Grading & Awards

To give students an engaging, musical experience to “examine” what they know—while celebrating achievement and developing the student’s musical mind and heart.

Theory Exam Scoring

The first 4 levels of the Theory Exams (Primer, Level 1, 2A, and 2B) each have 70 questions. Each question is worth one point for a total of 70 points. The required passing score is 70% (49 points) or higher.

Performance Exam Scoring

A Piano Adventures Exam Coach will evaluate the student’s performance, expertly and with care, using 5 categories:

A choice of 3 ratings is given to each category:

Excellent = 5 points
Very Good = 4 points
Developing = 3 points

A total of 25 points is possible for each piece (5 points for each of the 5 categories shown above). For all 3 pieces, a maximum of 75 points is possible. A minimum score of 53 points is required to pass the Performance Exam.

The results for the Performance Exam will include ratings for each piece, comments for each piece, and overall comments from the Piano Adventures Coach.

Students who successfully pass only the Performance Exam or only the Theory Exam will receive a Certificate of Completion. The Certificate will be available as a printable download in the dashboard of the Student, Teacher, and Parent/Guardian when the Exam results are available.

Note: At any time, the student may enroll for the companion Exam (at the same level) to earn the Piano Adventures Exam Diploma.

Students who successfully pass both the Performance and Theory Exams will be awarded the Piano Adventures Exam Diploma. The Diploma will be available as a printable download in the dashboard of the Student, Teacher, and Parent/Guardian within 28 days of Exam submission.

Exam Diploma Award Badges

The Exam Diploma features a Piano Adventures Award Badge based on the Student’s combined score for the Theory and Performance Exams. Each badge celebrates the student’s pianistic skills and musical progress from beginning to late intermediate piano.

High-achieving students may be featured on The Bravo Board—an area of the Piano Adventures Exam website where outstanding students in Theory and Performance are recognized.

Nomination to The Bravo Board for Theory Leaders

Students earning a score of 97% or higher earn the title of Theory Leader!

Each Theory Leader featured on The Bravo Board includes a personalized congratulatory message, first name, last initial, Exam level, location (if provided), and date the Exam was passed.

Nomination to The Bravo Board for Performance Champs

Any student’s performance of a List 1, 2, or 3 piece that receives the highest rating of “Excellent” in all 5 categories is nominated for The Bravo Board. In the event that more than one piece has earned 5 Excellent ratings, the Piano Adventures Exam Coach will select which piece is nominated.

Each Performance Champ has a spotlight performance that includes first name, location (if provided), piece title, level, and the nominated Performance Video.

The Bravo Board Details

Students will be highlighted on The Bravo Board for a period of 1 year. Students, their families, and friends can enjoy this time of recognition. At the end of 1 year, the posting is removed from The Bravo Board. However, students are encouraged to be recognized again in Performance and/or Theory at a higher Piano Adventures level!

Parent/Guardian permission is required in order for students to be featured on The Bravo Board. Permission may be granted via the dashboard on the Parent/Guardian Exam Account. Students and their Parents/Guardians may opt out of participation on The Bravo Board simply by not activating the Permission Request found in the Parent/Guardian dashboard.