thank you for the reply im feeling a bit less nervous now my friend's examiner kind of pushed at things at the fringes of the detailed study and prodded when she felt that my friend wasn't familiar with a certain topic. so maybe that isn't mean and just standard procedure? some of my friends are planning on just spewing out two minutes worth of memorised content as soon as the first question is asked to take up time. this is very tempting but im not sure if its a good idea? what was your experience/strategies with tackling the oral if you don't mind sharing?
Yeah, like, they want to find out how much you actually know about your topic, and whether you've just memorised a bunch of answers or if you actually know your topic enough to discuss it properly.
You definitely can direct discussion through your answers - if you want them to ask you a certain question because you know you have a baller answer, then talk about something to do with that in your previous answer (provided it relates). To provide a really bad example to clarify:
Q: Do you have any pets?
A: Yes, I have two dogs and a goldfish, but I would like more pets.
Q: Oh, which pets would you like/ why do you want them?
A: blah blah blah
Sorry, I could provide something more specific but it'd be for French and I don't think me talking about the consequences of resistance during the occupation of France in WW2 would be super helpful for you haha
Definitely don't just spurt out a few minutes of memorised content - the examiners will see that from a mile off, and you won't score as highly as you would have if you had have tried your best to specifically answer their questions and maybe offer a few extra observations and opinions, etc. - even if you make some mistakes! Making mistakes is more than fine, and if you pick up your own mistakes and correct yourself, the examiners love that, because it shows that you're aware of what you're saying.
In terms of strategies and my experience, honestly, I'd say that beforehand, just practice with some friends and try to get a good conversation going - ask each other questions, etc. - I found having a casual conversation (not too casual, though - make sure you're still speaking correctly and all that) about my topic a) reassured me about how much I knew, b) how I could answer a question I wasn't expecting, and c) just prepared me overall for going in and speaking.
During the oral, just be there in the moment. The 15 minutes goes so fast, and just try your best to make an impact in that time. Don't sweat the small stuff, and just try to have fun.
If things don't go to plan, that's ok (they didn't for me!), just try your best to imrovise and adapt! I'd definitely recommend having a few responses up your sleeve for when you haven't got any clue about how to answer a question - stuff like "that's a question I haven't considered before, but..." - giving yourself breathing space is really important, and you'll be surprised about how fast you can think on your feet.
Overall, just have faith in your abilities. You've been practicing for this for months, and you've been studying the language for years. You'll be fine
In the end, it doesn't end up contributing ~that~ much to your score, so whilst you need to try your best, if you make mistakes and come out of it thinking you've bottled it, it's okay - just work hard for the written exam, and you'll be fine! It's not the be all and end all