DSST Principles of Public Speaking

[LSmith]

Update.  I will copy/paste this to the specific exam board as well since finding current feedback on the DSST Public Speaking exam was so challenging and this was one of the more intimidating tests for us to try.

My daughter (15 yrs) took this test on 2/27 in Portland, OR.  She had zero experience w/ public speaking and used "Ace the CLEP" book to study for the written portion of the test.  She took the 3 Peterson's practice tests (scores = 68%, 77%, 68%)  & the DSST practice test (74%).  She scored 461 on the actual DSST exam.

For the oral portion, we used the tips from free-clep-prep.com.  She recorded about 3 different practice speeches each day for 2 weeks under the same time limitations.  This was crucial for someone who started the preparation season like a deer in the headlights.  By the end of two weeks, she was having fun and had a real feel for how the actual exam experience would be like.

At the testing center, she was in a room w/ just the proctor for the oral portion.  She was given 20 minutes to manage however she wished.  The timer was visible, and a headset w/ mic was used to record her speech.  She had time at the end to listen to most of what she recorded.  Her topic for the exam dealt with US military foreign policy, one that would have freaked me out, but her knowledge of world history was adequate to have supporting points for her opinion.  She left the exam feeling like she "sold it."  We waited 2 weeks plus 2 days to learn that she did indeed pass. 

Hope this is helpful to someone out there deciding whether or not to give this DSST a go.  We are glad we did.

Wow! I was not expecting a topic that you needed a great deal of specific knowledge other than the knowledge of how to formulate and deliver an effective persuasive speech. Was it a general like, "should we do preemptive strikes" or specific like "What do you feel about US policy with Country X" ?