The Viva & Oral Defense Template Kit: 53 Fillable Templates (US Letter + A4)

For the doctoral candidate with a viva or defense date set: know your thesis cold, rehearse the hard questions and get corrections signed off first time.

Every viva and defense template from the workbook, ready to type into: thesis maps, question banks, mock-viva scoring and the corrections tracker.

WHAT YOU GET

- 53 fillable templates in one fillable PDF (58 pages, 788 fillable fields)

- US Letter and A4 versions, both included

- Type into the boxes and save, or print and write by hand

- A clickable template map with a Done box for every template, and bookmarks

WHAT'S INSIDE

- 1.1 Viva Reality & Myth-Buster Sheet

- 1.2 What the Viva Actually Tests

- 1.3 Format Spectrum Locator

- 1.4 Viva Vocabulary Decoder

- 2.1 Viva Specifications Capture Sheet

- 2.2 Possible-Outcomes Map

- 2.3 Examiner Research Dossier

- 2.4 Examiner-to-Thesis Link Sheet

- 3.1 Thesis-at-a-Glance Map

- 3.2 Chapter Summary Sheets

- 3.3 Key Facts, Numbers & Citations Sheet

- 3.4 Multi-Level Summary Builder

- 3.5 “Where Is It?” Locator

- 4.1 Contribution-to-Knowledge Articulator

- 4.2 “What's New / Original” Sheet

- 4.3 Significance & Impact Statement

- 4.4 Contribution Elaboration Ladder

- 5.1 Chapter-by-Chapter “Defend Your Decisions” Sheets

- 5.2 Methodological-Justification Sheet

- 5.3 “Why Did You…” Question Prep

- 5.4 Trade-Offs & Alternatives Sheet

- 6.1 Thesis-Weakness Pre-Empt Worksheet

- 6.2 Limitations-Ownership Sheet

- 6.3 Anticipated-Critique Response Planner

- 6.4 Weakness-to-Awareness Reframe

- 7.1 50 Most-Likely Viva Questions (with answer planners)

- 7.2 Question-Genre Map

- 7.3 Answer-Planner Template

- 7.4 Examiner-Specific Question Predictor

- 8.1 Spoken-Answer Structure Sheet

- 8.2 Handling-Challenge & Disagreement Sheet

- 8.3 “I Don't Know” / Conceding Gracefully Scripts

- 8.4 Clarify-Before-Answering Drill

- 8.5 Peer-Engagement Mindset Sheet

- 9.1 Defense-Slide Framework

- 9.2 Opening-Summary Talk Builder

- 9.3 Presentation-Timing & Rehearsal Sheet

- 9.4 Presentation-to-Q&A Transition Plan

- 10.1 Examiner-Type Strategy Guide

- 10.2 Examiner-Style Diagnostic

- 10.3 Difficult-Moment Navigation Sheet

- 10.4 Panel-Dynamics & Chair-Role Note

- 11.1 Mock-Viva Scoring Sheet

- 11.2 Mock-Viva Setup Kit

- 11.3 Mock-Viva Debrief & Gap Sheet

- 11.4 Iteration & Readiness Tracker

- 11.5 Online-Viva Practice Checklist

- 12.1 Viva-Day Logistics & Mindset Checklist

- 12.2 Outcome Interpreter

- 12.3 Post-Viva Corrections Tracker

- 12.4 Corrections-to-Examiner-Satisfaction Sheet

- 12.5 Resubmission Strategy + Next Steps & Celebration

- 12.6 Supervisor's Mock-Viva & Support Kit

EVERY TEMPLATE PAGE GIVES YOU

- Its purpose and how long it takes

- Short steps on how to fill it in

- Fillable boxes sized for real answers

- The output it produces

- A supervisor sign-off line

- Where to find the completed example in the workbook

HOW TO USE IT

- Open the PDF in a free PDF reader app that supports fillable forms (Adobe Acrobat Reader is free and works best). Some phone and browser viewers do not save typed answers.

- Click a box and type. Save often: your answers stay in the file.

THE KIT AND THE WORKBOOK

The kit gives you the tools. The Viva & Oral Defense Workbook teaches the method: it explains every template and shows a completed example of each one. If this is your first time, start with the workbook: https://www.gradsummit.com/workbooks/viva-oral-defense-workbook/

LICENCE

For the buyer's own use. Every page is stamped with the buyer's email and the purchase date. Please do not share or resell the files. For a class or research group, ask about a group licence.

By Rafiq Muhammad, MD, MIHMEP, PhD. The templates were drafted with the help of AI tools and written, checked and laid out by the author.