AMEB · Grade 2

AMEB Grade 2 aural tests: practice for all three

AMEB Grade 2 keeps the rhythm and phrase-singing tests from Grade 1 and swaps the key-note test for a new one: two notes sounded together, a major third or a perfect fifth apart, from which you sing the higher or the lower. Every test is played twice. As at all grades, there's no separate aural mark — the tests feed into your overall grade.

Rhythm

Tap or clap a short passage after hearing it twice.

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The tests at Grade 2

Rhythm

Tap or clap a short passage after hearing it twice.

A short passage in duple or triple time is played twice, and you tap or clap it back. At Grade 2 the focus is confidence: start on time, keep the pulse steady and give long notes their full length. Our trainer plays a two-bar tune twice and checks your claps against its rhythm after adjusting for your tempo. If your answer comes out uneven, clap it again slowly while counting the beats aloud, then build back up to speed.

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Melody

Hum or sing back a short phrase (melody and rhythm) after hearing it twice.

As at Grade 1, you hear a short phrase twice and sing or hum it back with the right notes and rhythm. AMEB leaves the length and key to the examiner; our Grade 2 phrases stay at two bars within the first five notes of a major key, with the key chord and first note played first. The best habit to build: replay the phrase silently in your head straight after the second hearing, then sing it aloud.

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Pitch

Hum or sing the higher or the lower of two notes played together (a 3rd or a 5th).

Two notes are played together — a major third or a perfect fifth apart, around middle C — twice. Then you sing either the top note or the bottom one, whichever is asked. Our trainer does the same and checks the note you sing. The fifth is easier to split because it sounds open; the third blends more. The top note usually stands out, so the lower one needs more focus: listen underneath the sound before you sing.

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Tips for Grade 2

Play two notes together on any instrument and sing the top one, then the bottom one — five minutes a day makes this test feel easy.
Sing doh–me (a major third) and doh–soh (a perfect fifth) until both sounds are familiar.
For phrases, notice the highest note and where it comes — it anchors your memory.
In duple time think 'strong, weak'; in triple time 'strong, weak, weak' — and keep that pulse going under your clapping.
Hum rather than sing if you're unsure of a note: humming makes small corrections easier.

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A full Grade 2 mock, marked

The examiner runs every test in order, plays as many times as the board does and gives an estimated result, with where you lose marks.

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Questions people ask

What does 'two notes played together' mean at Grade 2?

The examiner plays two notes at once, either a major third or a perfect fifth apart, within about an octave of middle C, and plays them twice. You sing back the higher or the lower note, as asked. At Grade 3 the pair can be any interval in that range.

Do I have to name the interval at Grade 2?

No — you only sing one of the notes. Naming begins at Grade 3, where you sing a scale note after the keynote and name it by number: second, third, fourth or fifth. Full names such as 'major third' are needed from Grade 4 onwards.

Is a key chord played before the phrase?

AMEB's syllabus mentions a keynote or tonic chord only for some tests — the interval, cadence and memory tests — and doesn't say either way for phrase singing. Our trainer plays the key chord and first note to set you up; be ready to start confidently even if the examiner gives you less.

Can my child tap instead of clapping?

Yes. AMEB accepts tapping or clapping for the rhythm test, so in the exam choose whichever feels steadier. At home, clapping usually gives the microphone the clearest signal, which is why our trainer asks for claps; tapping a pencil on a table is a handy way to practise away from the screen.

Independent practice. We are not affiliated with AMEB; the tests here are generated by our engine from the published format, not taken from the board's books. Mock marks are estimates — the examiner's judgement is final.