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HOW TO ACE THE 25 MOST COMMON PROJECT DEFENSE

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October 13, 2014 By Chidi Rafael search

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When I wrote ‘Making Awesome Presentations: Useful Tips for Project
Business Administration Projects
Defense’, I never knew it was going to be a great success story. So
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Well, enough of the hyping! That great piece was still lacking some
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fans still needed more to it. Questions like, what should we expect on
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I have compiled some common questions you may face on your MBA/M.Sc Project Topics and Materials

defense day and suggested answers/approach to these questions. So

Featured Papers
as usual, Enjoy!
Making Awesome Presentations: Tips
and Tricks for Project Defense
Top 25 Likely Project Defense Questions and Answers Developing Outstanding Research Topics
Below are likely questions you may face in a defense room. Take note Challenges of Personal Income Taxation
in Ghana
of these questions and suggested answers, do good by researching
Work-Life Balance and its Effect on
more and not limiting yourself to just these questions. Employee Productivity.
Effect of Employee Benefits on
Organizational Performance
Question 1: In few sentences, can you tell us what your study is Impact of Nigeria Monetary Policies on
all about? Foreign Direct Investment

The question is simple right? Many professors will tell you that most
students get choked on a question like this. Anyways the question is
simple, but a bit technical. To answer this question, you need to know
every detail of your research project from chapters one to the end. The
question needs an answer in form of a summary of the entire study,
therefore, to ace this particular question you need to know every detail
in your abstract. If you wrote a good abstract, this question will be a
cross over for you.

Question 2: What is your motivation for this study?

Now you must be careful here. This question can be very tricky and it
goes a long way in convincing your panel members that your study is
worth their time. Another way this question could be twisted is WHAT IS
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM?

To answer this question, you may decide to elaborate on the problem

investigated in the study. Your zeal to solve this problem becomes your
motivation. Do not state financial reasons or the need to graduate as a
motivation as you may easily go off point.

Question 3: How will this study contribute to the body of

knowledge?
At some point the need for justification will arise and that is when you
will be asked to mention how your study will add to the body of
knowledge if approved.
Here you will need to use your methods, case study or any unique
model or conceptual framework used in the study to defend it. For more
information on how to tackle this particular question Click Here

Question 4: What is the significance of the study?

Just like stating how your study will contribute to the body of
knowledge, you will need to state the importance of your study. To
answer this question, you will need to highlight how your study will aid
the government in policy development and implementation, how it will
help other students who may wish to conduct research studies on the
subject matter and how organizations and the society will benefit from
your study.

Question 5: Did you bridge any gap from your study?

Every research study must have a problem. Your ability to solve this
problem and explore into areas not yet researched on gives you the full
marks allocated for answering this question. You must be able to
convince the committee members that your approach is unique and it
has covered areas where much have not been done by other
researchers.

Question 6: What limitations did you encounter?

This is another simple but tricky question. Most times the question is
not asked to sympathize with you, rather to get loopholes to criticize
your work. To answer this question, you must be careful with words as
you may implicate yourself. Be careful enough not to sell out yourself.
Do not discourse limitations in your methods or data analysis
techniques as this may imply that your study may be biased or not well
researched. Use simple limitations like difficulties encountered in
combining lectures and project instead of limiting your study.

Question 7: What are your findings?

At this point it is expected of you to present your results or findings
from the study in a clear and concise manner. Always link your findings
to your research objectives/questions. This will make your panel
members to easily be carried along.

Question 8: What Methods or Sampling Technique did you

employ?
To answer this question, you must be familiar with your research
methodology. Your chapter three (in Most Projects) must be at your
fingertips. Your ability to justify your sample size and technique will be
highly rewarded here. For more tips Click Here

Question 9: Why choose this method?

As discoursed above, you should not only state a particular method for
the study. You must also be ready and able to justify why you chose the
method in a convincing manner. At this point you are free to quote
sources or similar studies where such methods were adopted.

Question 10: Based on your findings what are your

recommendations?
Recommendations are very vital in every research study and should
not be joked with. In essence you should know your recommendations
off hand.

Question 11: Based on your findings what areas will you suggest
for future research?
Questions like this are just there to test your reasoning and authority in
your research area. Based on your findings in a manageable scope,
you should be able to suggest future research areas in line with your
study. For example, if I researched on the challenges of personal
income tax collection in Nigeria, a good area for further study will be in
other forms of taxation such as VAT, Company tax etc.

Question 12: How can your research study be put into practice?
Easy for the computer scientist and engineering students, but a bit
tough for management and social sciences since most
management/social science projects are more of abstract in nature.
However, you should try your best to be realistic here. Relate your
study to current trends in your environment, office, economy,
government, schools, church etc. Use of relevant examples and
illustrations will score you good point here.

Question 13: How would you summarize your study to a

practitioner in a few sentence?
Your ability to convey technical information from the study will score
you good points here.

Question 14: What would you change if you were to conduct the
study again?
Hmmm. Be careful! Do not be too jovial. There is a loophole here! Just
like your limitations, this question can be asked to identify your week
points.

Question 15: What is your measurement Instrument?

In simple terms, what data collection method did you employ for the
study? Here you state if questionnaires were distributed or data was
gotten from secondary sources. For more information on measurement
instruments Click Here

Question 16: What are your research variables?

Here you will need to convince your panel members that you know
what you are talking about. You need to explain your independent and
dependent variable(s) to convince them that you are on point. Your
variables are present in your project topic. You need to identify these
variables and know their definitions as well to ace your defense.

Question 17: What are your research questions?

Very simple question. It should take about 0.015 seconds to answer
this question if you are fully prepared.

Question 18: What do you plan to do with your research project

after Graduation?
Here you are at liberty to say your mind. If you intend to publish it, this
is the best opportunity to discourse and interact with the committee
members-maybe a professor there can help.

Question 19: What source of data was employed for the study?
At this point you have to state the source(s) you got data from. In
general you have to state whether data was gotten from primary or
secondary source or both. You can further convince the committee
members by discoursing on literature reviewed for the study-both
theoretical and empirical.

Question 20: What theories or theoretical framework is your study

based on?
This is a very technical question but interesting. Before you step into
the defense room, you should know at least two relevant theories that
relate to your study. For example, the “impact of motivation on
employee productivity” will be based on Maslow’s Theory and other
theories of motivation. If you cannot find relevant theories to back up
your study, consult your supervisor for help.

Question 21: How would you relate your findings to existing

theories on the study?
To ace this question, one will have to read extensively. You should
know existing theories on the subject matter as well as empirical
studies too. Your ability to link your findings to previous research
studies (Whether they agree or not) will go a long way in validating your
study. You will score good points here trust me.

Question 22: What recommendations do you have for future

research?
Your problem solving skill is put to test here. You should be able to
identify areas that will need more research.

Question 23: What is the scope of the study?

This one is a cheap or should I say bonus question? Here you quickly
state the delimitation of the study in brief.

Question 24: What question(s) do you have for the committee?

Not a likely question in our Nigerian context, but I have defended a
seminar project where this question was asked and I was shocked to
my marrows. This is an opportunity to interact with your committee
members and ask some constructive questions. Do not ask silly or too
difficult questions as the goal should be to make the committee
members feel as the “boss”. It will also go a long way in showing that
you are a brilliant individual.

Question 25: Do you have any closing comments?

This is praising time! Use this opportunity to thank your committee
members for their time and questions. Tell them how much you have
learnt from them and how you intend to correct errors (if any) identified
in your work. This can go a long way in impressing your internal and
external supervisors. All the best!

BONUS TIPS

When confronted with a difficult question, adopt a strategy to

make them rephrase or repeat the question. This will give
you more time to think.
If your research project is Empirical in nature,or you used any
statistical tool to test hypothesis, try to know how you arrived
at such conclusion. Also know how your data was analysed
and the various tools used for the analysis.
Before your defense day. Practice with your supervisor or
your friends. Make them to drill you with likely questions.
Talk calmly with confidence. Do not talk too fast as this may
pave way for tension and stage freight.
Read your project thoroughly. Know basic definitions and
terms used in the study.
Expand the likely questions to 50. Feel free to add yours in
the comment box below. Thanks and God bless you.
If you need ideas on contemporary project topics sample
Click Here

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You may also like: Making Awesome Presentations│ Developing

Outstanding Research Topics │How to Write an abstarct │How to
Write a Project Proposal │How To Choose the Right Measurement
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(Mar 27, 2019) Esther said:

thank you very much, i really benefited from this article and its a blessing to me. my
project defense is tomorrow and i pray the heavens smile at me.

(Mar 24, 2019) James said:

Thank you very much! Our OD will be on Tuesday! This is a great help to me!

(Mar 13, 2019) Key said:

THANKS! Gonna die tomorrow. Lmao.

(Mar 12, 2019) Carl said:

Thank you so much for this! Most of all, I am encouraged more to do my best with the
statement GOD BLESS YOU! Again, thank you!

(Mar 8, 2019) Girley said:

Thank you I learned soo much!

(Feb 18, 2019) Hae_Zelx said: 2

OMG this tips are a great help for me. I will be having my defense tomorrow. Thank you.
:)

(Feb 18, 2019) Verna said:

Thank you for this tips it helps me a lot God bless

(Feb 14, 2019) Joyce :) said:

Thank you for all the information and also the tips, T'was a great help. God bless.

(Jan 27, 2019) Anonymous said:

Thanks a million. I have my defense in 3 days, got prepared for all these questions :)

(Nov 22, 2018) Anonymous said: 3

helpful thanks a lot for this! we will be defending our thesis proposal tomorrow or should
i say later (??) (since it's already 2:07 am) . i hope everything goes well and ours will be
accepted and others' proposal as well! :) good luck to those who will be defending their
thesis, just like what my research professor said to us "things are bound to happen..
successfully!" To be God, be the Glory!

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