In my younger days I used to play my violin to a reasonable standard but it all fell by the wayside when I went to uni and I never played much again.
After a long hiatus (17 years 
) I'm back playing regularly, mainly in orchestras and small groups and gradually I've dragged myself back up to a similar standard I was as a teenager.
All good so far and I'm really enjoying playing again. But the bit that's bugging me is that as a teenager (whilst I was playing at around the standard) I never actually did my grade 8 exam. And part of me has always regretted this and now it's like an itch that won't go away.
Part of me thinks I am crazy to even consider it - I've a family, full on job and playing for a number of groups on an ad hoc basis (who knew violinists would be so in demand as an adult!) as well as an orchestra(s) but I've looked at the 2016-19 syabullus and found a local teacher.
Has anyone taken high level grades as an adult? And does it differ in terms of confidence than when you are younger? I'd love to hear about anyone's experiences