Prepare a doctoral candidate for the viva or thesis defence with a written pack: a three-minute thesis summary, the contribution stated plainly, predicted questions by chapter with answer outlines, the weak points and how to own them, a chapter-by-chapter crib sheet, and a plan for the final two weeks. Use when asked to prepare for my viva, what will my examiners ask, help me summarise my thesis, I am worried about my methods chapter in the defence, or make a viva revision plan. Produces the pack as a document to study from. Distinct from the-thesis-defense, which runs a live mock defence; use
A source-grounded starter task has not been verified for this skill yet.
SKILL.md
name: viva-prep-packdescription: "Prepare a doctoral candidate for the viva or thesis defence with a written pack: a three-minute thesis summary, the contribution stated plainly, predicted questions by chapter with answer outlines, the weak points and how to own them, a chapter-by-chapter crib sheet, and a plan for the final two weeks. Use when asked to prepare for my viva, what will my examiners ask, help me summarise my thesis, I am worried about my methods chapter in the defence, or make a viva revision plan. Produces the pack as a document to study from. Distinct from the-thesis-defense, which runs a live mock defence; use this first, then that."version: 1.0.0
Viva Prep Pack
Candidates over-prepare by rereading the thesis and under-prepare by never saying their contribution aloud. This skill builds the document to study from: what the thesis claims, where an examiner will push, and how to answer honestly when the push lands on a real weakness. It prepares; it does not predict the outcome or script answers to memorise.
What This Skill Produces
A three-minute spoken summary and a one-sentence contribution
Predicted questions grouped as opening, per chapter, big picture and closing, each with an answer outline
A weak-points register: the limitation, why the choice was made, what the candidate would do differently
A crib sheet per chapter: claim, key evidence, key sources, page numbers to find fast
Examiner notes: likely interests based on their published work, which the candidate supplies
A two-week plan and a day-before checklist
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided:
Field, country or institution (viva formats differ: closed oral examination, public defence, committee)
Thesis title, abstract, research questions and chapter list
The contribution as the candidate sees it
Methods and the decisions the candidate is least sure about
Known limitations and anything a supervisor has flagged
Examiners' names and research areas, if known
Date of the viva and time available to prepare
Framework
Contribution in one sentence. "This thesis shows X, which matters because Y, and it is new because Z."
Three-minute summary. Problem, gap, approach, main findings, contribution. Written to be spoken.
Questions examiners reliably ask. Why this topic; what is original; why this method and not another; how do you know the findings are sound; what would you change; how does it relate to a named body of work; what next; what should be published.
Per-chapter questions. Two to four for each chapter, aimed at its claim and its weakest step.
Own the limits. For each weak point: name it before the examiner does, give the reasoning at the time, the effect on the conclusions, and the improvement.
Answer shape. Pause, answer the question asked in a sentence, support it, stop. It is acceptable to ask for the question again or to say "I had not considered that; my first thought is...".
Examiner lens. An examiner tends to ask from their own area. Map their interests to the chapters they touch.
Know the document. Tabs or a page index for key figures, definitions and the limitations section.