Balearic PAU Music & Dance exam-day guide
Balearic PAU Music & Dance · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Official ID document
Bring the original photo ID (DNI, passport, or NIE card) that matches the name on your registration. Confirm with the provider which documents it accepts and whether a photocopy or digital version is ever valid, because it usually is not.
Exam admission slip or registration proof
Print or download whatever proof of registration the organising body issues for the music and dance practical test. Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is mandatory and whether the document must be signed or stamped.
Instrument-specific accessories
For instrumental options, bring your own instrument if the instructions allow it, plus reeds, strings, picks, rosin, valve oil, spare drumsticks, or any consumable you depend on. Confirm with the provider what the centre supplies (piano, music stands, amplification, drum kit) and what you must bring yourself.
Printed scores or lead sheets
If the test involves performing a prepared piece or sight-reading, bring clean, legible copies of any score you are allowed to use. Confirm with the provider whether photocopies are accepted, whether a copy must be handed to the panel, and whether annotations are permitted.
Dance footwear and clothing
For dance options, bring footwear appropriate to the style (ballet slippers, character shoes, jazz shoes) and clothing you can move in. Confirm with the provider whether changing rooms are available and whether costumes are required or forbidden for the prepared piece.
Water and a light snack
Practical tests involve waiting and physical effort. Bring water in a closed container and a small snack. Confirm with the provider whether food and drink are allowed in the waiting area and the exam room.
Any required backing track or accompaniment details
If your option uses a recorded backing track, confirm with the provider the accepted file format and medium (USB, CD, or streamed from a centre device) and the deadline for submitting it. Do not assume you can plug in a phone.
Medical or access documentation
If you need an accommodation, extra time, or a rest break for a medical reason, confirm with the provider well before the test what documentation is required and by when. Do not leave this to the exam day.
Warm-up plan written down
Prepare a short warm-up you can do in a corridor or waiting room without disturbing others: breathing, lip or vocal warm-ups, scales, stretches, or barre-style mobility. Write it on a card so you do not have to improvise under stress.
Confirmation of time, room, and arrival margin
Re-check the exact call time, building, and room on your admission documents. Confirm with the provider how early you should arrive and what happens if you are late, since late-arrival rules vary between centres and calls.
Travel and instrument transport plan
Plan how the instrument or dance bag gets to the centre and where it can be stored during the test. For bulky instruments, confirm with the provider whether there is a secure storage area and whether a carer or accompanist may help carry it inside.
Phone silenced and stored
Silence and stow your phone before entering the waiting area. Confirm with the provider whether devices must be handed in, because an audible phone or a visible device during a performance can be treated as a conduct issue.
Plan the day
Re-read the official instructions for your specific option and confirm every logistical detail with the provider: instrument provision, backing-track format and deadline, score-copy rules, dress requirements, and accommodation arrangements. Finalise your programme or prepared piece and rehearse it end to end at least twice under timed conditions, including the spoken introduction if one is expected. Do a full run of your warm-up so it becomes automatic. Check that your instrument is in working order and that consumables are packed, and resolve any transport question for a large instrument now rather than on the day.
Do a light technical session only: slow scales, a short pass of the hardest passage, or a gentle dance combination. Avoid learning new repertoire or pushing your range or stamina, since fatigue shows up most in the first minutes of a practical test. Pack the bag: ID, admission document, scores, accessories, footwear, water, snack, and warm-up card. Lay out clothing. Charge nothing you rely on as a phone, because the phone stays off. Confirm the travel route and set two alarms. Aim for a normal night's sleep; sleep loss costs more than one extra hour of practice.
Eat a normal meal at your usual time and hydrate steadily rather than in one large amount just before performing. Arrive at the centre with the margin the provider specifies, allowing extra time for instrument assembly and registration. Complete registration and ID checks, then find the waiting area and the room. Begin your written warm-up roughly 20 to 30 minutes before your call time, and keep it short and familiar. Silence your phone and store it. Use the remaining minutes for mental rehearsal of openings and transitions rather than for last-minute technical fixes.
Enter when invited, greet the panel briefly and calmly, and wait for instructions before assembling, tuning, or starting. If tuning or a sound check is permitted, do it quickly and quietly. Announce your programme only if asked. If you make a mistake, keep going: examiners assess the whole performance, and stopping to restart is usually worse than continuing. If you are asked a question you do not understand, ask for it to be repeated rather than guessing. At the end, thank the panel, collect your belongings, and leave without discussing the test with other candidates in the waiting area.
Rules to check
Carry the original identity document named on your registration at all times in the centre. Confirm with the provider which documents are accepted and what happens if the name or document does not match, because refusal of entry is a common consequence of an ID mismatch.
Follow the centre's instructions on what may be brought into the exam room. Instruments, scores, water, and bags are usually regulated, and the specific list depends on your option; confirm with the provider rather than assuming, and leave anything not expressly permitted outside.
Treat the prepared performance as continuous. Unless the instructions for your option say otherwise, do not restart a piece after a mistake, and do not exceed the stated time limit. Confirm with the provider how timing is enforced and whether you will be signalled before the limit.
Switch off and stow all devices before entering the waiting area. Confirm with the provider whether phones must be handed in, and never use a device to play a backing track unless that medium has been expressly approved in advance.
Do not communicate with other candidates about the content of the test inside the waiting area or after your performance. Keep to your own preparation, and direct any question about procedure to a member of the centre staff rather than to other candidates.
If you need a rest break, water, or an adjustment during the test, ask the panel. Confirm with the provider in advance whether breaks are permitted during a practical performance and how they affect timing, since this differs between options and centres.
Understand how your option is marked before the day. Practical music and dance assessments typically combine the prepared performance with a technical or sight-reading component and may include a short interview; confirm with the provider the weighting of each part and whether any component is compulsory to pass.
Accept that the panel's decision on procedure is final on the day. If something goes wrong, such as a faulty instrument or a disturbance, tell the panel or centre staff immediately and ask for it to be recorded, then follow the provider's published complaints or review procedure afterwards rather than arguing in the room.