Test-Taking Strategies

16: Oral Exam Strategies

16 Oral Exam Strategies Like any other kind of exam, you can prepare for oral exams. And you can become testwise enough to score extra points during your orals. Since you must be able to speak fluently and clearly, with little time for organizing your thoughts, many oral examiners permit you to choose your topic in advance. Even when you can't, most will at least tell you the scope of the examif you ask. Your exam actually begins right then, when you begin your preparation, because a substantial part of your grade will depend on how well you prepare. STRATEGY 1: ZERO IN ON A TOPIC It's best to choose a very limited topic and then discuss It in great depth and with many details. If you choose a broad topic, you risk appearing superficial because you will only have time to make sweeping generalizations about it. Learn how to zero in on a topic that's limited enough in scope that you can cover it with lots of details within the 92 Oral Exam Strategies 93 allotted time. (A fifteen-minute speech is approximately equivalent to a four-page essay.) Our earlier discussion of essay exams will help you choose a topic. STRATEGY 2: THINK IN THREES Your talk will seem most impressive if it makes three points about the topic and then offers three pieces of specific evidence about each point. So practice thinking in threes. STRATEGY 3: PUBLIC SPEAKING TAKES PRACTICE An oral exam is actually a form of public speaking. So you can prepare for your presentation by practicing public speaking. Start early in the semester that ends with an oral exam and join some kind of group that has large meetings or attend town meetings or forums presided over by bigwigspeople whose presence might intimidate you. Force yourself to speak from the audience to such groups on topics that concern you. The more practice you have doing this, the more comfortable you will feel when you walk into your oral exam. If you have real psychological problems about speaking in front of groups, get counseling for it before the exam. STRATEGY 4: MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION Oral exam grades can be quite subjective, so arrive prepared to make a good impression. Dress appropriately. If you aren't sure what to wear, overdress just a bit. Look neat and well scrubbed. Comb your hair. If you are supposed to stand up to speak, act confidenteven if you aren't. Plant your feet firmly and don't fidget or keep moving around. Look over your audience before you start. If there's a podium, lay your notes on it and stand 94 TEST-TAKING STRATEGIES behind it; you can grab it if you need a way to keep your hands from shaking during the first few frightening minutes. If your voice cracks or sounds funny to you, don't let it throw you; most of the people in the room have probably never heard you speak. They will assume that this is your normal voice. Regardless of whether your oral is in the form of a prepared speech followed by questions or entirely questions and answers, look frequently at your graders. If you get nervous looking directly into their faces, pick out a point somewhere in their midst and look at that. They'll think you're looking at them. If you're expected to give a formal presentation, don't write out your speech. Work from notes. If you stand up and read a prepared speech, it will look like you don't understand your subject. STRATEGY 5: DON'T PUT ON AIRS Keep your language at a level at which you are comfortable . This is not the time to try to impress people with big words that you aren't sure how to pronounce or phrases that seem stiff and stilted-even to you. Instead, concentrate on sounding enthusiastic about your subject. Enthusiasm is contagious; it's a great grade-raiser. STRATEGY 6: TREAT QUESTIONS SERIOUSLY Whether or not the questions after a formal presentation count in your grade, many oral exam graders believe that your ability to field tricky questions shows how well you really understand the topic. Here's how to handle questions. Tactic 1: Jot down questions If you're permitted to take notes, Jot down key words Oral Exam Strategies 95 from questions. This is particularly helpful...