Guides
Preparation notes for a thesis defense or a viva. MockCommittee can quiz you on the draft. These pages explain the room.
- Common thesis defense questions
The questions almost every committee asks, and what a direct answer has to cover.
- Dissertation defense questions by field
How committees in different disciplines pressure a dissertation, and the questions that travel across fields.
- How to prepare for a viva
A practical preparation sequence for a viva voce, from re-reading the thesis to handling a correction list.
- How to answer methodology questions
A structure for oral answers about design, sample, measures, and the choices you did not make.
- What happens at a thesis defense
The shape of a thesis or dissertation defense, from the opening summary to the decision, so the format is not a surprise.
- Master's vs PhD defense
What committees expect at a master's defense compared with a doctoral defense, and how to prepare for the one you actually have.
- How to handle committee pushback
What to do when a committee member disagrees, interrupts, or pulls on a claim you cannot fully defend.
- Unsupported claims in a thesis
How committees spot claims the draft does not earn, and how to answer when they quote one back to you.