The listening questions use our own piano recordings. They cover intervals, chords, cadences, meter and texture. Recognizing a style, period, instrument or voice by ear is not included.
The sections
Section 1 · Theory and AnalysisAbout 33 percent of the official test.This section has 41 questions.
Section 2 · History, Literature and CultureAbout 33 percent of the official test.This section has 41 questions.
Section 3 · Music EducationAbout 14 percent of the official test.This section has 18 questions.
Timing
Exam mode runs a clock of 4 hours for the whole practice test.
The full practice test holds 100 questions.
Study mode has no clock. It checks each answer as you go.
Sample questions
Sample 1
Which chord sounds the same as G♯, B♯, D♯, and F♯?
A♭, C, E♭, and G
G, B, D, and F♯
A♭, C♭, E♭, and G♭
A♭, C, E♭, and G♭
The answer is D, A♭, C, E♭, and G♭.
Each note has a second spelling a letter higher: G♯ is A♭, B♯ is C, D♯ is E♭ and F♯ is G♭. The chord is still a dominant seventh, now standing on A♭.
Sample 2
Which description best fits the field of ethnomusicology?
The study of non-Western music using Western notation alone
The study of music in its cultural context, often through fieldwork
The history of European concert music as traced through its scores
The science of how instruments produce and project sound
The answer is B, The study of music in its cultural context, often through fieldwork.
Ethnomusicologists study any music, including Western traditions, as part of human culture. Fieldwork with participant observation is a central method, and Alan Merriam described the field as the study of music in culture.
Sample 3
Seventh-grade band members rehearse a brisk march in 6/8. Which conducting pattern shows the meter most clearly?
A six-beat pattern, each beat an eighth note
A two-beat pattern, each beat a dotted quarter
A three-beat pattern, each beat a quarter note
A four-beat pattern, each beat a dotted eighth
The answer is B, A two-beat pattern, each beat a dotted quarter.
Fast 6/8 is compound duple, felt as two dotted-quarter beats, so the march is conducted in two. Beating six eighth notes is too busy at march tempo. Beating three quarter notes regroups the measure as 3/4. Dotted-eighth beats, four to the measure, cut across the eighth notes and fit no grouping in 6/8.
Questions and answers
How long is the MTEL Music 16 practice test?
Exam mode gives 4 hours for the whole practice test. It holds 100 questions. Study mode has no clock.
What sections does the MTEL Music 16 practice test cover?
It follows the board's order: Theory and Analysis, History, Literature and Culture and Music Education.
Are the answers explained?
Yes. Each answer comes with an explanation of why it is correct.