AMEB · Grade 3

AMEB Grade 3 aural tests: four tests, explained and practised

Grade 3 is the first AMEB grade with four aural tests and the first to ask you to name something you hear. Alongside rhythm, phrase singing and picking a note out of two played together, you sing a scale note after the keynote and name it as a second, third, fourth or fifth. Each test is played twice.

Rhythm

Tap or clap a passage after hearing it twice, then say whether it is in duple or triple time.

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The tests at Grade 3

Rhythm

Tap or clap a passage after hearing it twice, then say whether it is in duple or triple time.

The passage is played twice; you clap or tap it back, then say whether it's in duple time (two beats in a bar) or triple time (three). While you listen, find the strong beats: if they come every two beats it's duple, every three it's triple. Our trainer uses four-bar passages at this grade and asks the duple-or-triple question after you clap. AMEB doesn't say whether compound time can appear, so ours stays with simple two and three time.

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Melody

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

You hear a short phrase twice and sing it back with the right pitches and rhythm. Our Grade 3 phrases are two bars long and may be in a minor key as well as major, with a slightly wider range than at Grade 2 — from the note below the keynote up to the sixth above it. AMEB doesn't specify keys or lengths, so treat these as practice settings. The key chord and first note are played before you sing.

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Pitch

Hum or sing the higher or the lower of any two notes played together.

As at Grade 2, but now the two notes played together can be any interval within about an octave of middle C, and you sing the higher or lower one as asked. Close intervals blend more, which makes them harder to split. Our trainer draws from thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths and the octave. If you lose the note you need, find the other one first in your head, then move away from it — up for the top note, down for the bottom.

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Interval

After the keynote, sing the second note of an interval, then name it (2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th).

The examiner sounds the keynote, then another note of the major scale — the second, third, fourth or fifth above it. You hum or sing it back and then name the interval by number. Our trainer plays the pair twice, asks you to sing the upper note, checks it, then asks for the number. To work it out, count up the scale in your head from the keynote — doh, ray, me, fah, soh — and stop where the note lands.

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Tips for Grade 3

Learn the sound of each step from doh: sing doh–ray, doh–me, doh–fah and doh–soh until each feels distinct.
Duple or triple? Sway while you listen — side to side for duple, a waltz step for triple.
For any-interval pairs, practise on a keyboard: play two notes together, sing the top, then the bottom.
In minor phrases, listen for the darker third note above the keynote and make sure you copy it, not the major version.
On the second hearing of a phrase, mouth it silently to fix the rhythm in your memory.

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A full Grade 3 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

How do I name intervals at Grade 3?

By number only — second, third, fourth or fifth of the major scale, counted up from the keynote. Full names such as 'major third' or 'perfect fourth' are needed from Grade 4, where any interval of the major scale can come up.

What counts as duple or triple time?

Duple has two beats in each bar (as in 2/4) and triple has three (as in 3/4). AMEB doesn't say whether compound time such as 6/8 is included, so our trainer uses 2/4 and 3/4. Listen for where the strong beats fall rather than counting every note.

How does the mock report Grade 3 aural?

Because AMEB gives no separate aural mark — only one grade for the whole exam — our mock reports your accuracy across the four tests and an indicative descriptor: Secure, Sound, Developing or Needs work. It also shows which test cost you most, so you know what to practise next.

Has AMEB aural changed for 2026?

No. The aural requirements in AMEB's 2026 Manual of Syllabuses are word for word the same as in 2025, and no aural changes were announced for 2026. The 2027 Manual will be the next place to check for any updates.

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.