Mock Dissertation Defense: A Run Sheet With a Timed Presentation
A minute-by-minute run sheet for a mock dissertation defense: roles to cast, a timed 30-minute talk, public and closed questioning, a mock deliberation and a debrief sheet.
A mock dissertation defense is a full rehearsal of the event, not just of the questions. It runs your timed presentation, public questions, a closed session with the committee and the moment you are asked to leave while they confer. Below is a run sheet you can copy, the roles to cast, timing cues for your talk and a debrief sheet.
This guide is about running the session. For the questions themselves, use our list of dissertation defense questions by committee role. For building the talk, see the worked dissertation defense presentation structure.
Match the mock to your real defense first
Build the mock from your own graduate school’s rules, because formats differ a lot. Four schools show the range, along with one Canadian example, where the word is spelled “defence”.
| School | Length | The talk | Who asks questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | “lasts no longer than two hours” | A public presentation is recommended, “about one-half hour” | Questions from the public are allowed; a closed session for the committee is recommended |
| University of Michigan, Rackham | No limit; “the average defense takes about two hours” | “Many disciplines” require an opening presentation | “All oral defenses are public events” |
| University of Minnesota | Not stated | A public presentation to the committee and “the invited scholarly community” | A closed session for the committee and student follows |
| Stanford | “should not exceed three hours” | A portion “may take the form of a public seminar” | Private questioning by the committee is required |
| University of British Columbia (Canada) | “usually takes two to two and a half hours” | “maximum 30 minutes” | Committee members question the candidate; the audience is invited to ask questions |
Ohio State adds a rule worth copying into any mock. “At least one hour of the two-hour examination period” must go to discussion of the research, including the committee’s questions. So in a two-hour mock, the talk is the short part.
Michigan’s handbook says that because defenses vary, “the candidate should consult the chair in advance about what to expect”. Before you book the mock, ask your chair these five things.
- How long is my talk, and is the defense open to the public?
- Will the public ask questions, and when?
- Is there a closed session, and how is questioning ordered in it?
- Will anyone join by video?
- Will I be asked to leave while the committee confers?
Cast the roles
A mock works best when each person plays one real role and listens for one thing. You need at least three people, and up to seven makes the mock closer to the real event.
| Role | Who can play it | What they do in the mock |
|---|---|---|
| Chair | Your advisor or a senior lab mate | Opens, keeps order, moves between segments, reads out the mock outcome |
| Methods member | Someone who knows your design | Presses on sample, measures and analysis |
| Outside member | Someone from another department | Asks what a term means and why the work matters outside your field |
| Advisor | Your advisor, if not chairing | Asks what changed since the proposal |
| Public audience | Two or three friends or family | Ask one broad question each during public questions |
| Timekeeper | Anyone | Holds the time cards and writes down actual times |
| Note-taker | Anyone, or the timekeeper | Writes each question and the page or slide it touched |
At Ohio State, the advisor serves as chair. Its handbook adds that “All committee members are expected to participate fully in questioning”. Michigan requires that the cognate member attend, so give someone that role if your committee has one. Each person can take their questions from our dissertation defense questions, grouped by the same roles.
The mock dissertation defense run sheet
The run sheet below fits a two-hour defense with a 30-minute talk, the shape Ohio State describes. Questions take 65 minutes, more than the hour Ohio State requires. Adjust each row to match what your chair told you.
| Clock | Segment | Led by | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:05 | Opening | Chair | Welcomes everyone, explains the order, hands to the candidate |
| 0:05 to 0:35 | Presentation | Candidate | 30-minute talk, timed with cards (see below) |
| 0:35 to 0:50 | Public questions | Chair | Each audience member asks one question; the candidate answers short |
| 0:50 to 0:55 | Room clears | Chair | Audience leaves; committee resets for the closed session |
| 0:55 to 1:35 | Closed session: member rounds | Chair | Each member gets about 10 minutes, in the order your chair said |
| 1:35 to 1:45 | Closed session: open round | Chair | Any member follows up on a weak answer |
| 1:45 to 1:50 | Candidate leaves | Chair | The committee confers on an outcome and three revisions |
| 1:50 to 1:55 | Mock outcome | Chair | The candidate returns and hears the outcome and revisions |
| 1:55 to 2:15 | Debrief | Everyone | Out of role; fill in the debrief sheet |
Stanford’s policy says that at the end “the candidate should be asked to leave so that the committee can confer in private.” Practice that exit and return. Waiting in a corridor and walking back in is part of the day.
Timing the presentation
Give the timekeeper four cards and agree on them before the mock starts. Our signals are below, set for a 30-minute slot.
- “10 left” at 20 minutes. You should be finishing your findings.
- “5 left” at 25 minutes. Move to limitations.
- “2 left” at 28 minutes. Go to your last slide.
- “Stop” at 30 minutes. Stop speaking, even mid-sentence.
The timekeeper writes the actual clock time at each slide change. Compare those times with your plan afterward, and cut context rather than findings if you ran long. The hard stop matters because UBC, for example, sets a “maximum 30 minutes”.
Running the closed session
The closed session is the core of the mock. The chair should keep members to their rounds so each line of questioning gets tested, then allow the open round for follow-ups.
Ask the methods member to pick the weakest answer from the talk and stay on it for three questions. That practice in staying calm under follow-ups is where a mock earns its time. For how to shape each answer, use our guide on how to answer dissertation defense questions.
If your school uses a Graduate Faculty Representative, as Ohio State can, cast one too. Ohio State’s handbook says “the GFR has the right to ask at least one question” during the exam.
The mock deliberation and outcome
While the candidate is out of the room, the mock committee agrees on three revisions it would ask for. When the candidate returns, the chair reads them out. The candidate practices the response: repeat each revision back, ask what “done” looks like, and write it down.
The mock lets you rehearse hearing a list of revisions read aloud before the real day. Our guide to dissertation defense revisions explains what happens next.
Running a remote or hybrid mock
If anyone will join your real defense by video, run at least part of the mock that way. UBC tells candidates with a Zoom defence to “do at least one practice session in the Zoom format” (UBC, Preparing for the Oral Defence).
Rules for video differ by school. Ohio State permits video for committee members who are not present. It also says that “If a connection is lost for more than five minutes, the oral examination will be halted”. Michigan lets candidates defend over Zoom and tells them to follow U-M ITS instructions for securing the meeting.
Test each of these in the mock. Skip any that your defense will not use.
- Screen sharing of your slides, including switching to a backup slide
- Audio from the room microphone for anyone joining remotely
- A dropout: have the timekeeper cut one member’s connection for a minute, and practice how the chair resumes
- A second device with the slides ready to share
The debrief sheet
Fill the sheet straight after the mock while the notes are fresh. Each person fills in their own column first, then the group compares.
| Segment | Planned time | Actual time | What worked | What to fix (with slide or page) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | 30:00 | : | ||
| Public questions | 15:00 | : | ||
| Closed session rounds | 40:00 | : | ||
| Open round | 10:00 | : | ||
| Mock outcome response | 5:00 | : |
Below the table, the candidate writes three lines: the answer that felt worst, the slide that ran longest, and the revision that would take the most work. Those three become the plan for the next week.
When to hold it, and whether to hold two
There is no required date, so plan backward from your defense. A useful pattern, and our own suggestion, is one full mock about four weeks out and a shorter second one in the real room.
UBC, for example, encourages candidates to “book a practice session in the exam room” and says practice sessions at its Graduate Student Centre can only be booked less than four weeks ahead. The second mock can then run only the talk and the open round, with new people asking questions.
Preparing for a UK-style viva instead of a US defense? Use our mock viva questions and script, built for examiner-led vivas without a public session.
What Thesisroom does with this
Defense Practice, one of the Thesisroom rooms, writes questions an examiner or committee could ask, each tied to a specific passage or page of your own dissertation. You can answer in writing or out loud, in three styles: Practice, Rapid round and Mock panel. Thesisroom does not write answers or scripts.
Those questions can feed the closed-session rounds when your mock committee has not had time to read every chapter. The human mock is still where you practice the timing, the room and the walk back in. See Defense Practice.
Frequently asked questions
What is a mock dissertation defense?
It is a practice run of your defense with people playing your committee and audience. A full mock includes the timed talk, public questions, a closed session, a short deliberation with you out of the room, and a debrief.
How long should a mock dissertation defense be?
As long as your real one. Ohio State caps its exam at two hours, Michigan says the average defense takes about two hours, and Stanford says it should not exceed three. Ask your chair, then add about 20 minutes for the debrief.
Who should be on my mock committee?
Your advisor or a senior lab mate as chair, someone who knows your methods, and someone from another department as the outside member. Add a timekeeper and two or three people as the public audience if your defense is public.
Should I time my presentation in the mock?
Yes. Use time cards at 20, 25, 28 and 30 minutes for a 30-minute slot, and stop at the last one. Ohio State recommends a talk of about half an hour, and UBC sets a 30-minute maximum.
How far before my defense should I hold the mock?
No rule sets a date. One option is a full mock about four weeks out and a shorter one in the real room. UBC says practice sessions at its Graduate Student Centre can only be booked less than four weeks before the defence.
Should I record my mock defense?
If everyone agrees, yes. A recording shows where your talk ran long and where answers wandered. Watch the presentation and the closed session separately, and note the slide or page for each fix.
Sources
- The Ohio State University: Graduate School Handbook, Section 7, Doctoral Degrees
- University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School: Dissertation Handbook
- University of Minnesota: Doctoral Degree: Completion policy
- Stanford University: GAP 4.7.1, Doctoral Degrees, University Oral Examinations and Committees: Policy
- University of British Columbia Graduate School: Final Oral Defence
- University of British Columbia Graduate School: Preparing for the Oral Defence
How this guide was made: Thesisroom drafted this guide with the help of AI writing tools, then checked every fact, figure and source by hand against the references linked above.