DSST Principles of Public Speaking

[greencouch]

I just took this one last week.  Below is a re-post of my comment in the subscription only-area, but hopefully it'll help answer some questions.  I had a hard time finding posts that explain the whole process step-by-step.  Testing centers can be different, but here's my experience:

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I just took this exam today at my testing center in Portland, Oregon. I want to layout as much detail as possible, since some items have changed since others have posted their experiences.

If you have any experience with public speaking or literary devices, you'll do fine on the multiple choice portion. This is the first DSST I've taken that I felt was worded clearly and fairly. I completed it in about 30 minutes with a score of 450.

Since my background includes a lot of writing and public speaking, I studied minimally for the multiple choice portion -- about 2 hours total. My materials included:

• An old Mastering the DSST Volume 2 pdf (found by Googling)
  
• The guide in post 45 - thank you!
  

Studying for the Speech Portion
For the speech portion, I looked up about 40 different controversial topics, and wrote-out 3 quick bullets outlining a stance on each one. This was great practice. I also practiced writing six timed speeches and delivering them, using topics provided by my husband. I highly recommend you practice using a 10-minute writing limit. You'll be more than prepared when you have more wiggle room on the clock during test day. I used the 3-point outline mentioned by others.

Introduction (30 seconds)

• Introduce self
  
• Introduce topic
  
• State thesis, including 3 supporting 'reasons' for your postition.
  

Reason 1 (1 minute)

• Introduce the point
  
• State the point
  
• Connect it to your thesis
  

Reason 2 (1 minute)

• Introduce the point
  
• State the point
  
• Connect it to your thesis
  

Reason 3 (1 minute)

• Introduce the point
  
• State the point
  
• Connect it to your thesis
  

Conclusion (30 seconds)

• Transition to conclusion 
  
• Re-emphasize the importance of the topic
  
• * Optional story or hypothetical
  
• Restate the thesis/reasons
  

* I highly recommend having a quick hypothetical story on stand-by to include at the end of your speech. This can be used if you notice that you're under 3 minutes. On the flip-side, if you're close to 5 minutes, you can scrap it without derailing the rest of your speech. Make up a story, or state why the subject is connected to you on a personal level. 

I did not use fake statistics or sources, since I've heard mixed opinions on whether these would be accepted. The scoring mentions nothing regarding citing of sources, so I decided to play it safe.

My Test-Day Experience

• When you get to the testing center computer, you'll have the choice to purchase Public Speaking I (Multiple Choice Portion), or Public Speaking Part II (Speech Portion). Don't worry, you won't be charged twice. Once you pay for and pass Part I, the speech portion is free.
  
• I took the multiple choice portion in the same room as other test-takers. It was longer than expected -- 100 questions. However, I had two hours to complete it. I finished in 30 minutes. I received my on-screen score immediately.
  
• Once the quiz was completed, I flagged down the proctor, and she took me to a different room for Part II.
  
• The speech portion was conducted on a computer in a separate office. It took a little tweaking and a call to IT to fix an audio recording issue. (Prometric provides an equipment test screen to ensure the computer is recording properly before the exam starts.) But they figured it out, and I was free to begin the test.
  
• I was given a piece of blank paper and a pencil. 
  
• Once you click "Begin" a 20 minute timer starts. The left side of the screen features the prompt. The right side of the screen has the "Record/Stop/Playback" controls. Note that these controls are identical to the  ones that were featured on the equipment test screen.
  
• You have 20 minutes to write and deliver a 3-5 minute speech. How you use that time is up to you. They recommend leaving yourself 5 minutes to review your audio clip, but this is a waste of time because you can't change anything anyway. Use 14 minutes for your writing, then the remaining time for your speech. 
  
• A grey box will pop-up when you have 5 minutes left.
  
• Once you click the record button, an additional timer appears above it that counts up to 5 minutes, starting at 0:00. 
  
• My speech was about 3.5 minutes. I had about a minute leftover, which I used playback a bit of the audio to ensure it recorded.
  

Feedback

• 15 minutes is absolutely not enough time to write the kind of speech they're looking for. Especially because the topics can be completely foreign to the student. This a test of handwriting speed and performance under pressure, more than anything else. Even if they extended the time by 5 minutes, it would help tremendously and probably provide a more realistic material for evaluation.
  
• Requiring students to hand-write their speeches/notes is antiquated and laborsome. It doesn't add any measurable value to the process, and slows down speech production time significantly. You're at a distinct disadvantage if you're a slow handwriter. Prometric should consider giving students a blank field to type notes into instead.
  

I'll report back once I receive my speech score, but I feel good about it.