DANTES Exam for Public Speaking

Has anyone taken the DANTES Exam for Public Speaking? I am taking the test in a couple of weeks and the only real info I could find was a pdf file from dod.mil that talked about the format of the test and what text books it recommended for studying. Does anyone know of any good study guides for this exam? Was it a difficult exam as far as giving the speech or the written part of the exam? I feel like I am going into the test blind since I have never had a public speaking course but I am currently attending Limestone college which has an awesome DL program for computer science but this is the only class they have not been able to offer over DL. Any info anyone has would be greatly appreciated. BTW I would recommend Limestone for anyone looking for a DL program in CS or MIS. The staff is great, the website's for their courses are well developed and the cost is reasonable (about 190 a credit hour). I looked at Excelsior (second choice), COSC, UOP and Kennedy Western (Thank god I didn't end up there) and I would recommend Limestone to anyone. Thanks in advance for any comments

 

Mknoffler1,

It appears that the virtual campus is for local students only (South Carolina) is this true?

Bill

 

I just took the test today, of couse with dantes you have to wait a couple of weeks before you know how well you actually scored.

I took first the speech portion, you are given a subject, you have ten minutes to prepare, then you record your speech. Since you are given the subject at time of testing, there is really not much to prepare, you will not be in front of an audience, so "nerves" should not be an issue.

For the written portion (85 multiple choice questions), you can prepare by purchasing the book (you guessed it), "Principles of Public Speaking". Or you can go to:

http://occawlonline.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pubbooks/german_awl/chapter1/deluxe.html

read a summary of the contents, and take the tests.
Many of the questions on the Dantes test are very similar to the questions on these pages, this tests and the study guide was all I used, and I believe I did well on the test.

I believe the study guide has a wrong answer (question 8), other guides have also had wrong answers, even the College Board's Official CLEP Guide has errors, so if you are sure of an answer and the guide says otherwise, research your answer before accepting the guide's.

Good luck.

 

I took it over a year ago and it was pretty easy. I think if you follow the recomendations by gmohdez you should be fine. I would suggest further however, that whichever book you choose to buy that it be an updated version. The book I used was a bit outdated and hence some of the information. Alot of the exam was use of common sense knowledge.

 

WFready,
You can take Limestone virtual campus classes from anywhere in the U.S., in fact anywhere in the world. Most of my classes are on campus but 7-10 have been by virtual format. I cannot say enough good things about the college. The Virtual program, Block program, campus faculty and administration are wonderful, it is a college that actually cares about their students. There are many colleges and universities within a sixty mile radius of Limestone with names like Garder-Webb, Phiffer, Clemson, Lander, Converse, USCS, PC, etc., several being a closer commute for me than Limestone. With all that competition around Limestone keeps and maintains a loyal following year after year, partly because professors are accessible in any format and they want to see you succeed! Although, at times I struggled to get that " A" or "B" ( with a few predictable "C's" in the near future) it is nice to know that a instructor will take a few extra moments
to help ( A very important feature for me). If, you are looking beyond undergrad school and do your part in maintaining a tidy GPA it will allow you access to just about any grad school in the nation. A very important feature I considered when choosing Limestone. Best,
Gavin

 

wfready,
buckwheat is right you can take the classes no matter where you are. In fact most of my teachers so far have been from North Carolina and some teachers are exclusively DL teachers. I too cannot say enough good things about Limestone. It is really a great school that has put a good bit of thought and a lot of effort into their DL program. My advisor has gone above and beyond several times to help me and my instructors have always been willing to help and answer any questions I have in a timely manner. Thanks to everyone for their info on the PS DANTES. I did order the book you recommended, gmohdez, and its the 14th edition. Only problem is it will be hear on Wednesday and my test is 5 days later. But I have been studying using some text books I found at the library that were mentioned in the pdf file I found.
BuckWheat,
I think we've been in a couple of the same classes the last couple of terms. I am jwilliamson on WEBCT.

 

Public Speaking

mknoffler1,
Yes I remember you in a few virtual classes, hope everything is going fine for you. When I took a literature class at Limestone's satellite campus in Sprtanburg, I spoke to a lady who said she took the dantes Public speaking course. She told me that the test was really not that bad; like the other thread comment agrees with what she said, "stage fright was not part of the mix." I took public speaking some time ago, so if you are within driving distance of the campus you are welcome to use my book until you get past your dantes exam. I simply can leave it with someone in the Block/ Virtual campus office, if this will help let me know.
I will be online/campus quite a bit until sept.-oct. taking multiple classes; in hope of wrapping this degree up. from zero to 120 hrs. in 26 months, thank goodness for dantes/cleps it helped me shave 30hrs. off of this degree. Take the max! Saves time & money!
Best,
Gavin

 

Buckwheat,
Thanks for the offer of the book but I have a couple of the recommended text books till my principle of public speaking books arrive. BTW 120 hours in 26 months is awesome. I came into the program with about 72 hours and its going to take me about 24 months just to FINISH my BS. But hopefully I will have my AS in a few months as the PS class is the last one I need. You know the speech part of the test is the one I am really worried about. I am just not sure if I can fill 4 minutes of a speech on a topic I only have 10 minutes to prepare for. Do you remember what your topic was? Did you find it difficult to make the speech long enough on the topic you were given? I am not really worried about the written part of the exam too much. I usually don't have a big problem with standardize tests but I am worried about freezing up or scrounging for words on the speech. Do you have any advice or tips?

 

mKoffler1,
The instructor used basically the same process on many speechs in class. We actually had to pick a folded piece of paper out of a bowl go before the class, and give"X" amount of time on the subject matter. In jest I turned to the person behind me and said
" It will be my luck I get to explain the universe" Well the paper I picked out had one word on it -" Nova" If I remeber correctly I started off with dwarf stars and ended up on chevrolet's. Although, there were many evenings like that the final was a paper between 15-20 min. if shorter, counts off, if longer it also counts off. I had two basic approaches; if you have 10 min. to prepare and not comfortable with the subject matter, make a short list of one or two words in the order of use and try not to delineate from the main topic as much as possible. ( Use this method only in desperation) A much better way for me was to
set the speech up like an essay, or sandwich; the top piece of bread is the introduction to the subject, the meat is the topic, the bottom layer of bread is the conclusion.
I hope this helps,
Gavin

 

got my test score back today!

I know this post took awhile coming but I finally got my test scores back from DANTES after 6 weeks. I can't believe it but I actually passed the DANTES public speaking exam!. I felt good about the written part but was sure that I had failed the speech I had to give. But obviously the fates were good to me. This is the last class I needed for my associates in computer science. 11 more months to go for my BS. I wanted to say thanks to everyone for all their advice especially to gmohdez. The book you recommended made a huge difference. Almost everything on the test was in the book. Best $40 bucks I ever spent! Thanks again.