Louise Sallé and Yanis Darras 10:22 a.m., June 19, 2022

As of Monday, Terminale students will take the baccalaureate oral test.

For about twenty minutes, the candidates will discuss with the jury.

This test is particularly stressful for students.

But tricks exist and can allow candidates to gain ease. 

After the written tests, the approximately 500,000 Terminale students passing the baccalaureate this year will have to speak.

From Monday, the first students will take the grand oral exam, a test inaugurated in 2021. In front of two teachers, the candidate will have about twenty minutes to prepare a presentation on a subject drawn at random from a list of questions studied during the year. , before presenting it to the teachers for five minutes.

The candidate, standing in front of them, can then sit down to discuss with them for about ten minutes on the subject of the presentation.

Then, he will have five minutes to present his orientation project.

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"Stand out from the crowd"

This exam is often considered particularly stressful, especially by the most timid candidates.

However, tips can help to gain confidence during the test.

"The first thing if you want to make a difference during your oral is to smile," recommends Charlie Clark, expert in public speaking. 

"The jury sees a lot of high school students and most will not do it because they will be too stressed," he explains, before adding: "It's a good way to stand out".

Focus on the silences

Charlie Clark, who trains business leaders on a daily basis in public speaking, also recalls the influence of his behavior on his oral expression: "When we speak, we often want to move, to cross our feet. However, they need to be firmly anchored to the floor, otherwise it will take your mind off things,” he adds.

A trick which, according to him, "allows you to free your body and your communication". 

Last sensitive point for some students: wanting to say too much.

"We must allow time for certain silences to settle down", recommends the expert.

"You must not answer questions too quickly, absolutely want to cling to words. Take your time. And the words you utter will resonate and you will be listened to twice as well. Being charismatic is very often first learn to be silent," he admits.

What allow candidates to get for sure, the attention of the jury and try to get a good mark.