Unfavorable job market conditions and the related increase in pressure to legitimate the social sciences and humanities have drawn attention within these disciplines to approaches which have turned their own academic considerations into a starting point for practical concepts. In this sense, the following approach out of the field of applied discourse analysis attempts to develop application-oriented suggestions based on the analysis of authentic oral examinations at the university level. Beginning with an analysis of observable communicative behavior on behalf of oral examination participants, the following didactic suggestions aim to develop solid advice for instructors and students. Both the analysis and the practical suggestions aim to establish the scopes and limits concerning communication in institutionally organized exam situations. The aim of this approach is to support examination participants in recognizing and utilizing the given range of communicative possibilities.