Why Your Exam Score Doesn't Matter (And What Actually Does)

A student finishes their Rockschool Grade 5 exam. They get the results back: 78%.

They're gutted. "I only got a Merit. I wanted a Distinction."

I ask: "Can you play the material confidently? Did you understand what you were doing?"

"Yeah, I played it well. Just made a few small mistakes."

"Then you succeeded. The number doesn't matter."

They look confused. "But... 78% means I didn't do well enough."

Here's the truth: exam scores are arbitrary numbers that mean almost nothing in the real world.

What Exam Scores Actually Measure

Let's be clear about what an exam score does:

It determines which band you slot into:

• 60-74%: Pass
• 75-89%: Merit
• 90-100%: Distinction

That's it. That's all the number does.

It doesn't measure:

• How musical you are
• How confident you feel playing
• How much you've improved
• Whether you understood the material
• If you can apply the skills in real-world playing
• Whether you enjoyed the process

It measures your performance in a specific room, on a specific day, playing specific pieces, for a specific examiner.

That's incredibly narrow. And yet we treat it like it's some definitive judgement of your drumming ability.

No Professional Context Cares About Your Score

Here's a question: when was the last time you heard someone ask a drummer, "What score did you get on your Grade 5?"

Never.

Because it's irrelevant.

If you're auditioning for a band, they'll ask you to play. They'll listen. They'll decide if you're the right fit.

They won't ask, "Did you get 78% or 92% on your exam three years ago?"

If you're applying to a music college, they'll care about your audition performance, your musical understanding, and your potential for growth.

They won't ask, "What was your exact percentage on Grade 6?"

If you're recording a session, the producer will care about whether you can nail the part, interpret the feel correctly, and adapt to feedback.

They won't ask, "Did you get a Merit or Distinction on your Grade 8?"

The number is meaningless outside the exam room.

The only context where your score matters is the exam itself—and even then, it only matters for determining Pass/Merit/Distinction.

A 75% (bottom of Merit) and an 89% (top of Merit) are functionally identical in every practical sense. Both are Merits. Both mean you demonstrated competence. The 14-point difference means nothing.

Grades Are Arbitrary Numbers, Not Objective Truth

Here's something most people don't realise: exam marking has inherent subjectivity.

Two examiners can hear the same performance and give slightly different scores. Not wildly different—exam boards train for consistency—but enough to shift you from 74% (Pass) to 76% (Merit), or from 88% (Merit) to 91% (Distinction).

That's not because one examiner is "wrong." It's because grading live performance isn't like marking a maths test where answers are objectively right or wrong.

Drumming involves:

• Feel and groove (subjective interpretation)
• Musicality and phrasing (stylistic choices)
• Tempo stability (some examiners are stricter than others)
• Technique quality (some prioritise relaxation, others prioritise control)

All of these have a degree of interpretation built in.

The score you get reflects that particular examiner's judgement on that particular day.

It's not some universal truth about your drumming. It's one person's assessment in one moment.

Treating it as definitive proof of your ability is like judging the quality of a concert performance by assigning it a number. Would you ever do that?

"Yeah, I saw that gig last night. I'd give it a 73%. Decent, but not quite Merit-level."

Ridiculous, right?

You'd say you enjoyed it, or you didn't. It resonated with you, or it didn't. The music connected, or it didn't.

That's what actually matters.

What Actually Determines Success as a Drummer

If exam scores don't matter, what does?

1. Can You Play Confidently?

Confidence isn't about never making mistakes. It's about playing with commitment, recovering when things go wrong, and trusting your ability.

A drummer who plays at 85% accuracy but with total confidence and groove is infinitely more valuable than a drummer who plays at 98% accuracy but sounds stiff and nervous.

Exams don't measure confidence. But confidence is everything in real-world playing.

2. Do You Understand What You're Playing?

Understanding means you know why you're playing something, not just what you're playing.

You understand how a shuffle feel works. You know why a ghost note pattern creates groove. You can explain (or demonstrate) why certain sticking choices make a fill easier or harder.

That understanding lets you adapt, improvise, and problem-solve.

Exams test memorisation of pieces. They don't fully test understanding.

3. Can You Apply the Skills in Different Contexts?

You learned a Latin groove for your exam. Great. Can you now play that groove in a band setting? Can you modify it to fit a different song? Can you recognise when to use it?

Transferable skills matter more than isolated exam performances.

Exams are artificial environments. Real drumming happens in rehearsal rooms, on stages, in studios, and in your bedroom jamming along to songs you love.

If you can't transfer exam skills to those contexts, the exam didn't actually teach you much.

4. Do You Enjoy Playing?

This is the big one.

If you get a Distinction but you hate drumming by the end of the process, you've failed.

If you get a Pass but you're excited to keep playing, exploring, and improving, you've succeeded.

The goal of music education isn't to produce high exam scores. It's to create lifelong musicians who love playing.

Grades don't measure that. But it's what actually matters.

For Students: Stop Fixating on the Number

If you got a Pass and you're disappointed because you wanted a Merit, ask yourself:

• Can I play the material confidently?
• Do I understand what I'm doing?
• Am I better than I was six months ago?
• Do I still enjoy playing?

If the answer to all four is yes, you succeeded.

The number is just admin. It's the exam board's way of categorising your performance into bands. It's not a judgement of your worth as a drummer.

You're not "a 78% drummer." You're a drummer who got 78% on one exam, on one day, playing specific pieces for one examiner.

That tells you almost nothing about your actual ability, potential, or value as a musician.

So stop letting a number define how you feel about your progress.

For Parents: Reframe What Success Looks Like

If your child gets their exam results back and the score is lower than expected, resist the urge to focus on the number.

Instead, ask:

• "Did you feel like you played well?"
• "What part are you most proud of?"
• "What did you learn through the process?"
• "Are you excited to keep learning?"

These questions matter infinitely more than "What percentage did you get?"

If your child got a Pass but they're engaged, improving, and enjoying drumming, that's success.

If your child got a Distinction but they're burnt out and dreading their next lesson, that's a problem—even though the number looks good.

The goal is lifelong musical engagement, not exam score optimisation.

Help your child see the bigger picture. The score is just one data point. It doesn't define their ability, potential, or future as a drummer.

What Exams Are Actually Useful For

I'm not saying exams are pointless. They have value:

1. They provide structure and motivation Working towards a specific goal can focus practice and create a sense of achievement.

2. They benchmark progress over time Going from Grade 3 to Grade 5 shows measurable improvement, even if the exact scores don't matter.

3. They teach performance skills Playing under pressure, in an unfamiliar environment, for an examiner builds resilience and confidence.

4. They validate competence Passing an exam confirms you've reached a certain level of ability.

But the score itself? That's the least important part.

You don't need 90%+ to prove you're a good drummer. You just need to demonstrate competence, understanding, and the ability to keep improving.

Pass, Merit, or Distinction—all three prove you're making progress. The exact percentage within those bands is irrelevant.

The Bottom Line

Your exam score is an arbitrary number that determines which band you fall into (Pass/Merit/Distinction). That's it.

No band, music school, or professional gig will ever ask your score.

What matters:

• Can you play confidently?
• Do you understand what you're playing?
• Can you apply skills in real-world contexts?
• Do you enjoy drumming?

If yes to all four, you're succeeding—regardless of whether you got 65% or 95%.

Stop fixating on numbers. Start focusing on growth, understanding, and enjoyment.

That's what makes a good drummer. Not a percentage on a piece of paper.

Working towards an exam and want to focus on genuine progress, not just score chasing? Let's build confidence, understanding, and real-world skills that matter beyond the exam room. Contact me for drum lessons in Bristol