The exam at a glance
| Section | Weight | Timing | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| I · Multiple choice | 45% | about 80 min · 75 questions | About 41–43 aural questions on recorded music (about 45 min) and 32–34 non-aural questions on printed scores (35 min). |
| IIA · Written free response | 45% | 7 tasks | 2 melodic dictations, 2 harmonic dictations, 1 figured-bass part-writing, 1 Roman-numeral part-writing and 1 melody harmonization. |
| IIB · Sight-singing | 10% | 2 melodies | Sing two short diatonic melodies (4–8 measures). You get 75 seconds to practice and 30 seconds to perform each one, recorded. |
Listen carefully, write by hand
Recorded music is played during the exam, and you write notation by hand. Practice dictation with a timer and the exact number of playings used on the exam.
Common-practice style
Part-writing follows 18th-century voice-leading rules: avoid parallel fifths and octaves, resolve leading tones, and keep voices in range.
The multiple-choice section
75 questions in about 80 minutes, split between listening to recorded music and reading printed scores. More than half are aural, so strong ear training (intervals, chord qualities, cadences) is the biggest single lever on your score. Aural questions can't be replayed on demand. Wrong answers lose no points.
Strategies that work
- Listen for the bass line first when identifying chords and cadences.
- Sing the tonic in your head before every aural question.
- Know your cadences: authentic, plagal, half and deceptive.
- For score questions, check the key signature and look for accidentals that signal modulation or secondary dominants.
- Count intervals carefully: size first, then quality.
- Never leave a blank. There is no penalty for guessing.
The 8 units, in plain English
Music Fundamentals I
Pitch, major scales, rhythm and meter.
Be ready to: Read treble, bass, alto and tenor clefs; write major scales and key signatures; identify simple and compound meter.
Music Fundamentals II
Minor scales, melody, timbre and texture.
Be ready to: Write the three forms of minor scales; identify intervals; describe melody, timbre and texture.
Music Fundamentals III
Triads and seventh chords.
Be ready to: Spell and identify triads and seventh chords in all inversions; use Roman and figured-bass symbols.
Harmony & Voice Leading I
Chord function, cadence and phrase.
Be ready to: Identify tonic and dominant function; name cadence types; write four-part harmony with correct voice leading.
Harmony & Voice Leading II
Progressions and predominant function.
Be ready to: Use predominant chords; follow common progressions; avoid parallel fifths and octaves.
Harmony & Voice Leading III
Embellishments, motives and devices.
Be ready to: Identify non-chord tones; use cadential 6/4 chords; recognize motivic development and sequences.
Harmony & Voice Leading IV
Secondary function.
Be ready to: Spell and resolve secondary dominants and leading-tone chords; identify tonicization.
Modes & Form
Modes, phrase structure and form.
Be ready to: Identify modes; describe phrase relationships (periods); recognize binary, ternary and other forms.
College Board doesn't publish unit weights for Music Theory. The course builds from fundamentals to harmony and form, and every later unit depends on fluent interval, scale and chord spelling from Units 1–3.
The free-response tasks
Seven written tasks (45%) and two sung melodies (10%). Each task type is the same every year, so you can practice each one on purpose.
Melodic dictation
Notate a melody played several times, given the key, meter and first note.
Write the rhythm first, then the scale degrees.
Harmonic dictation
Notate the soprano and bass lines and give Roman numerals for a short progression.
Bass line and cadence first; they anchor everything else.
Part-writing
Write four-part harmony from a figured bass or a Roman-numeral progression, following voice-leading rules.
Check for parallels and resolve the leading tone up.
Melody harmonization
Choose chords to harmonize a given melody, with a bass line and Roman numerals, ending with an appropriate cadence.
Plan the cadence before choosing the opening chords.
Sight-singing
Sing two short diatonic melodies, recorded. You may sing aloud during the 75-second preparation.
Keep going after a mistake. Stopping costs more than a wrong note.
Time plan: For each sight-singing melody: about 10 seconds to find the tonic, 65 seconds to practice and 30 seconds to perform. Keep a steady tempo; rhythm counts as much as pitch.
Habits that earn points
- Write the bass line and cadence first.
- Check every pair of voices for parallel 5ths and 8ves.
- Resolve the leading tone and chordal sevenths.
- Keep each voice within its range.
- Stuck in dictation? Notate rhythm; it still earns credit.
10 traps that cost points
Parallel 5ths and 8ves
Two voices moving in parallel perfect fifths or octaves is the most common part-writing error.
Unresolved leading tone
In an outer voice, the leading tone should resolve up to tonic at a cadence.
Doubling the leading tone
Never double the leading tone; it creates parallel octaves when both resolve.
Voice crossing and spacing
Keep voices in order (S above A above T) and adjacent upper voices within an octave.
Wrong minor-key harmony
In minor, raise the leading tone in V and vii°, using harmonic minor.
Interval quality
Count size first, then check quality: major, minor, perfect, augmented or diminished.
Mixing up cadences
V–I authentic; IV–I plagal; ends on V half; V–vi deceptive.
Rhythm last in dictation
Getting the rhythm right first anchors the pitches and earns points on its own.
Stopping when sight-singing
Keep a steady beat and recover. Stopping or restarting costs points.
Ignoring the key signature
Check the key before every score question; accidentals often signal secondary chords.
A study roadmap to May
A steady plan beats a last-minute rush. Shift the months to match your teacher's pacing.
- Sep – Oct
Units 1–3: fundamentals
Clefs, scales, intervals, triads and seventh chords. Start daily ear training and sight-singing.
- Nov – Dec
Units 4–5: harmony
Chord function, cadences and four-part writing. Begin melodic dictation practice.
- Jan – Feb
Unit 6: embellishments
Non-chord tones, cadential 6/4 and figured bass. Begin harmonic dictation.
- Mar – Apr
Units 7–8: secondary function + form
Secondary dominants, modes and form. Take timed aural and non-aural sets.
- Early May
Full practice
All free-response task types under timing. Record yourself sight-singing and review it.
- May 2027
Exam day
Monday, May 10, 2027 (afternoon session). Sleep well and confirm your start time with your AP coordinator.
3 practice questions
Original questions written by ACT SAT GO in the style of the exam. The free PDF has 10, with full explanations.
- Intervals
What is the interval from F♯ up to D?
- A Major 6th
- B Augmented 5th
- C Diminished 7th
- D Minor 6th
Show answer
Answer: D · Minor 6th. F to D is a major 6th (F G A B C D). Raising F to F♯ shrinks it by a half step: a minor 6th.
- Chords
The notes B♭–D–F–A♭ form which seventh chord?
- A Major seventh
- B Minor seventh
- C Dominant seventh
- D Half-diminished seventh
Show answer
Answer: C · Dominant seventh. B♭–D–F is a major triad, and A♭ is a minor seventh above B♭. Major triad + minor 7th = dominant seventh.
- Secondary function
In D major, which chord is V/V?
- A E major
- B A major
- C B minor
- D G major
Show answer
Answer: A · E major. V in D major is A major. The V of A is E major (E–G♯–B), which tonicizes A.
How students score
Ranges reflect recent College Board score distributions and shift a little each year. Credit and placement policies vary by college.
Aiming for a 5 in AP Music Theory?
Book a free diagnostic session. We'll find your weakest units, review your practice responses and give you a week-by-week plan to exam day.