what should you know and do to face an oral exam

1. Your oral exam:
how to deal with it
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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2. It is natural to feel nervous before
making an exposition
Being nervous is not
a fault or a
weakness, it is a
sign of awareness
or responsibility:
you just need to
channel your
nervous energy
wisely
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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3. DON’T FORGET…
• Know your material:
it is essential to be
well prepared on
your topics in order
to feel confident or
shortly regain
confidence!
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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4. SUPPORTING STRATEGIES
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Bergamas"
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5. • Practice deep
breathing: your brain
will get the oxygen it
needs
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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6. • Drink water: anxiety
(adrenalin) makes
your mouth dry and
your tongue tied
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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7. • Smile: this way you
send positive
chemical messages
to your body and
establish a reassured
contact with the
examiners
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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8. • Develop positive thinking
and visualization skills:
replace negative thoughts
as “They are looking for
ways of catching me out”
with positive thinking:
“They are giving me an
opportunity to
demonstrate my
knowledge of something
that I have worked hard to
understand”.
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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9. • Pause: just before
you start talking,
pause, make eye
contact and smile.
This last moment of
tranquility is really
relaxing and helps
you to adjust to
being the centre of
attention.
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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10. • Prepare strategies in
case you feel
overwhelmed: do
something that will
distract you from the
frozen state (change
your posture or focus
your gaze just above
people’s eyes for a few
seconds so that you
are able to collect your
thoughts)
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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11. A FEW MORE TIPS…
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Bergamas"
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12. • Arrive at school
early: this way, you
can collect yourself
and check out the
situation
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Bergamas"
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Bergamas"
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• Keep good posture
and eye contact:
make the best out of
what you are doing

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Bergamas"
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• Do not ramble: state
directly that you do
not know the answer
but ask if you could
outline how you
would find the
answer, solve the
problem, etc.

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Bergamas"
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• How to make your
signature: make sure
that you write your
name before your
surname

16. • Dress up a bit: shorts
or flip flops are
banned!
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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17. • Ask for clarification:
if you don’t
understand a
question, do not be
afraid to ask for it to
be repeated or
reworded
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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18. • Answer fully: answer
the questions as fully
as you can. Avoid the
yes/no answer.
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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19. • Greet the examiners:
at the end of your
interview, don’t rush
out before greeting
the commission
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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20. In case you want to know
more…
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Bergamas"
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21. Now its your turn…
Fingers
crossed!
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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22. Thanks for your attention!
DariaParmaI.C."Antonio
Bergamas"
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