Introduction. The author reflects on the fact that at present there is a demand from society to create a class of people of a new formation, conscious and advanced, which teachers should undoubtedly be. But to implement this, it is important to correctly organize the process of teaching students of pedagogical universities. In order to lay the foundations of professional skills, future teachers need to master knowledge, for example, on the methodology of teaching Russian language and literature in elementary school and to form skills and abilities in practice. One of the forms of checking the level of formation of students’ professional competencies is an exam, the purpose of which is to determine the degree of knowledge of the entire volume of material received in any discipline.

Materials and methods. The object of the article's research is a demonstration exam (demo exam), a new type of control of knowledge, skills and abilities, which, in comparison with traditional types, has a rather complex algorithm, a more practical orientation of the content in the tasks, and a more extensive system of evaluation criteria. This project is innovative, so the article discusses the reasons for its creation both for secondary vocational education institutions (SVE) and for universities; purpose and objectives of the implementation; paths of development; anticipated results. A brief overview of the sources to which the author turned when studying this problem is presented. In addition, the article, as an example, examines the conduct of a demonstration exam on the methods of teaching Russian language and literature in primary school.

Results. The article lists a number of higher education institutions that are participating in this project, including the South Ural State Humanitarian and Pedagogical University, which opened a center for holding demonstration exams. It creates conditions for thorough preparation for performances and maximum manifestation of oneself during the exam, which allows one to demonstrate a high level of professional competence, as evidenced by teachers and experts.

Discussion. The article discusses the problem of teacher consulting students to assist them in preparing for a demonstration exam. Recommendations for the discipline “Methodology of teaching Russian language and literature” are presented, which are presented in the form of a table and include the following sections: topic of the lesson, a fragment of which will need to be presented; grade; lesson stage and its characteristics; key words that are fundamental in the study of this topic; those words that represent certain concepts necessary for mastery, repetition, generalization.

Conclusion. The emphasis is placed on the fact that the demonstration exam is an innovative project, the main feature of which is its focus on practical activities, which makes it possible to more accurately determine the level of formation of professional competencies of students of pedagogical universities.

One of the main tasks of the demonstration exam for students of pedagogical universities on the methodology of teaching Russian language and literature in primary school is to conduct a fragment of the lesson, since future teachers find themselves in a situation close to the real one;

Demonstration exam is a new type of control of students' professional competencies, characterized by a more complex system of preparation, conduct, assessment, therefore, a detailed consultation for the exam on the methodology of teaching Russian language and literature in primary school, containing detailed recommendations, is necessary;

Recommendations for preparing for this exam should include the following: defining the topic and stage of the lesson, discussing its content, analyzing the place of this fragment in the educational process system, which should help students demonstrate their professional capabilities as fully as possible during the test.

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