A four-week study plan for the Norskprøve oral exam

Prepare your questions and use a 20-minute routine

Choose five practice days each week. Before the first session, open HK-dir’s official example tasks for your booked level using the source link at the end of this article. Save the questions you want to use. The example tasks show the format; they do not predict the questions you will receive.

For a normal 20-minute session, spend five minutes recalling words for the question, five minutes recording an answer, five minutes listening back and choosing one change, and five minutes repeating the improved part. Write down the question, one useful sentence and the next task. An audio recording is for listening; a written log is for deciding what to do next.

• Prepare three everyday questions and two opinion questions before the week starts.
• Keep keywords visible while speaking; avoid reading a finished answer.
• Choose one change per session: a missing detail, a difficult word or one grammar pattern.
• For a busy day: say an answer for one minute, identify one weak sentence, then say an improved version and a new follow-up answer.

Match the rehearsal to your booked exam level

Use the task map below when choosing the questions and setting a timer. These are HK-dir’s approximate speaking times, not a target number of sentences. The conversation time is for both candidates together.

• A2–B1 task 1: talk about an everyday topic, 2–3 minutes. Use this for week 1.
• A2–B1 task 2: talk together about a topic, 5–7 minutes. Use this for week 3.
• A2–B1 task 3: give an opinion and reasons, 2–3 minutes. Use this for week 2.
• B1–B2 task 1: give an opinion and reasons, 2–3 minutes. Use this for week 2.
• B1–B2 task 2: exchange and explain opinions together, 5–7 minutes. Use this for week 3.
• B1–B2 task 3: respond to a statement, 2–3 minutes independently plus 2–3 minutes of follow-up questions, about 4–6 minutes total. Add this in weeks 2 and 4.

• Read the A2–B1 oral exam guide →
• Read the B1–B2 oral exam guide →

Week 1: get a baseline and develop everyday answers

Keep the first recording. At the end of the month, compare the same question so you can hear changes, then try a new question to check whether you can use the skills elsewhere.

For A2–B1, use everyday-topic tasks. For B1–B2, use this week to gather experiences you can later use to support opinions; also record one official opinion example as your starting point.

• Day 1: record an answer about a normal day. Listen once and write down one place where you stopped or repeated yourself.
• Day 2: answer the same question, adding one concrete detail about morning, work, study or evening.
• Day 3: answer a question about food or cooking. Describe what you do and explain why.
• Day 4: answer a follow-up to yesterday’s topic without restarting the whole answer.
• Day 5: record a new everyday topic. Check whether you can add a detail without preparing a full script.

• Practise details and follow-up answers →

Week 2: test your reasons and repair one pattern

Use a different question each day. This prevents one polished answer from becoming your entire opinion practice. Look for a reason that explains a consequence and an example that supports it.

Choose one recurring grammar problem from week 1. Practise it in three short sentences, then use it in an opinion answer. Keep the same repair goal across the week instead of collecting unrelated corrections.

• Day 1: give a view on buying second-hand clothes. Add a reason and a possible example.
• Day 2: give a view on using phones during shared meals. Add one situation where your idea would be difficult.
• Day 3: use your chosen grammar pattern in a new opinion answer. Listen for that pattern only after checking the message.
• Day 4: answer a partner’s unexpected follow-up. If alone, ask yourself how your answer would change for a parent, a student or a shift worker.
• Day 5: rehearse an official opinion example for your level. For B1–B2, also try a statement task: independent response first, follow-up questions afterward.

• Test your opinion, reason and example →
• Repair one word-order pattern →

Week 3: practise responses you cannot prepare

Arrange partner sessions on two days. You need someone who can ask questions and offer views you did not write yourself. Solo practice helps you prepare phrases, but it cannot reproduce listening and reacting to an unexpected answer.

At A2–B1, the examiner may ask follow-up questions in the paired task. At B1–B2, the examiner does not ask follow-up questions in that task. For B1–B2 rehearsal, keep the conversation going yourselves.

• Day 1: rehearse a clarification phrase and two ways to invite a reply. Confirm your two partner sessions.
• Day 2, with a partner: discuss getting to know neighbours. Respond to one point before adding a new one. Afterwards, each person names something the other said.
• Day 3: repeat one difficult exchange from the session, then change a detail so the reply needs to change too.
• Day 4, with a partner: use an official paired-task example and the 5–7-minute joint timing. Swap who starts.
• Day 5: review the two sessions. Choose one interaction goal for next week: answering the actual question, asking a relevant follow-up or sharing speaking time.

• Practise listening, responding and inviting a reply →

Week 4: rehearse the tasks and compare evidence

A complete rehearsal with a partner may need a longer slot than the usual 20-minute session. Arrange that slot in advance, or practise the individual and paired tasks on separate days. Change the questions between rehearsals.

HK-dir assesses whether you answer what the task asks in an understandable way, plus fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. Use the practical checks below to choose what to practise next; they do not calculate an exam level.

• Day 1: record the same question you used in week 1. Compare where you pause, what detail you give and whether the answer stays relevant.
• Day 2: choose one frequently used word or sentence that was hard to understand. Ask a teacher or capable speaker to check it, then use it in a new answer.
• Day 3: rehearse the individual tasks for your level using fresh official examples and the task-map timings.
• Day 4, with a partner: rehearse the paired task. Ask each other which replies connected to the previous point and which changed the subject.
• Day 5: repeat the one task that still causes the most difficulty. Check arrival time, identification and instructions from your test centre, and leave room for rest.

Use a log that tells you what to do next

“I spoke badly today” does not identify a next step. Write one observation you can hear in the recording and one action for the next session. Compare the same skill again later.

For example: “I gave my opinion but no example. Tomorrow I will add a situation about school.” Or: “I put ikke after har in a fordi clause. Tomorrow I will make three new reasons with fordi.” These are practice notes, not official scoring criteria.

• Fluency: note a place where you stopped for a long time. Was the problem a missing word or deciding what to say?
• Pronunciation: choose one word a listener found hard to understand. Ask for a model and practise it in a sentence.
• Vocabulary: note one idea you could not express. Learn a useful word or explain the idea with words you already know.
• Grammar: choose one repeated pattern error. Check it and use the correction in a different sentence.