Free tool · PhD planning
Viva question predictor
Twelve likely viva questions about your own thesis, from your abstract.
Paste your thesis abstract here and the tool will suggest 12 questions an examiner may ask about your own thesis in the viva voce. The questions are arranged in four groups. First comes why you picked the problem, then how you studied it, then what you found and what it adds. Every question has one line on what the examiner is really checking.
You will find common viva question lists everywhere, but where scholars are getting stuck is mostly the next step. The examiner will not just say “justify your methodology” and stop there. The real question will be about your sample, your model or your null result. This tool tries to give you those specific questions. Use them for practice only, not for mugging up answers.
Method
How this tool works
Once you press the button, your abstract goes to OpenAI’s gpt-4o-mini model along with our instructions. As per those instructions, the model has to give three questions under each of four themes. Those four are motivation and gap, method, findings, and the last one contribution and limits. Each question must point to something which is actually written in your abstract. The model is not allowed to make up informations about your field, your results or your university. It is also told not to answer the questions for you.
The reply from the model has to come in a fixed format. Our server checks that format first, and only after that the questions come on your screen. When the reply is broken or off-topic you just get a simple message on screen. Such a failed reply is not counted against your free checks.
Every visitor gets 3 free AI checks per day, and this limit is shared by all our AI tools. The site also has a total limit for each day. That is how we are keeping the tools free for all scholars. Paste the same abstract again on the same day and the saved answer comes back at once, and it is not counted. The answer may quote some lines from your abstract. The saved answer stays up to two days, locked with a key from your own text, so nobody without that text can open it. Your abstract itself we don’t store.
Use these questions like a mock viva. Speak each answer and time it. Most good answers finish in under two minutes. Mark the questions where you are hesitating, because those are the chapters you need to read again. For how Indian vivas usually go and how to frame an answer, see our guide to PhD viva questions.
Limits
What this tool can’t do
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is my text stored?
No, your abstract is not saved on our server. It goes to OpenAI only for making the questions. The answer we do keep, for up to two days, so that pasting the same abstract again is free. Nobody can read it without the abstract, because it is locked with a key made from your text. How OpenAI handles API data is explained in OpenAI’s own policies.
Why only 3 a day?
Each check is costing us some small money to run. Our aim is free tools with no sign-up, so we put a daily limit per visitor and more scholars get a chance. If you repeat the same text on the same day, it is not counted. A check which fails is also not counted.
Is using this allowed by my university?
The tool only gives you questions for preparing. None of its output goes inside your thesis, so at most universities it is well within the rules on AI. Still, the rules change from one university to another. Where universities usually draw the line is there in our guide on using AI tools in your PhD.
Will these be the exact questions I get?
Mostly not in the same words. Every examiner has own interests and asks as per that. Still, most viva questions come under these four themes. Practising specific questions on your own study will prepare you much better than reading a general list.
What if my abstract is weak or very short?
The questions can be only as specific as your abstract is. If the questions look generic, many times it means the abstract is not stating the method or the main result clearly, and examiners will also notice the same gap. If so, run it through our abstract feedback tool first.
Can someone run a mock viva with me?
Yes, that we arrange through our viva preparation service. A specialist from your area takes a full mock viva with you and gives written feedback on your answers. First consultation is free.
Keep reading
Related guides and services
Common PhD viva questions
The questions examiners ask most often, grouped by theme, with how to prepare each answer.
Viva Voce Preparation
Presentation review, a question bank built from your thesis, and a mock viva before the real one.
The PhD pre-submission seminar
Who attends, what the committee checks, how to structure the talk and what happens after.
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