Your committee, rehearsed end to end.
Mock Defense · in session
Dr. Kessler
Methodologist
Walk me through the threats to validity you considered — and the ones you decided to live with.
The main one is selection bias. I controlled for baseline attitudes, but…
From a two-minute summary to a scored defense in one sitting.
- 1
Describe your dissertation
Two minutes on your argument, methods, and contribution. No finished draft required.
- 2
The committee questions you
Three examiners rotate and follow up on weak answers — out loud, in real time.
- 3
Read your readiness debrief
Every answer assessed, with the exact spots an examiner would keep pushing.
The same six areas a real committee works through.
The committee moves across all of them and follows up where your answers thin out — so nothing stays unrehearsed.
Contribution & Significance
- Core contribution and what is novel
- Why the work matters / significance
- Research questions and scope
Methodology & Design
- Justification of the chosen approach
- Alternatives considered and rejected
- Rigor and execution of the method
Results & Validity
- Soundness of the findings
- Threats to validity
- Alternative explanations
Limitations & Honesty
- Acknowledged limitations
- Generalizability and boundaries of the claims
Related Work & Positioning
- Command of the relevant literature
- Positioning against prior work
Implications & Future Work
- Broader implications of the work
- Credible future directions
Three examiners, three angles.
Dr. Hale
Committee Chair
“In one sentence — what is the contribution you’re defending?”
Dr. Kessler
Methodologist
“Walk me through the threats to validity you considered — and the ones you decided to live with.”
Prof. Sinclair
Outside Examiner
“Strip away the framing. What does the field know now that it didn’t before your work?”
When you hedge, the follow-up comes.
Dr. Kessler
Methodologist
Walk me through the threats to validity you considered — and the ones you decided to live with.
The main one is selection bias. I controlled for baseline attitudes, but…
You said you controlled for it. Show me how.
I matched on three baseline covariates, then ran a sensitivity check to see how far the estimate could move…
You leave knowing exactly what to fix.
Not a vanity score — a written readiness debrief, area by area, in the words an examiner would use.
Your readiness debrief
- MethodologySolid
You defended the sample size and your validity threats held up.
- ContributionKeep pushing
Sinclair wasn’t convinced by the “so what?” — tighten the claim.
- FramingRework
You conceded the literature gap too quickly. Hold your ground.
Your advisor wants you to pass. We don’t have to.
Your advisor already knows your work and is rooting for you. Labmates pull their punches. So the questions that actually decide the day — the ones from the examiner with no stake in your success — are usually the ones you’ve practised least.
Here, the Outside Examiner pushes on your contribution until you can justify it, and the Methodologist keeps asking until the hand-waving stops. That pressure is the point. The difference is that here it costs nothing to face it, and you can do it again tomorrow.
Readiness-or-refund
If a full mock defense doesn’t leave you better prepared, ask for a full refund within 14 days — as long as you haven’t completed more than one beyond the free tier. The risk is ours, not yours.
One free drill. Full defenses when you’re ready.
Free drill
No card5 questions with Dr. Hale on your methodology and contribution.
Full defenses
$19/mo · $49 PassAll three examiners, question-by-question scoring, and a written debrief. The Pass runs 90 days on one payment.
Asked and answered plainly.
How is this different from a mock with my advisor or labmates?
Your advisor already knows your work and wants you to pass. Labmates pull punches. Here the Outside Examiner has no stake in your success and will push on your contribution until you justify it. That pressure is the point.
Will my dissertation content be used to train AI models?
No. Session transcripts are not used for training. Your unpublished work stays yours. If that ever changes, you'll be told before it does — not buried in a terms update.
How rigorous is this compared to a real defense committee?
The methodologist asks the same category of questions a real one does — sample size, validity threats, statistical choices. What it can't replicate is the room, the politics, or your specific advisor's style. Treat it as drilling the content, not the performance.
I haven't finished writing yet. Is this still useful?
Yes, if you can give a 2-minute summary of your argument. The committee will find the gaps you haven't patched yet. Most candidates find that useful — some find it brutal. Either way, better now than in the room.
Is there a free version? What's the catch?
Yes. The free tier gives you one focused drill — Dr. Hale (Chair) runs roughly five questions on your methodology and contribution. No card required. For unlimited full mock defenses with all three examiners, per-question scoring, and a written readiness debrief, it's $19/month or a $49 Defense Pass (90 days, one payment). Both carry a readiness-or-refund policy: request a full refund within 14 days of the charge, provided you haven't completed more than one full mock defense beyond the free tier. See the terms for details.
The committee is three questions away.
Start with a free drill. No card required.