Certificate of Merit (CM) Piano Theory Level 9 Practice Test 2026 - Free Piano Theory Practice Questions and Study Guide

The key idea is identifying a mode by where it starts and where the half steps occur. Starting on the third degree of a major scale gives you the Phrygian mode. In Phrygian, the half steps appear between the first and second degrees and again between the fifth and sixth degrees. For example, in C major, starting on E yields E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E. The steps E-F and B-C are half steps, matching Phrygian’s pattern. The other modes begin on different degrees and have different placements of half steps, so they don’t fit this exact pattern.