There is a growing consensus that implementation of planning time exerts an effect on oral speech production of learners.Research has yet to find out what strategies are used by learners in oral speech production. To contribute to this ongoing debate, the present study examined activation of sociopragmatic, pragmalinguistic, and content knowledge strategies employed by learners in pre-task planning time to produce answers. Ten M.A. students and Ph.D. candidates majoring in TEFL gave their answers to oral request and refusal DCTs through think-aloud protocol. The results revealed that the pre-task planning time caused the participants to activate a high degree of sociopragmatic, pragmalinguistic, and content knowledge awareness. Therefore, implementation of planning time in speaking tests may help individuals to produce more fluent and socially appropriate utterances.Keywords: planning time, sociopragmatic, pragmalinguistic, content knowledge stress-power relationship, distance, and real time pressure. According to Skehan and Foster (2001) task manipulation effects should be studied in areas of complexity, accuracy, and fluency. To put it bluntly, Skehan and Foster investigated effect of time planning on accuracy, fluency, and complexity of produced oral speech of learners and concluded that exerted planning time leads to a more fluent and complex speech. Accuracy factor did not represent a considerable change but again they admitted that more research is needed before coming to a conclusion. Correspondingly, Gilabert (2007) reported a similar finding and asserted that time planning is very beneficial for oral speech production.