He said he is/was taking an exam !tomorrow!

[BestBuddy]

John: I'm taking an exam tomorrow and if they give me only two hours(as they ususally do), I won't pass.
Later the same day: He said he was taking an exam tomorrow and if they gave him only two hours, he wouldn't pass.
The day after tomorrow: He said he was taking an exam yesterday and if they gave him only two hours, he wouldn't pass. (We don't know yet how many hours he were given and if he passed)

I've got a question about backshifting in reported speech. This problem has bothered me for a long time now.
If the action hasn't happened yet, should we backshift? Simply: is it correct to say the following?

• "Later the same day: He said he is taking an exam tomorrow and if they give him only two hours, he won't pass."

 

[5jj]

If the action hasn't happened yet, should we backshift? Simply: is it correct to say the following?

• "Later the same day: He said he is taking an exam tomorrow and if they give him only two hours, he won't pass."

Backshifting in such cases is optional.

 

[jutfrank]

Simply: is it correct to say the following?

• "Later the same day: He said he is taking an exam tomorrow and if they give him only two hours, he won't pass."

Yes, that's fine. In fact, I think it's better not to backshift in this case.

He said he was taking an exam tomorrow.

Here, the backshifting focuses on what he said in the past—i.e., his past utterance. If the utterance "I'm taking an exam tomorrow" expresses his intention to take an exam, then the backshifting is a way to report that this was a past intention. It doesn't say anything about his intention at the present moment. He may have changed his mind between then and now.

He said he's taking an exam tomorrow.

This focuses on his intention of taking an exam, which is at the time of reporting still felicitous. The speaker believes that the intention still holds, so it's appropriate to express it with a present tense.