If you are asked to brief, hold your plate in the middle of the aircraft so that you both read from the same chart. From a CRM point of view, this is very beneficial (you're not both looking outboard).
Lots of good advise above, but also think about the real world:
- where's the terrain
- can we land back here if we need to
- where else might we go
Also, make the most of your capacity on the departure:
- ask the other guy to tune your navaids for you (give him explicit instructions so that it's effectively his responsibility)
- tell the other guy what the next frequency will be
You really need to engage the other pilot (even if its the examiner). As much as anything else on a check ride, your CRM and multi-crew skills are being assessed. It's a given that your flying skills need to be up to scratch (if not, you won't get through) - but the examiner needs to know that he'd be happy to sit in a cramped flightdeck with you for 10 hours at a time with regretting his decision.
