Keyboard Skills Placement Exams

Keyboard Skills Placement Examination

Freshmen and transfer students with no previous piano study experience should enroll in PIAN 144. No examination or permission number is necessary. Check with your advisor about your particular degree requirements.

If you have a background in piano playing, you may choose to take a Quiz-Out test. Successfully passing the Quiz-Out will exempt you from having to take that particular class. Check with your advisor about how this will impact your particular degree requirements.

Download Quiz-Out Test Sheets:

Fall 2024 Exam Information

Quiz-Outs for the Spring semester of 2025 will take place online. The deadline for recording submission is Friday, January 17th at 11:59 p.m. Submit your recordings as unlisted YouTube videos. It's permissible to either upload multiple videos, or to combine all the elements into one video. If you choose to upload multiple videos, arrange them all in one playlist so that you can share the entire submission with one link. Send the completed YouTube video link(s) to Hongyi Chen, KU Group Piano Coordinator, at hongyichen@ku.edu

You must quiz-out of every level in order to take the higher-level class.  For example, if you want to take PIAN 284, you must pass 144 and 148. If you quiz-out of both 144 and 148, then you can take PIAN 284 without spending two semesters taking PIAN 144 and PIAN 148.  You must always quiz-out of every previous level class to continue into a higher-level class.

How to Create and Share an Unlisted YouTube Video:

  1. Sign into your YouTube account. 
  2. Click on “Your videos” in the left sidebar. 
  3. Click on “Create” in the top righthand corner, then click on “Upload videos.” 
  4. Upload your Quiz-Out video(s) by dragging and dropping them into the box, or by selecting them manually. 
  5. At the beginning of the upload process you will be prompted to add a title: if you have multiple videos, please make clear which element is in each video by adding a title here. 
  6. At the end of the upload process, in the “Visibility” step, you will be prompted to choose “private,” “unlisted,” or “public.” Select “unlisted.” 
  7. Be sure to click “Save” to ensure your video is unlisted. 
  8. Copy and send the YouTube video link(s), given to you after clicking “Save,” to Hongyi Chen, KU Group Piano Coordinator, at hongyichen@ku.edu. 
  9. The submission deadline is 11:59 pm. Friday, January 17th, 2025.