PSEB Matric Music Instrumental exam-day guide
PSEB Matric Music Instrumental · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admit card / roll number slip
Carry the printed admit card issued for the PSEB practical examination. If your school has not handed it over yet, ask the music teacher or exam coordinator before the practical date. Confirm with the provider (school/PSEB centre) whether a photocopy is acceptable alongside the original.
School identity card
Bring your school ID card as supporting proof of identity. If you have lost it, request a provisional certificate from the school office in advance; confirm with the provider what alternative photo ID the centre accepts.
Your instrument, in playing condition
Bring the instrument you have prepared on (for example harmonium, tabla, sitar, guitar, or vocal tanpura support as applicable to your chosen option). Check strings, reeds, pegs, and tuning before leaving home. Confirm with the provider whether the centre supplies instruments or whether you must bring your own.
Spare consumables for your instrument
Extra strings, picks, rosin, tabla powder/strap, or a small tuning device as relevant. Label your case and accessories with your name and roll number.
Tanpura / drone source or tuning reference
If your option requires a drone, carry a tanpura app on a charged phone only if the centre permits electronic devices; otherwise arrange an acoustic tanpura with your teacher. Confirm with the provider whether mobile phones or electronic tanpura apps are allowed inside the practical hall.
Notation or written work required by your syllabus
Carry any notation sheets, raga/tala write-ups, or practical file the syllabus asks you to submit. Keep them in a plain folder with your name and roll number. Confirm with the provider the exact submission format and whether handwritten or typed files are accepted.
Water bottle and simple refreshment
Practical sessions can involve long waiting. Carry water; avoid heavy food before singing or playing wind instruments.
Comfortable, neat clothing and free hands
Wear the school uniform or dress code specified for examinations. Avoid tight sleeves or jewellery that obstruct playing. Confirm with the provider if any specific dress code applies to practical days.
Arrival plan and reporting time
Note the reporting time on your admit card or school notice; reach the centre well before it. Confirm with the provider the exact reporting time and venue, since practical batches may be staggered.
Rehearsed repertoire list
Be ready to perform the prescribed pieces, alankars, palte, or compositions and to answer viva questions on raga, tala, laya, and notation. Practise starting and stopping cleanly on request.
Medical or special-needs intimation
If you have a condition affecting voice, breathing, hands, or hearing, inform the school in writing beforehand. Confirm with the provider what accommodations, if any, the board or centre can offer.
Emergency contact and backup transport
Save your teacher's and a parent's number, and plan a backup route in case of transport disruption. Keep the phone switched off or silent once inside the centre, subject to centre rules.
Plan the day
Finalise your repertoire: pick the pieces you will actually perform and rehearse them start-to-finish without stopping. Record yourself once and note two or three specific fixes rather than trying to change everything. Check instrument health (strings, reeds, pegs, skin tension) and arrange any repair now. Confirm your reporting time, venue, and batch with the school or centre. Gather documents and the practical file.
Do a full mock run: enter a room, announce your piece as you would to the examiner, perform, and answer five viva-style questions aloud (for example, define raga and tala, identify the tala of your composition, explain laya). Time yourself. Revise notation and theoretical points you are least sure of.
Light practice only: slow alankars, tuning, and one run-through of each piece. Do not over-sing or over-play the day before. Pack the instrument case, spare consumables, admit card, ID, water, and folder. Charge any permitted device. Sleep at a normal hour; avoid last-minute cramming of new material.
Eat a light meal, do a short warm-up (humming, slow scales, or finger exercises) rather than a full rehearsal. Re-check the case and documents against the checklist. Leave with buffer time for traffic. Switch the phone to silent or off per centre rules before entering.
Report at the desk, get your attendance marked, and locate the waiting area and tuning space. Keep warm-up quiet and minimal. Stay hydrated and calm; avoid comparing preparation with other candidates.
Greet the examiner politely, state your name and roll number clearly, and wait for instructions. Tune carefully before starting. Perform each piece as rehearsed, keep going through small slips rather than restarting unless asked, and maintain steady tala and laya. In the viva, answer concisely; if you do not know something, say so honestly rather than guessing. Ask for clarification if an instruction is unclear. Thank the examiner and collect your belongings before leaving.
Note down anything you were asked that you could not answer, for your own learning. Confirm with the provider whether any marks sheet or practical record must be signed or submitted before you leave the centre.
Rules to check
Carry your admit card and school ID at all times on the centre premises; produce them on request. If either is missing, inform the centre superintendent immediately rather than borrowing another candidate's documents. Confirm with the provider what the procedure is for missing documents.
Follow the centre's instructions on where to wait, where to tune, and when to enter the practical room. Do not enter another candidate's examination room or linger near the door.
Electronic devices: keep phones switched off or silent and out of sight unless the centre explicitly permits a tuning app or metronome. Confirm with the provider whether any electronic device is allowed during the practical.
Do not communicate with other candidates during your performance or viva, and do not accept prompts or signals from anyone in the hall.
Rest breaks and water: ask the examiner or invigilator politely if you need water or a short pause, particularly for vocal or wind instruments. Confirm with the provider whether scheduled breaks exist within the practical batch.
Scoring is done by the examiner(s) against the board's practical criteria, typically covering performance, technique, notation knowledge, and viva. Do not ask the examiner for marks or attempt to influence scoring; direct any grievance to your school or the board's grievance channel.
Perform only the pieces you have prepared within the syllabus; do not substitute unprepared items to fill time. If asked for something outside your preparation, respond honestly.
Maintain the dignity of the examination: no rough handling of centre instruments, no unauthorised recording or photography, and no leaving the hall without the examiner's permission.