Time Signatures and Metre
What is tested
Typical questions ask you to add a missing time signature to a passage, tell simple from compound time, and cope with irregular metres such as 5/4 and 7/8. Hearing the difference between 6/8 and 3/4 is far more reliable than counting it, so drill it with sound.
Common mistakes
Candidates hear two beats in 6/8 but write 3/4, because they count the six quavers rather than the pulse. Decide how many beats the bar has first: 6/8 has two dotted-crotchet beats, 3/4 has three crotchet beats, and the note groupings follow from that.
Practice with
The tool below checks your answer against the theory engine, so you get the same verdict a marker would.