End-of-Course Assessment

Prerequisite: Complete all four phase checkpoints before taking this assessment.

This is the course’s own end-of-course check. It covers skills that Grade 1 guitar exams draw on (scales, chords, rhythm, basic theory, ear skills and performance), but it does not follow any exam’s format or marking, and its result does not predict an exam result. Every item tests something you have practised in the sessions.

How to take this assessment:

1. The day before, make the three ear-test recordings described in Section 5. You answer from them during the assessment.
2. Print this page, or copy the item numbers onto paper, so you can write your marks.
3. Set aside 45–60 minutes of uninterrupted time.
4. Have your guitar tuned, a pick ready, and a metronome set.
5. Record the session on your phone — audio is fine, video is better. Stop the recording for Section 5, where you listen to your ear-test recordings; nothing in that section needs to be recorded. If you play the blues in Section 6 and your phone cannot record while it plays the backing, play the backing on another device.
6. Work through each section in order.
7. After finishing, listen to the recording and score yourself honestly using the rubrics provided.

Which item checks which exit criterion. The course’s Exit Criteria are listed in Course Overview. Each one is checked by a named item, here or in a phase checkpoint:

Exit criterion	Checked by
The open chords Em, Am, E, D, A, G, C and Dm ring clearly	Test 2A here; Dm in the Phase 4 checkpoint, item 13
E5 and A5 with palm muting; the moveable power chord shape (F5, Bb5, Ab5, Db5)	Tests 2A and 3B here; Phase 4 checkpoint, items 3 to 6
The simplified F chord	Test 2A here
The change test for Em-Am, G-D and C-G: a new chord every 2 beats at 70 BPM	Test 2B here
The C major scale at 60 BPM, two notes per click	Test 1A here
The A minor pentatonic scale at 60 BPM, two notes per click	Test 1B here
A single-note melody from TAB with the metronome	Phase 4 checkpoint, item 8; Section 6 here, if one of your three pieces is a melody
Downstrokes, down-up strumming, D D U U D U and the waltz strum for eight measures each	Test 3A here
The syncopated pattern with muted strums at 65 BPM	Test 3B here
A passage played quietly and loudly, and palm-muted and ringing	Phase 3 checkpoint, item 2; Phase 4 checkpoint, item 6; the expression line of Section 6 here
Reading TAB and its symbols; a short unseen TAB passage at 50 BPM	Section 4 here, questions 8, 9 and 12; Phase 4 checkpoint, item 14
Naming notes on the staff; how many beats each note value lasts	The quiz in Reading Standard Notation; Section 4 here, question 4
Which of the course’s chords are major and which are minor	Section 4 here, question 10
Counting and playing in 4/4 and 3/4; the 12-bar blues in A from memory	Section 4 here, questions 3 and 5; Test 3A here; Phase 2 checkpoint, item 14
Three short pieces performed from memory	Section 6 here
One piece played all the way through with the metronome	Phase 4 checkpoint, item 16
A recorded performance marked against a written checklist	Section 6 here
The three ear skills	Section 5 here

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Section 1 — Scales (15 points)

Test 1A: C Major Scale (8 points)

Play the C major scale (one octave, open position) ascending and descending at 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes), three times in a row. Use alternate picking throughout.

C Major Scale — Up and Down

e|--------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
B|------------------------------0---1---|---0---------------------------|
G|----------------------0---2-----------|-------2---0-------------------|
D|----------0---2---3-------------------|---------------3---2---0-------|
A|------3-------------------------------|---------------------------3---|
E|--------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4
Pick:   D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U   D   U   D
Finger: 3   -   2   3   -   2   -   1       -   2   -   3   2   -   3
Notes:  C   D   E   F   G   A   B   C       B   A   G   F   E   D   C

The top C is played once; the last C lasts a full beat. In the Finger row, a dash means an open string.

Criteria	Points	How to Score
All notes correct (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C and back)	3	3 = no wrong note in the three runs, 2 = one wrong note, 1 = two wrong notes, 0 = three or more
Even rhythm (no rushing, no hesitation)	3	3 = no stop or hesitation, and you finish with the click, 2 = one hesitation, 1 = two or three hesitations, 0 = more, or you cannot stay with the click
Clean tone (no buzzing, muted notes, or string noise)	2	2 = no more than 2 buzzed or dead notes, 1 = 3 to 6, 0 = more

Your score: _____ / 8

If below 5: Review Session 14 (C major scale) and Session 23, “C Major Scale — Run-Through”. Practise the scale 5 times on each practice day at 50 BPM, two notes per click, and come back up 5 BPM at a time.

Test 1B: A Minor Pentatonic Scale (7 points)

Play the A minor pentatonic scale in open position, ascending and descending, at 60 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes), three times in a row. Use alternate picking.

A minor pentatonic, open position: ascending (twelve notes)
e|----------------------|-------------------|-----------0---3---|
B|----------------------|-------------------|---1---3-----------|
G|----------------------|-----------0---2---|-------------------|
D|----------------------|---0---2-----------|-------------------|
A|--------------0---3---|-------------------|-------------------|
E|------0---3-----------|-------------------|-------------------|
Count:  1   2   3   4       1   2   3   4       1   2   3   4
Finger: -   3   -   3       -   2   -   2       1   3   -   3
Notes:  E   G   A   C       D   E   G   A       C   D   E   G

A minor pentatonic, open position: descending (eleven notes)
e|------0---------------|-------------------|---------------|
B|----------3---1-------|-------------------|---------------|
G|------------------2---|---0---------------|---------------|
D|----------------------|-------2---0-------|---------------|
A|----------------------|---------------3---|---0-----------|
E|----------------------|-------------------|-------3---0---|
Count:  1   2   3   4       1   2   3   4       1   2   3
Finger: -   3   1   2       -   2   -   3       -   3   -
Notes:  E   D   C   A       G   E   D   C       A   G   E

Coming down, the top G is played once, so there are eleven notes. The count shown is for quarter notes (one note per click). In eighth notes, each printed measure lasts two beats: count “1 & 2 &”. On string 2 the notes are fret 1 and fret 3: string 2 is never played open in this scale (open string 2 is B).

Criteria	Points	How to Score
All notes correct across all six strings	3	3 = no wrong note in the three runs, 2 = one wrong note, 1 = two wrong notes, 0 = three or more
Even rhythm	2	2 = no stop or hesitation, and you finish with the click, 1 = one hesitation, 0 = more
Clean string crossings (no gaps between strings)	2	2 = no pause at any change of string, 1 = one or two pauses, 0 = more

Your score: _____ / 7

If below 4: Review Session 16 (A minor pentatonic) and Session 23, “A Minor Pentatonic Scale — Run-Through”. Focus on string crossings — practise two adjacent strings at a time.

Section 1 Total: _____ / 15

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Section 2 — Chords (20 points)

Test 2A: Chord Accuracy (10 points)

Play each of the following chords. Strum once and let it ring, then pluck the strings that should sound one at a time. Every required string must sound clearly — no buzzing, no muted strings. With a tuner on (in the mode that shows any note), the strings read as listed, thickest played string first.

Chord	Strings to Strum	Tuner check	Pass (1 pt)	Fail (0 pts)
Em	All 6	E, B, E, G, B, E	All strings ring clearly	Any string buzzes or is muted
Am	Strings 5–1	A, E, A, C, E	All 5 strings ring clearly	Any string buzzes or is muted
E major	All 6	E, B, E, G#, B, E	All strings ring clearly	Any string buzzes or is muted
D major	Strings 4–1	D, A, D, F#	All 4 strings ring clearly	Any string buzzes or is muted
A major	Strings 5–1	A, E, A, C#, E	All 5 strings ring clearly	Any string buzzes or is muted
G major	All 6	G, B, D, G, B, G	All strings ring clearly	Any string buzzes or is muted
C major	Strings 5–1	C, E, G, C, E	All 5 strings ring clearly	Any string buzzes or is muted
F (simplified)	Strings 4–1	F, A, C, F	All 4 strings ring clearly	Any string buzzes or is muted
E5 power chord	Strings 6–5	E, B	Only these two strings sound, with no buzz	Strings rattle or extra strings ring
A5 power chord	Strings 5–4	A, E	Only these two strings sound, with no buzz	Strings rattle or extra strings ring

Your score: _____ / 10

Dm, the eighth open chord, is checked in the Phase 4 checkpoint (item 13).

For any chord that fails: return to the session where it was introduced and drill it. See Chord Chart for fingering diagrams.

Test 2B: Chord Transitions (10 points)

Set your metronome to 70 BPM. For the three pairs, play the change test with a new chord every 2 beats: 8 chords, 7 changes. For the two longer cycles, play one measure per chord, strumming D/U, four times round.

The change test (Session 3): strum each chord once, with a downstroke, on beats 1 and 3, and let it ring; alternate the two chords until you have played 8 chords in a row. A change is clean when the new chord lands on its click with every string that should sound ringing.

Transition	Points	How to Score
Em to Am	2	2 = all 7 changes clean, 1 = one or two rough, 0 = three or more rough
G to D	2	Same scoring
C to G	2	Same scoring
A to D to E (3-chord cycle)	2	2 = every change clean in all four rounds, 1 = one rough change, 0 = more than one
G to Em to C to D (4-chord cycle)	2	2 = every change clean in all four rounds, 1 = one rough change, 0 = more than one

Your score: _____ / 10

If below 6: Chord transitions need practice on every practice day. Review Chord Transitions. Take the change test for your weakest pair with a new chord every 2 beats at 50 BPM, and climb 5 BPM at a time.

Section 2 Total: _____ / 20

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Section 3 — Strumming and Rhythm (15 points)

Test 3A: Strumming Patterns (9 points)

Play each pattern on a chord of your choice for 8 measures with the metronome at the tempo shown.

Pattern	Tempo	Points	How to Score
Basic downstrokes (4/4)	70 BPM, one strum per click	2	2 = eight measures with the click, 1 = one slip, 0 = cannot stay with the click
D/U (down-up, eighth notes)	70 BPM, strumming D/U (down on the click, up between clicks)	2	Same scoring
D D U U D U	75 BPM, D D U U D U pattern	3	3 = eight measures with the click, 2 = one slip, 1 = pattern breaks, 0 = cannot play
Waltz (D d d in 3/4 time)	70 BPM in 3/4, one strum per click	2	2 = eight measures with the click, and on the recording beat 1 is the loudest strum in every measure, 1 = all beats the same volume, 0 = cannot keep 3/4 going

Your score: _____ / 9

Test 3B: Advanced Rhythm Skills (6 points)

Skill	Points	How to Score
Syncopated strumming with muted strums at 65 BPM, syncopated pattern (4 measures)	3	3 = four measures with the click, and on the recording every chk is a click with no note, 2 = pattern correct but some chks have a note, 1 = the pattern breaks once, 0 = cannot play
Palm-muted power chord eighth notes at 70 BPM, two notes per click (4 measures: E5, A5, E5, A5)	3	3 = four measures with the click, and on the recording every note has the same short “chunk”, 2 = one or two notes ring or go dead, 1 = the muting changes from note to note, 0 = cannot keep it going

Your score: _____ / 6

If below 9 for the section: find the row where you lost points. Downstrokes: Session 2. D/U and D D U U D U: Session 5. Waltz: Session 7. Syncopated pattern: Session 13, “The Muted Strum (chk)”. Palm muting: Session 9, “Power Chords with Palm Muting”. Practise that pattern 5 BPM slower on each practice day for a week, then take the row again.

Section 3 Total: _____ / 15

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Section 4 — Theory and Knowledge (15 points)

Answer each question. Write your answer, then check against the answers at the bottom of this section.

1. Name the six guitar strings from lowest (thickest) to highest (thinnest).
2. On the first string, which fret gives the note F?
3. How many beats are in one measure of 4/4 time? And of 3/4 time?
4. How many beats does each of these last: a whole note, a half note, a quarter note, an eighth note?
5. What three chords make up a 12-bar blues in the key of A?
6. Name the notes of the C major scale in order.
7. What does “p-i-m-a” stand for in fingerpicking?
8. What is the difference between a hammer-on and a pull-off, and which letter stands for each in TAB?
9. In TAB, what do 0, x and / mean?
10. Which of these chords are major and which are minor: E, Em, A, Am, D, Dm, G, C?
11. In the moveable power chord shape, finger 1 plays the root on string 6. On which string, and how many frets higher, does finger 3 play?
12. What does “PM” mean in guitar TAB or notation?
13. Name two songs from this course that use power chords.
14. What is alternate picking?
15. In the A minor pentatonic scale, name any three of the five notes.

Score: 1 point per correct answer. A question with more than one part scores its point only if every part is right. _____ / 15

Answers:

1. E A D G B E (low to high)
2. Fret 1.
3. Four beats in 4/4; three beats in 3/4
4. Whole note: four beats. Half note: two beats. Quarter note: one beat. Eighth note: half a beat
5. A, D, and E
6. C, D, E, F, G, A, B (then C again)
7. Pulgar (thumb), indice (index), medio (middle), anular (ring) — the Spanish names for the fingers of the plucking hand
8. A hammer-on taps a finger down onto a higher fret without picking (h); a pull-off lifts a finger off to a lower fret or the open string, plucking the string as it leaves (p)
9. 0 = play the string open (no fret pressed). x = a struck, deadened note: the pick hits the string but a hand is stopping it from ringing. / = slide up to the fret that follows
10. Major: E, A, D, G, C. Minor: Em, Am, Dm
11. String 5, two frets higher (for example F5: string 6 fret 1 and string 5 fret 3).
12. Palm muting
13. “Paranoid” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (also acceptable: “Iron Man”, whose recording uses power chords, although Session 9 teaches the riff as single notes)
14. Alternating between downstrokes and upstrokes when picking single notes
15. Any three of: A, C, D, E, G

If below 10: Review handouts/music-theory/ for theory concepts. Review specific sessions for practical knowledge.

Section 4 Total: _____ / 15

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Section 5 — Ear Skills (10 points)

When you form a chord yourself, your hand already knows the answer, so these tests are answered from recordings made the day before. All three use the recorded card test, which you first met in Session 6.

The recorded card test

You need a phone that records sound, some slips of paper and a pen.

1. Write one item on each slip (the list is given with each test).
2. Shuffle the slips face down. Start recording. Turn over one slip at a time: say its number aloud (“one”, “two”, …), play the item, wait about five seconds, and put the slip face down on a new pile. Keep the pile in order.
3. Stop recording. Put the pile away without looking through it. The pile is your answer key.
4. Wait until the next day, so that you no longer remember the order.
5. Play the recording once through. Write your answer for each number.
6. Turn the slips over in order and mark your answers.

If someone else can play the items for you where you cannot see their hands, that works equally well: skip steps 2 to 4.

Test 5A: Major or Minor (4 points)

Ten slips, one chord name on each: E, A, D, G, C, Em, Em, Am, Am, Dm. One down-strum per slip. Answer “major” or “minor” for each number.

Right answers	Points
9 or 10	4
8	3
6 or 7	2
5	1
Fewer than 5	0

Your score: _____ / 4

Test 5B: 4/4 or 3/4 (3 points)

Six slips: three marked “4/4”, three marked “3/4”. For a 4/4 slip strum Em for two measures, D d d d, D d d d; for a 3/4 slip strum Em for two measures, D d d, D d d. No metronome. Answer “4/4” or “3/4” for each number.

Right answers	Points
6	3
5	2
4	1
Fewer than 4	0

Your score: _____ / 3

Test 5C: Play It Back (3 points)

Six slips, one four-note phrase on each. The phrases use only E (string 1 open), F (string 1 fret 1), G (string 1 fret 3), B (string 2 open), C (string 2 fret 1) and D (string 2 fret 3):

1: E F G E    2: G F E D    3: B C D C    4: D E F E    5: C D E G    6: E D C B

Write only the four notes on each slip, not its number in this list: when you record, the number you say aloud is the slip’s place in the shuffled pile (“one” for the first slip you turn over), so that the recording does not tell you which phrase it is.

When you record, play each phrase twice, slowly. Next day: listen to both playings, then play the phrase; turn the slip and compare the strings and frets you played with the slip. A phrase is right only if every note matched.

Right answers	Points
5 or 6	3
4	2
3	1
Fewer than 3	0

Your score: _____ / 3

If below 6 for the section: Ear skills develop with practice. Make a new set of recordings each week and mark each one on a later day. Review Session 6, “Major vs Minor — Ear Training”, and Session 23, “The Ear Tests”.

Section 5 Total: _____ / 10

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Section 6 — Performance (25 points)

This is the most important section. Perform three short pieces from the course, one after another. Choose pieces that demonstrate different skills.

Recommended selections (choose three):

Piece	Skills Demonstrated
”Smells Like Teen Spirit” simplified arrangement (Session 20)	Moveable power chords, dynamics, muted strums
Showcase Study in A minor (Session 21)	Expressive melody, slides, chord accompaniment
Em–D arpeggio study (Session 15)	Fingerpicking, arpeggios, chord changes
”About a Girl” verse accompaniment (Session 10)	Open chord strumming, steady rhythm
”Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Session 10, half-speed chart)	Four-chord progression, gentle strumming
Arrangement study in E minor (Session 19)	Melody + chord combination
”Iron Man” riff four times (Session 9), then “Paranoid” verse riff twice (Session 13)	Single-note riff; palm-muted power chords
Blues in A minor with your own solo (Session 22)	Blues structure, pentatonic improvisation

These are the pieces you chose from in Sessions 23 and 24, where each one’s length, ending and tempo are given. The four earlier course pieces on that list (“12-Bar in A”, the “Scarborough Fair” accompaniment, “Two-Chord Rock” and “Em Groove”) may be chosen too. The course’s versions of well-known songs are short, simplified excerpts, not complete songs.

Performance rules:

• Play from memory (no TAB in front of you)
• Start each piece with your own count-in and play it to its written ending
• Do not stop if you make a mistake — keep playing
• Pause between pieces: tune check, breath, count-in

Scoring Each Piece (up to 8 points each, plus 1 bonus)

Mark each piece from the recording, using this checklist. For the rhythm line, start the metronome at the piece’s tempo and tap along with the recording, as you did in Sessions 23 and 24: count the places where your taps leave the click.

Criteria	Points	How to Score
Notes/chords accuracy	2	2 = no more than 2 wrong notes or chords, 1 = 3 to 6, 0 = more
Rhythm and tempo	2	2 = never more than a beat from the click, 1 = drifts once or twice, 0 = stops or loses the click
Tone quality	2	2 = no more than 2 buzzed or dead notes, 1 = 3 to 6, 0 = more
Musical expression (dynamics, phrasing)	2	2 = one planned loud-or-soft change can be heard on the recording, 1 = attempted but not audible, 0 = none

Piece 1: __________________ Score: _____ / 8 Piece 2: __________________ Score: _____ / 8 Piece 3: __________________ Score: _____ / 8

Bonus point: Did your three pieces demonstrate at least three different techniques (e.g., strumming, fingerpicking, power chords, melody, improvisation)? Yes = 1, No = 0. _____ / 1

If below 13 for the section: choose the piece that scored lowest. Use “How to memorise a piece” (Session 6) and the recovery drill (Session 23) on it on each practice day for two weeks, and play it once a day with the metronome clicking at its session tempo. Then record the three pieces again.

Section 6 Total: _____ / 25

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Final Score

Section	Your Score	Maximum
1. Scales	_____	15
2. Chords	_____	20
3. Strumming and Rhythm	_____	15
4. Theory and Knowledge	_____	15
5. Ear Skills	_____	10
6. Performance	_____	25
Total	_____	100

Result Bands

Score	Result	What It Means
85–100	Distinction	Outstanding. Every area of the course is secure.
70–84	Merit	Strong. Most areas are secure; practise the sections where you scored under half.
55–69	Pass	You have the basic skills of the course. Spend two to three weeks on the sections where you scored under half.
40–54	Working Toward	Solid foundations, with some areas that need more time. Revisit the sessions for the sections where you scored under half.
Below 40	Keep Practising	You need more time with the course material. Go back to the phase checkpoints, find your weakest phase and work through those sessions again. There is no rush.

A result of Pass or higher also needs at least 13 of the 25 performance points (Section 6); with fewer, your result is Working Toward whatever the total.

These bands are the course’s own. They are lower than the real exams’ (Trinity: pass 60, merit 75, distinction 87), the test is self-marked, and the result is not a prediction of an exam result.

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After the Assessment

If you scored Pass or above:

• You have the playing skills this course set out to build.
• See Whats Next for your options, including what it takes to prepare for a Grade 1 exam.

If you scored Working Toward or below:

• This is not a failure. It is information. You now know exactly what to practise.
• Go back to the sessions and the checkpoint items for the sections where you scored lowest: the table below shows where each section comes from. The advice under each checkpoint item will guide you.
• Take the assessment again in 2–4 weeks. You will see improvement.

Section	Taught in	Checkpoint items to go back to
1. Scales	Sessions 14, 16 and 23	Phase 3: items 3 and 5. Phase 4: items 11 and 12
2. Chords	Sessions 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 17; the change test in Sessions 3 and 23	Phase 1: items 4 to 8. Phase 2: items 1 to 10. Phase 3: items 10 and 11
3. Strumming and Rhythm	Sessions 1, 5, 7, 9 and 13	Phase 1: items 9 to 11. Phase 2: items 11 to 13. Phase 3: item 1
4. Theory and Knowledge	All sessions, and the music-theory handouts they assign	Phase 2: items 14 and 15. Phase 3: item 4
5. Ear Skills	Sessions 6, 8, 14 and 23	Phase 1: item 16. Phase 2: item 25. Phase 3: item 19. Phase 4: items 15, 21 and 22
6. Performance	Sessions 19 to 24	Phase 4: items 16 and 17

Regardless of your score:

• You started this course unable to play a single note. You now play chords, scales, melodies, riffs, fingerpicked arpeggios, and improvised solos across rock, metal, folk, and Hindi film music.
• A number on a page does not define your musicianship. Your ability to sit down with a guitar and make music — that defines it.
• Keep playing.