Music exams are a great opportunity for students to measure their achievement. Preparation for exams gives students motivation to practice harder and to improve their skills. Exams lay good foundations for music making while encouraging students to reach their full potential and also help them to take pride in their achievements.

ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is the world's leading specialist in music assessment. Exam includes performance and music theory.

The exams are graded in eight levels – Grades 1 to 8. There are no age restrictions and students can start with any grade or skip grades if they want to.

RCM (Royal Conservatory of Music) is the standard piano method system in Canada. It measures a student’s ability in grades, provides books for each grade in a variety of styles (baroque, classical, romantic, modern), and offers exams with certification at each grade level.

There are 10 grades in the RCM, with an additional preparatory grade (kind of like kindergarten), and an ARCT level, which is the most advanced step of the RCM system.