Face-to-face exams
Online booking – use our online service to book these exams. Click Login/Register at the top of the page to get started.
Exam locations and dates – we offer these exams at:
- Public Venues - organised by us during regular exam sessions and open to anyone. Check our dates and fees page for booking periods and exam dates.
- ABRSM Jazz Visits – organised by us on specific dates in our exam sessions and open to anyone. See below for more information.
- Private Visits – at venues provided and run by a teacher, school or other organisation and only open to candidates of the Visit Organiser or their Permitted Applicants. For instrumental and singing exams you must normally have at least three hours of exams and you can usually choose the exam date(s).
We have special arrangements for the following exams:
- Jazz Practical Grades and Open Music Assessments – only available in Australia, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK at ABRSM Jazz Visits or Private visits, see below.
- Percussion, Organ and Harpsichord exams – only available at Private Visits, see below.
Face-to-face instrumental and singing exams take place on dates in our exam sessions, usually between 9.00am and 5.35pm. You can choose your venue and date (but not the time) from a list of options. The number of dates and venues available depends on the location. We confirm exam times after the booking period when we’ve finalised the timetables.
Check our step-by-step guide to booking exams at a Public Venue.
The information here applies to Private Visits in the UK and Ireland. If you are interested in holding a Private Visit in a different country please contact your local ABRSM representative for more information.
If you have at least three hours of instrumental and singing exams we can provide an examiner for your venue, usually on a date of your choice.
Jazz - you can have Jazz exams at a visit if you have at least one hour of Jazz exams and at least three hours of exams in total.
Percussion, Organ and Harpsichord – these exams must take place at a Private Visit. There is no minimum number of candidates for these instruments.
How long do exams take?
Check the table below to find out how long our face-to-face exams take.
Digital Performance Grades and ARSM Performance diplomas – candidates preparing for digital exams should check the syllabus for the maximum programme time for their exam. For digital exams, the exam slots on our online booking service will be one minute longer than the times shown here for face-to-face Practical Grades and ARSM Performance diplomas.
Candidates with specific needs – extra time may be available for candidates with certain specific needs. Please check our specific needs pages for details.
Instruments and singing | Music Theory** | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Piano and harpsichord | Singing | Harp and Organ | All other subjects | ||
Prep Test | 10 mins | 10 mins | - | 12 mins | - |
Initial Grade | 12 mins | - | - | 12 mins | - |
Grade 1* | 12 mins | 13 mins | 17 mins | 12 mins | 90 mins |
Grades 2 and 3* | 12 mins | 15 mins | 19 mins | 14 mins | 90 mins |
Grades 4 and 5* | 15 mins | 15 mins | 22 mins | 17 mins | 120 mins |
Grade 6 | 20 mins | 20 mins | 25 mins | 20 mins | 180 mins |
Grade 7 | 25 mins | 25 mins | 30 mins | 25 mins | 180 mins |
Grade 8 | 30 mins | 30 mins | 35 mins | 30 mins | 180 mins |
ARSM in Performance | 40 mins | 40 mins | 45 mins | 40 mins | - |
Open Music Assessment | 15 mins | 15 mins | 20 mins | 15 mins | - |
* Jazz Practical Grades - add an extra three minutes
** Grade 6 to 8 Music Theory - candidates who finish early can leave the exam at any time after 40 minutes. At Grades 1 to 5, Music Theory candidates can end the online exam at any time.
Ensembles | ||
---|---|---|
Instrumental/singing and jazz | Choral Singing | |
Primary/Initial | 17 mins | 20 mins |
Intermediate | 23 mins | 22 mins |
Advanced | 30 mins | 25 mins |