Strategies for Taking the CHI Oral Exam

While you were in school you probably remember your Professors informing you to study for your exams and make certain you use the testing strategies they provided you.  Some of these strategies were strategies that one could use to take any form of academic exam.  However, do these strategies work for taking oral exams?  Well, in my opinion they do.

After taking the Oral CHI exam, the second part of the National Certification for Interpreters, I figured out that some of these old testing strategies could help an examinee get through the exam faster. However, in the end pure knowledge is the only thing that can garantee you a passing grade. Lets look at several of these strategies as they apply to the CHI oral exam.

Lets first discuss the instructions.  As with any exam I recommend that you read through the instructions for the exam carefully and completely.  Don't forget that it will provide a framework and understanding of the test.  Also,  a sample exam is provided and it does not take any time away from the actual test time. So please take the sample test completely.  It will warm you up for the actual exam. 

Once you start the oral exam you have one hour to complete it.  I found that during the scenarios you must record your interpretations.  In addition, you are provided about ten seconds to record your responses.  However, for some of your responses you don't require the whole ten seconds.  Thus. I recommend that after recording your response complete the response by stopping your recorder.    This strategy will get you to the next dialogue faster and save you time on the overall clock which you can use for more difficult dialogue for which you may need more time to play over, listen to it again. Another strategy I found useful was during the translation of several phrases you are requested to distinguish which option is the best translation.  I found that reading the first phrase then reading each first phrase of answer A, or B, followed by reading the second, then reading the second option in A or B, and sofourth untill you find one error or poorly used word in the translated choices was a simpler approach.  If the error is found in B your answer is A and  vise versa.  This will get you to your answer faster than trying to read the whole document then trying to determine which is the best translation by reading all of A then B.  (process or elimination)

Now, prior to taking the exam or in preparation for your oral test I suggest you get plenty or rest the night before and have a good breakfast that morning followed by a cup of coffee to keep you alert. Give yourself an extra 1.5 hours over the usual travel time so the you can find parking.  Once parked review some vocabulary and read a couple of scenarios out of your training manual.  This will help to remind you of some of the more difficult or lesser used terminology, as well as, warm you up for the scenarios prior to taking the oral exam.

Finally, I believe you should be ready.  So don't be nervous, you'll be speaking into a recorder not a live human like at your job.  This is much easier to do.  Be confident and go for it!!  Good fortune.