Checked 29 September 2026. From BEK nr 1687 af 16/12/2025 (§§25–26, §47, bilag 1 pt 3.32–3.40), SIRI’s PD3 pages and the official censor and examiner booklet (May–June 2024). Winter 2026 orals run 2–15 December 2026; summer 2027 dates are not published yet (due by 1 October 2026).
What the oral is worth
The oral communication grade counts twice in the PD3 average, so this 15-minute appointment carries half of your result (BEK 1687/2025 bilag 1 pt 3.7) [official]. It also includes listening comprehension: you are graded partly on whether you understand the examiner’s questions (§48 stk.2; bilag 1 pt 3.40). How the weighting plays out is in the PD3 pass rule and calculator — including why an oral 7 passes the whole test by itself.
In the winter 2026 term the oral part runs 2–15 December 2026, and it is the provider that decides which days it uses [official: SIRI dates page]. The summer 2027 oral window is not published yet; SIRI says the 2027 dates will be out by 1 October 2026 [official].
Minute by minute
| Stage | What happens | Time | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enter, ID check, instructions | You show photo ID and are told how the test runs | Inside the 15-minute slot | bilag 1 pt 3.33 |
| Delprøve 1 — presentation | You present the topic you were given in advance; one A4 page of your own notes is allowed | About 2 min | Censor booklet; §26 stk.2 |
| Delprøve 1 — follow-up | The examiner asks questions that invite clarification, elaboration, reasons and a stance | About 2½ min | Censor booklet; pt 3.37 |
| Delprøve 2 — draw | You draw 1 of 3 topics; a sheet with two pictures is put in front of you | About 10 seconds to look | pt 3.39; censor booklet |
| Delprøve 2 — interview | The examiner picks situation A or B, asks a concrete compulsory question with follow-ups, then a more general compulsory question with follow-ups | About 4½ min | Censor booklet; pt 3.38 |
| Deliberation and grade | Examiner and censor deliberate and set the grade; if they disagree, each gives a grade and the scale regulation’s rule decides it (§41, as amended by BEK 300/2026). You are told straight away | Inside the 15-minute slot | §41 as amended by BEK 300/2026; §47; pt 3.33 |
Speaking times from the official censor and examiner booklet; the 15-minute total from bilag 1 pt 3.33. The remaining six minutes is our arithmetic: 15 minus 9.
Where other pages get this wrong
The oral is about 10 minutes of testing inside a 15-minute appointment. Both official figures are right.
Commonly published instead: SIRI’s candidate page and the censor booklet describe two parts of about 5 minutes each; the regulation (bilag 1 pt 3.33) says 15 minutes in total. Pages quoting one figure often contradict pages quoting the other.
Bilag 1 pt 3.33 counts the ID check, the instructions, the deliberation and announcing the grade inside the 15 minutes. The censor booklet gives each delprøve about 5 minutes including its instructions [official: censor booklet], so the 5 + 5 is not all speaking time. Plan to be in the room for about 15 minutes.
Delprøve 1: the prepared topic
When the topic arrives — the two official versions
SIRI’s pages say you receive the presentation topic “en uge inden” — a week before [official: SIRI PD3 pages]. The regulation is more precise and says something slightly different: the topic is handed to you five working days before the oral part of the term begins (bilag 1 pt 3.35; §25) [official].
Conflict: “a week before” or “five working days before the term”?
- SIRI candidate and centre pages: the topic comes a week before the oral.
- BEK 1687/2025 bilag 1 pt 3.35: five working days before the beginning of the oral part of the term.
- Our reading: the regulation governs. Five working days is about a calendar week, so for a candidate examined on the first day the two agree. But it is counted from the start of the term, not from your own day — if your oral is late in the 2–15 December window, you may have the topic for longer than a week.
Ask your provider exactly when topics are handed out; who chooses them is stated two ways in official texts (see below).
The topic is a general subject at a general level and must relate to the content of Danish Education 3, module 5. Who chooses it is worded differently in two official texts: the regulation says the examiner chooses it and the head of the provider approves it (bilag 1 pt 3.35) [official]; SIRI’s topic guidance (January 2025) says the candidate’s teacher or Danish-education provider assigns it, and the head approves it [official: SIRI topic guidance], and SIRI’s practical guide (May 2026) says “Kursistens lærer vælger emnet” — the course student’s teacher chooses it — and that for self-studiers the head, for example, may choose it [official: SIRI practical guide]. Both agree the head approves, and you cannot pick it yourself. Follow your provider’s procedure. Once the topic is set, the class may be taught about it in general, but each candidate prepares their own presentation independently (pt 3.35) [official]; SIRI’s guidance adds that the teacher may not discuss its structure or content with you and may at most point you to sources [official: SIRI topic guidance]. You may bring one A4 page of your own notes (§26 stk.2) [official]. SIRI advises against bringing a full manuscript, because reading aloud does not count in the assessment [official: SIRI topic guidance] — so an outline and keywords, not a script.
The two minutes, and what comes after
The presentation is short. The censor booklet times it at about two minutes before the examiner starts the follow-up questions [official]. What is assessed is whether you can give a prepared account of a general topic and answer questions that invite clarification, elaboration, reasons and a stance, in fairly nuanced language suited to the situation, with a fairly high degree of complexity and correctness (pt 3.37) [official].
Practice timer: 2-minute presentation and 10-second picture look
Rehearse the two moments that have a clock on them. The presentation runs for about two minutes before the examiner takes over; in the picture part you get about ten seconds to look before the first question.
Timings from the official censor and examiner booklet and bilag 1 pt 3.39. In the real test the examiner, not a clock, decides when to move on.
Our advice for the two minutes: say what the topic is and why it matters, give two points with an example each, and end with your own view — that last line invites exactly the “why do you think so?” question that follows. Rehearse aloud with a timer until two minutes feels natural, not rushed.
Delprøve 2: the picture topic you draw
The second part is unprepared. You draw one of three topics by lot, each illustrated by pictures, and you get about ten seconds to look at them (bilag 1 pt 3.39) [official]. The censor booklet shows how it runs: the sheet shows two situations, the examiner picks situation A or B, introduces it briefly and asks a first compulsory question about it, with follow-ups. The examiner then says a more general question is coming and asks a second compulsory question about a more general, overarching aspect of the topic (“mere overordnet”), again with follow-ups [official: censor booklet].
The official May–June 2024 booklet uses topics such as support for culture, labour shortages and teaching in the folkeskole. In the labour-shortage example, one picture shows a busy nurse and the other an unstarted building site; the first question asks why there is a shortage in that sector, and the general question asks about the pros and cons for society of making it easier to recruit foreign labour [official: censor booklet, paraphrased]. In the other examples the general question is about municipalities (culture) or children’s development (folkeskole), so the pattern to practise is a concrete situation first, then a broader aspect.
| Question type (booklet) | Meaning | What it asks of you | Example of the kind (ours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opklarende | Clarifying | Say more precisely what you mean | Hvad mener du med …? |
| Uddybende | Elaborating | Develop a point with detail or an example | Kan du give et eksempel? |
| Forklaring / begrundelse | Explaining, giving reasons | Explain causes or justify a claim | Hvorfor tror du, det er sådan? |
| Stillingtagen / argumentation | Taking a stance, arguing | Say what you think and argue for it, often weighing pros and cons | Er du for eller imod? Hvorfor? |
The booklet also tells examiners to ask the follow-up questions even when a candidate is struggling [official: censor booklet], so a short answer does not end the part — it brings another question. Our advice: answer in two or three sentences, give a reason with fordi, and add an example from Denmark or from your own country. The official oral task example and the censor and examiner booklet are the main official practice material.
Rules in the room
| Rule | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who assesses | An examiner and a censor (SIRI’s candidate page; the regulation’s own examiner-and-censor paragraph was repealed by BEK 300/2026 from 1 March 2026). The regulation says the aim is that the examiner is not your own teacher | SIRI candidate page; BEK 1687/2025 §39 stk.2 |
| Public | Oral tests are normally public; the head of the provider can make an exception for special circumstances or in your interest, and can limit access for space | §25 stk.4–5 |
| Notes | One A4 page of your own notes for the presentation | §26 stk.2 |
| Grade | Given straight after the deliberation | §47 |
| Disagreement | Each gives a grade; the average is rounded to the nearest grade, and a midpoint goes up only if the censor gave the higher one | BEK 1759/2024 §11 stk.2 |
| Complaint | Within 4 weeks, in writing, to the provider; the remedy for the oral is a re-test, which can give a lower grade | §57–§61; SIRI complaints guide |
On complaints: a re-test is free, you must accept the offer within 2 weeks, and it is held at the earliest in the next term unless it can be arranged later in the same term. The result can go down as well as up (§61) [official]. Weigh that before complaining about a borderline grade.
Preparing when you are not on a course
Candidates on Danish Education 3, module 5, may keep being taught about the topic in general, but prepare their own presentation independently; the topic comes from that module’s content. Self-studiers sit the same oral. Our advice: build a short list of general topics — work, health, education, culture, environment, family life — and for each one prepare an opinion, a reason and an example; then practise answering follow-ups from someone who asks “why?” every time. Registration, the fee and pass rates for self-studiers are in the self-study guide.
If PD3 is part of a citizenship application, the separate civic test has its own values questions; see the values questions analysed.
How long is the PD3 oral exam?
About 15 minutes in the room, including ID check, instructions, deliberation and the grade. Each of the two parts is about 5 minutes including its instructions.
When do I get the PD3 presentation topic?
The regulation says five working days before the oral part of the term begins; SIRI’s pages say a week before. Ask your provider for the exact day.
How long should the PD3 presentation be?
About two minutes. The examiner then asks follow-up questions for about two and a half minutes.
Can I use notes in the PD3 oral?
Yes, one A4 page of your own notes for the presentation.
What is the picture part of the PD3 oral?
You draw one of three topics illustrated by two pictures, look for about ten seconds, and answer a concrete question and then a general question, each with follow-ups.
Who chooses the presentation topic?
The regulation says the examiner, with approval from the head of the provider; SIRI’s topic guidance says your teacher or provider assigns it and the head approves it. Either way it relates to Danish Education 3, module 5, and you cannot choose it yourself.
Is my teacher the examiner?
The regulation says it should be avoided where possible, but it is not an absolute bar.
When do I get my oral grade?
Straight after the examiner and censor have deliberated.
How much does the oral count?
Twice. It is half of the PD3 average.
When are the PD3 orals in winter 2026?
Between 2 and 15 December 2026, on days set by each provider.
Can a complaint lower my oral grade?
Yes. A re-test can give a lower grade as well as a higher one.
More in this series
- The pass rule: oral counts double, 2.0 with no rounding (calculator)
- The written day: three reading parts (four sections), two writing tasks
- PD2 or PD3 for permanent residence and citizenship (chooser)
- Self-study: registration, the 1,646 kr fee, pass rates, 10/7/7 for doctors
- PD3 notice board — official updates
Sources
- official — SIRI — Om Prøve i Dansk 3 og krav til at bestå (for candidates)
- official — SIRI — Om Prøve i Dansk 3 (PD3), indhold og niveau (for language centres)
- official — SIRI — Tilmeldingsfrister og prøvedatoer (2026 dates, 2027 notice, 2026 fees)
- official — BEK nr 1687 af 16/12/2025 — tests in Danish education for adult foreigners, with bilag 1–3 (retsinformation.dk)
- official — BEK nr 1759 af 30/12/2024 — the 7-point grading scale for the Danish tests (retsinformation.dk)
- official — SIRI sample — PD3 oral communication task example (PDF)
- official — SIRI — PD3 oral censor and examiner booklet, May–June 2024 (PDF)
- official — SIRI — Vejledning om valg af emner og opfølgende interviewspørgsmål, PD2 and PD3 oral delprøve 1, January 2025 (PDF)
- official — SIRI — Vejledning om den praktiske prøveafholdelse (practical guide for providers), edition of 11 May 2026 (PDF)
- official — SIRI — Klagevejledning til danskprøverne (complaints)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
