The Music Stem / Music theory practice tests / RCM Level 8 Music Theory
Exam practice
Timed practice for RCM Level 8 Music Theory, set out in the board's own sections. Every answer comes with an explanation.
Theory Level 8 is a written theory exam from The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM).
This practice test covers Level 8: pitch, rhythm, intervals, scales, chords and harmony, melody, form and analysis, terms and history.
History questions ask the facts RCM lists for each work. No recordings are played. Writing a contrasting period and writing cadences are practiced as written tasks with a model answer to mark your own work against.
Exam mode runs a clock of 1 hour for the whole practice test.
The full practice test holds 60 questions.
Study mode has no clock. It checks each answer as you go.
The board's paper has 100 marks. RCM sets Pass at 60 (60%), Honors at 70 (70%), First Class Honors at 80 (80%) and First Class Honors with Distinction at 90 (90%).
A practice score is a guide to these bands only.
Source: RCM Theory Syllabus, p. 51.
Which major key has the key signature B♭ and E♭?
The answer is D, B♭ major.
B♭ major has two flats: B♭ and E♭. Flats always enter the signature in this order.
A melody opens in 6/8. Which kind of time is this?
The answer is D, Compound duple.
A measure of 6/8 holds two dotted-quarter-note beats. Each beat breaks into three eighth notes. A measure of two beats is duple. Beats that divide into three make the time compound.
In A♭ major, which note is the 7th of chord V7?
The answer is C, D♭.
V7 in A♭ major is built on E♭: E♭, G, B♭, D♭. The D♭ is supplied by A♭ major's own signature, while G and B♭ are the chord's 3rd and 5th.
Exam mode gives 1 hour for the whole practice test. It holds 60 questions. Study mode has no clock.
It follows the board's order in nine sections, from Pitch and Notation to Music History.
Yes. Each answer comes with an explanation of why it is correct.
See a mistake on this page? Write to info@themusicstem.com or read how to report an error.