I used to think my ear was un-trainable but it turns out my ND brain was making things a little harder than they needed to be and I didn't have effective strategies to make things easier. (Warning: these tips are for everyone!)
1. Don't try to predict your dictation examples.
Something I liked about written theory was that you'd be given an example and instructed to find a thing (modulation, augmented 6th, etc) Looking back at where I struggled in dictation examples, I now realize that I was trying to predict what was going to happen in the example. I would get so caught up in what I was "supposed to be" listening for that the strategies I had were limiting what I could get done in 4 listens. Clear your mind and listen without expectation.
2. Know when you are struggling to remember the example you heard
If you've read my previous posts, then you know I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until I was 25 (and in the 2nd year of my doctorate!!). This happened to be 7-8 years after taking aural skills. One of the symptoms of ADHD is poor working memory. And what requires good working memory?
Aural skills dictation examples!
Working memory, if you're unfamiliar, is the part of your memory that holds information temporarily. Just what you need when you're taking an aural skills exam and only need the dictation examples for 4 listens before moving on. Hindsight is 20/20 so knowing this about me now I would've practiced listening to dictation examples and singing them back. Taking the pen and paper out of it entirely to just focus on the skill of listening to a thing and remembering it.
3. Tackle the elements you can tackle with confidence
I could always nail the rhythm aspect of the dictation examples. It was something I could notate essentially in real time and knew I'd be able to get the points for that element. Now that I know I had trouble remembering the melody, I wish I would've used quicker shorthand for outlining the contour. Instead... I would try to fill in the pitches as the example was played. But doing that in real time is TOUGH. I'd get a few notes and then lose pace with the example and have to basically wait until the next hearing to add to what I had.
4. Listen for landmark notes
If you just use a line to indicate the contour of the example and you have your rhythm, keep your ears peeled for landmark notes that you can identify confidently. Like you know for a fact that the highest pitch in the example was sol, then write sol in! If you know the last 3 notes were la-ti-do, write that in!
There are no rules that say you have to fill in your dictation example from start to finish, left-to-right verbatim as it was played. Fill in what you can, when you can!
5. There are no rules- do what will help you
Go look over old exams and you'll find the areas you struggled in. Review the strategies you used in those exams and see how those strategies may have helped or hindered your success on that example.
Use all the resources available to you! I didn't have my first smart phone until after I was out of aural skills but there are plenty of apps available today that can help you practice your ear training skills. One of my personal favorites is PerfectEar because you can practice rhythm, melodic, and harmonic exercises. It even has a function for matching pitch with your voice!
Since memory was an issue for me, I spent time using voice memos recording me singing back dictation examples to make sure I was getting close to what I remembered.
No matter what... breathe and stay calm. It's just an exam. Ear training is not life or death. And your ability to perform specific tasks in an aural skills class does not at all determine your overall musical ability! It's kinda like the fish climbing a tree anecdote. Even though I didn't get straight A's in ear training classes, I still developed a lot of practical skills that I apply to my everyday musical career?
Error detection: yes, I really did hear that you missed a note in that septuplet
Intonation and Pitch matching: ever play a game with someone else to see if you can play in tune enough to create difference tones
Transcribing/Playing by ear: Every week I have at least half a dozen students ask to play something from TikTok and I have to sit down and transcribe it and arrange it for a 10 year old pianist to play, it's a valuable skill!
P.S. If your aural skills classes require you to use some sort of computer program to complete exercises, log as much practice time as you can just to get used to the idiosyncrasies of the program as possible!