Three Things I’ve Learned Before a Piano Exam

This week, I helped a student who has a piano exam in a few days. She played all her pieces for me and asked for some comments. It made me think about my own experiences preparing for exams and performances, and I wanted to share a few things that might help.

At one practice session, one student plays the piano while Tiger follows the music score, listening intently.

The last few days before an exam can feel stressful. Here are the three things I would focus on.

1. Be confident in your music

By the final few days, you should feel that the piece is really yours. Don't just know how to play it from beginning to end. Ask yourself:

Can I start anywhere?

Can you start from the middle of a section, after a difficult passage, or from the beginning of a new phrase? If you can, you probably know the music much more securely.

And if you have a memory slip, don't stop. Keep going. A small mistake doesn't have to become a big one.

One way I check my memory is to test my hands separately. I find the left hand can be particularly tricky to remember on its own. I deliberately play the left hand while moving my right hand in the air, so I can hear only the left hand and check whether I really know what I'm playing, or whether I'm just relying on muscle memory.

2. Check the page for every little detail

When we've played a piece hundreds of times, it's easy to stop really looking at the score.

Before the exam, go back to the page. Look carefully at the dynamics, accents, articulation, tempo markings, crescendos and diminuendos.

One simple way to check yourself is to record a performance as if you were already in the exam room. Then listen back and make a note of every place where you missed a dynamic, articulation or tempo change.

Ask yourself:

Am I actually playing everything the composer has written?

Sometimes the smallest marking can completely change how a phrase sounds. And in an exam, these details really matter. The examiner is listening for them too.

3. Trust what you've prepared for the piano exam

The last few days aren't the time to completely rebuild your piece. Play it through. Test your memory. Check the details. Fix the things that still feel uncertain. Then trust your preparation.

I think this mental trust is really important. Being nervous doesn't make the music better. Sometimes, the more nervous you become, the more you start doubting things you already know.

For me, exam preparation is ultimately about getting to the point where you can walk into the room thinking:

“I know this music. Now I just need to play it.”

I hope you can find that confidence before your exam rather than having to learn it the hard way.