Proficiency Exam Information
Piano Placement Exam Information
This exam is for undergraduate students who wish to place out of a class piano requirement. It is not the piano sight-reading exam or keyboard harmony exam required for piano majors. Most students take the exam during orientation, but it is also offered at the beginning of the Fall and Winter semesters for current students who wish to retake the assessment. As of Fall 2024, additional examination times will also be offered near the end of the Fall and Winter semesters for graduating students only; students who qualify will be sent more information directly by SMTD Academic Advising.
Placement exams for current students are not given at any time other than those designated above, and those wishing to take the exam again must register in advance of the desired exam. Further, as of August 2023 a new policy has been implemented that limits current students to re-taking the piano placement exam a maximum number of two times, not including the exam completed as part of orientation. This policy applies to students admitted to SMTD for Fall 2023 and after. For questions, contact Professor Aya Hagelthorn.
Exam Date and Sign-Up Form
Registration is now open for Winter 2026 piano placement exams for current students, which will be proctored on Thursday, January 8 via Zoom. Students can sign-up for an exam time by completing this form. An email will be sent to you shortly after completing the registration form with the Zoom link for your exam. Access to a piano is required to complete the exam, and students are encouraged to reserve a practice room in the Moore Building. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Alexa Martinez.
Piano placement exams open to all current SMTD students will be proctored again in August near the start of the Fall 2026 semester. More information will be sent out in July.
Exam Requirements
Please note that this is an examination and not an advisement session. The examiners will have no time to engage in advisement about the program due to limited time.
Examinations will cover the following elements:
- Sight reading (can include additional examples of score reading after 112. See the syllabi for specific requirements)
- Harmonization of a melody
- Transposition of the melody with harmonization
- Chord progressions
- Scales and arpeggios
No solo or accompanying pieces need to be prepared for the Placement Exam. To help students prepare, please see our detailed expectations for each class piano level.
Theory Placement Exam Information
Re-Take Opportunities for Current Graduate Students
The following theory placement assessments are offered for continuing graduate students to re-take during the summer and over winter break: Aural Skills, Writing Skills, Tonal Analysis, Post-Tonal Analysis, and Keyboard Harmony. An email will be sent out to all students when the testing period has opened.
Language, Math and Other Placement Exam Information
The University of Michigan provides two types of placement exams for incoming first year undergraduate students: online and proctored (in-person) exams. The Math, Algorithmic Thinking, and Spanish Exams, as well as the Directed Self-Placement for Writing, are offered online. Students must complete the online exams before attending orientation.
Placement exams in chemistry and other languages are proctored on campus during freshman orientation. Language exams in Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian Japanese, Latin, and Russian will be offered. If you want to take a placement exam for a language other than the ones listed above, call the department directly to take the test after orientation. Do not schedule one of these exams while you are participating in the program. A list of languages and their corresponding departments can be found online.
To determine whether a particular placement exam is required, please review the Placement Exam Chart
Languages
Information for placement exams within French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish can be found at the Romance Languages website.
Placement exam for a language other than the ones listed above, call the department directly to take the test after orientation. Do not schedule one of these exams while you are participating in the program. A list of languages and their corresponding departments can be found online.
Math and Chemistry
Information for placement exams in Math can be found at LSA’s Math Department website, and Chemistry may be found via the Office of New Student Programs.