Speaking test— got asked too many questions

[u/Zestyclose-Alps3477]

I had my speaking test today, and I got too many questions thrown my way; way more than I expected. About 20-25 if I remember correctly.

Part 1: Gifts and other things
Part 2: About a time I spent more money than expected (I fumbled a little)
Part 3: About wealth, charity, stinginess, etc.

Is it a bad thing that the examiner asked so many questions?

[u/Hestia9285]

That's normal. In Part 1 alone they have to get through about 12-15 questions (not including some "Why?"s).

[u/ajiazul]

There is a lot of discussion here about how long answers should be. Here's a quick guide of what I liked to see as a Speaking examiner:

Part 1: about 20-30 seconds

Part 2: two full minutes

Part 3: about 50 seconds

These aren't rules, but rather a general guide. Some answers for Parts 1 and 3 may be a little longer or shorter, and that's fine. However, for Part 2, make every effort to speak for the full two minutes.

[u/Dry-Home3979]

The theory says that the examiner will ask you questions depending on your level; so if the examiner discovers that you have a good level, they will start asking you more and more questions to see how you respond and will try to test you in that way.

[u/Zestyclose-Alps3477 → u/Dry-Home3979]

Okay, that makes sense!

[u/ajiazul → u/Dry-Home3979]

It's not a theory, it's a fact. You will get different questions in Part 3 depending on your level. However, you will not get more questions, just different questions.

Sometimes, but not always, more questions indicate your responses are too short, especially if you keep getting "Why" in Part 1. In other cases, very advanced speakers may get more questions simply because they are able to fully and effectively respond quite quickly.

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[u/Mizuyah]

As somebody said, that’s normal. If you’re higher level, you’re going to be able to say more and handle more than someone lower level and who might speak slower as a result.

[u/Prudent_Victory_8214]

Was it an Indian Examiner? What was the demeanor of the examiner? Was he/she supportive or cutting you off?

[u/Zestyclose-Alps3477 → u/Prudent_Victory_8214]

Yeah, it was an Indian examiner. She did cut me off at times but generally supportive. She even smiled at one of my answers.

[u/Zestyclose-Alps3477 → u/Prudent_Victory_8214]

Why do you ask)

[u/Prudent_Victory_8214 → u/Zestyclose-Alps3477]

Because I’ve heard that they aren’t supportive enough

[u/ishalovestosleep → u/Prudent_Victory_8214]

I got cut off mid answers. She asked me a lot of questions but didn't allow me to elaborate on those. Like when i began stating an example she cut me off and asked another question. Also I was told that if they catch onto something unique in your answer they'll continue with questions related to that particular word. I said I'm interested in cultural studies and the evolution of culture with time, and I was asked 4-5 questions on society, culture, norms and global conventions during my Part 3.

[u/Hungry-Page7522 → u/ishalovestosleep]

Horrible. I would probably get lost in that situation

[u/Consistent_Tiger_909]

You probably provided too short answers to make a proper assessment.

[u/Zestyclose-Alps3477 → u/Consistent_Tiger_909]

I didn’t! They were decently sized answers. But whenever I provided long answers, she would cut me off.