I learnt the grade 8 scales so I could pass the exam (with distinction

) however I didn't really learn them properly until I was at music college and we had an exam on them (tends to focus the mind a bit). They are now so ingrained that I could not forget them even if I wanted to!
Being able to play them well enough to pass a grade is a completely different thing from having the technical mastery of the instrument to play all scales across the range of the instrument. You should aim to make each note the same irrespective of register (this includes tone, production, articulation, end of the note, intonation etc.).
One thing I have noticed about the way others practice thier scales. Players tend to start on the lowest note (F# or E) and play a two octave scale. They then move up a semi-tone and play that scale two octaves and so on. The problem wth this approach is that all the upper notes are left to the end with a detrimental effect on the chops. I thnk it is much better to use a cycle of fifths for your starting notes (ie Bb,Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, etc) as this will spread the work your embouchue has to do.
One thought on scales to leave you with:
· If you think you’ve mastered the playing of scales – think again, were all
those notes really perfect?