It’s never too early to start preparing for the Music Aptitude Tests for students that are currently in Year 5 and will be applying for secondary schools to start in September 2015.
The musical aptitude test (MAT) allows state schools to select 10% of their intake on a music scholarship place. Not all schools use the test. You can find a list here. Please note that the list is exhaustive and please check validity as some schools vary the entry procedures from year to year.
The MAT is in two parts. All students who apply under this criterion will be invited to sit a written aptitude test in music. The test does not require any formal knowledge of musical theory and it is a listening test with multiple choice answers. Candidates successfully passing this test then proceed to the audition round which is Phase Two.
You can find out plenty of information about the MAT and preparation for the MAT here:
http://musicaptitudetest.co.uk/
Here is a sample video of one of the sections of the test, Section 3: Texture
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqybv5h1yA0]
Hannah talks about the importance of Mock Exams: I first sat a mock exam before my Grade 1 Piano exam. I was a very nervous student and whenever I played in front of other people I always made mistakes. Lorraine suggested I sit a mock exam with 
However he was very nice and put me at ease. He talked me through my performance and offered suggestions on areas to improve. This is really good for your confidence before doing the real exam. I now sit mocks for all exams and have sat them for my Grade 2 Piano and my Grade 1 Cello. I have done well in all three of my exams and I am sure sitting the mock has helped and I would encourage students to sit them.
My mum says that no one is perfect, although I think Lang Lang may be 🙂 I guess my mum could be right as I have done my grade 1, 2, 3 and 4 exams and have got a distinction for all of them. That makes me feel good especially as I usually get a good treat for achieving a distinction. Thank you for listening.