Of course, the graded examination will greatly promote your study. Practice according to the order of the tracks arranged by it and your own situation (generally, someone takes the first grade every year). As the difficulty of practice increases bit by bit, and the requirements for skills deepen step by step, you can be very clear about your practice direction, so as to complete the transition from beginner to amateur high level faster and take fewer detours.

Of course, you can't take exams for the sake of exams. Because it is not enough to just complete the required tracks in the grading book, a lot of etudes are needed to lay a solid foundation. You can try the etudes compiled by Man Kun, Dent and Bach, and stick to one that suits you, so that you can have solid basic skills.

Finally, I would like to remind you that at present, the social art level examination of Central Conservatory of Music is the most recognized in China, followed by Shanghai Conservatory of Music. You said that there are not many people in China Conservatory of Music now, so we should pay attention to it.