I'm hoping to go to university in September 2010 but because I don't have A Level Music they want grade 8 theory. I already have grade 8 flute, and therefore grade 5 theory. So, with a lot of work, how long do you think it would take to get grade 8 theory?

If you're wondering why I don't just take A Level Music, I left college a couple of years ago and have only now decided that I want to pursue music as a career, so want to get a music degree. Do you think this is possible for me to get in in 2010?

Thank you for your opinions!

Depends on your starting point and how quickly you pick things up.
Could you still score in the high 90s on a set of grade 5 paper? If not I'd make sure that the basic theory up to grade 5 is secure before moving on. Have you done any basic harmony? This is the basis of much of the higher theory grade work. You really are best working through grades 6 and 7 before grade 8 as theory is cumulative. You don't need to take grade 6 and 7 if you don't want though.
My theory was sound up to grade 5 and I'd done enough harmony not to need to use the harmony workbooks many people have found helpful and I did a grade a year from 6-8. Some people have managed it much quicker than that but I'm not sure where their starting points were.
Having a good teacher can help.

It also depends on whether you just want the piece of paper or you really want to learn and understand the stuff. It's possible to get a pass with some fairly big gaps in your knowledge.

Anything's possible if you put your mind to it
Obviously I don't know how much free time you have, but if you work hard there is no reason for you not to be able to pass this exam.
Buy the books that you need to work through and make yourself a timetable of the work that still needs to be done, and then work your socks off

If you really want to do it, then you should have what it takes to succeed.

Good luck

No doubt you'll be able to do it!

Plus, you have over a year and a half. You should aim to take the exam on the November session next year, so that if you happen to fail that one, you still have another chance before you go to uni.

With a bit of work it sounds do-able.

Many years ago (and the syllabus has changed a lot since) I did G8 with less than 3 terms preparation having done G5 2 years previously and taken no theory lessons/exams in between. I was doing it in the 1st year of A level music and we were well prepared for it by my school.

Thank you for your positive replies everyone!

I have quite a bit of free time, as apart from being a tutor in an orchestra on a Saturday morning, I work from home as a web developer, so it's quite good in that I can plan to do things when I want to. I'm a bit rusty on the grade 5 stuff so I'll take your advice and go through that first. I don't have a theory teacher but there people I can ask if I need any advice on things.

Thank you once again. It's great to know what I'm aiming for isn't an impossible task!

I think I'd recommend finding a teacher. There's a big, big jump from distinction level at Grade 5 to even scraping a pass at Grade 8 with all sorts of musical knowledge required - the questions are much more involved at Grade 8.

I did grade 8 theory in 3 months prep and passed with merit with a year from grade 5 (distinction)