Oral test #2

Oral test #2 covers Kontexte 1-6, with emphasis on Kontext 4 & 5. It will be conducted during Week 7. When your turn comes, the examiner will encourage you to carry on a conversation in German, and even to take the lead. Beneath what may appear to be a casual conversation, though, is a careful structure of items that are intended to probe for the high-end, low-end, and maintenance-level features of your speaking. It is to your advantage to speak readily and lengthily, rather than "clamming up" in the hope of reducing the number of errors you make. We are not counting errors; we are measuring levels of performance.

You can look at the directions to the student (.pdf, 41KB) for the test and also the scoring guide (.pdf, 54KB) that will be used. Knowing ahead of time what's going to be on a proficiency test will help you only if you actually can do it, in real time and not just with memorized speech. You are welcome to study with classmates and anyone else who you think might help you prepare.

A note about language tests: Just as you keep using words and structures you may have learned years ago (if you even remember when you learned them), the language you are learning now will be tested cumulatively. That is, a later test may call on knowledge and skills you acquired earlier in the course. If you have continuing weaknesses in earlier material, that will affect your performance and thus your grade on later tests. Still, each test will emphasize recent material, and to get a 5 or 6 on the test you will have to have good (not necessarily perfect!) command of that material.