What do I do if I don't know a word in an oral exam?

It is important to make sure you do not speak in English. For example, do not just use the English word or ask the examiner 'wie heißt X auf Deutsch'. If you do not know a word, try your best to describe it with other German vocabulary. For example, you might be talking about the topic of immigration and want to say: 'it is unfair that they must be deported'. However, you do not know the verb 'to deport', which is 'abschieben'. Instead you might say the sentence slightly differently , for example: 'Es ist unfair, dass sie erzwungen werden, zu ihrem Heimatland zurückzugehen', which means: 'it is not fair that they are forced to return to their home country'. It is very easy to get caught up on one word, even though there are many different ways of saying a certain thing - have trust in yourself!