Exam booking help and FAQ
Answers to frequently asked questions about entering ABRSM exams are provided below. If your question is not answered on this page, please contact us.
Who can make an ABRSM exam entry and what is an applicant?
- Candidates may be entered for an exam by a school, a teacher of music, a parent or guardian
- Adult students over the age of eighteen may enter themselves for an exam
- Anyone who makes an ABRSM exam entry becomes an applicant and receives a unique applicant number
How do I enter an ABRSM exam?
To enter by post, download an entry form and send two copies to your Local Representative. We will send you your applicant number upon receipt of your entry.
How do I get an applicant number?
To enter by post, download an entry form and follow these instructions. We will set up an applicant number for you upon receipt of your entry.
I already have an applicant number but can't remember it
Please contact us and we will retrieve your applicant number for you.
When will I receive my exam results and certificates?
Visit our results and certificates page for further information.
I have not received my exam results
Your results will be displayed when they have been through all our quality assurance and checking procedures. Please contact your Local Representative for further information.
My question is not answered here
Contact your Local Representative.
I have forgotten my password
Please fill in our retrieve password form and we will email your password to the email address you have registered with us.
When will my exam appointments be displayed online?
We display a timetable each session on the appointments page of when we hope to confirm appointments. If you have received appointments for some candidates but not all we will send further emails when the rest of your candidates' appointments are available.
If you are at all worried and the exam session is about to start please contact us.
We will email you when the appointments have been released for your candidates. If you have more than one application we will email when each appointment becomes available. We will also email if appointments are amended for any reason. To avoid any disappointment please make sure that your candidates understand that we may not be able to give you exam appointments in your preferred week.
My results are not displayed online
We display a timetable each session on the results page of when we hope to confirm Practical results. We will also send you an email when your results are available. Practical results are usually released within two and four weeks and Theory results should be displayed four weeks after the exam date and posted within six weeks.
My credit/debit card has been declined
If your card is declined but you are sure that you have sufficient funds to cover the exam fees please save your entry and resubmit later.
We are never given details of why a payment has been declined and it can sometimes be due to system connections beyond our control.
If you continue to have problems, please try again with a different card or contact us.
I keep getting the error message '80040e14' on the online sign-in page
Please type in your applicant number again as this message means that there is an unnecessary space in the number itself.
I keep getting the message 'exceeded maximum amount of inactivity time'
This is caused by the security settings in your browser. Please select Tools, Internet Options, Security, Trusted Site and key https://onlineforms.abrsm.ac.uk into the box provided. You should now be able to use our form.
Useful tips for online exam entry
- You can make entries during the 6 weeks before a main session closing date and up to 4 weeks before a Special Visit.
- The save option enables you to complete all your entries over a longer period of time as you decide which of your candidates are taking exams. Don't forget to submit before the closing date! Remember that multiple entries may not be timetabled consecutively.
- You need to have your credit/debit card details ready when making your entry. Confirmation that we have received your entry will be sent to you by email within 30 minutes. This is not a receipt of payment as the banking system can take a couple of days.
- For a short time after the entry closing date you can amend names, ages, gender and NCN numbers on your submitted entry.
My question is not answered here
Contact us explaining what problems you are experiencing. If the problem is technical and not covered here please email us telling us the name and version of the browser you are using, if you are using a PC, Mac or UNIX and how you access the internet so that we can help you further.