually DO if given this opportunity - or if they intend to ask for it.