Final year project is a major criteria for anyone to graduate from higher institution. Writing a project is one task and defending the project is another task.
To successfully defend a project, you need to know exactly what to expect so that you can prepare towards it.
If you actually did your project yourself, defending it will be easy for you but if you did not do it yourself then you might face some difficulties while defending it.
To successfully defend your project, you must know the structure and nature of questions that are always asked and how to answer such questions.
Note that you have to study your project work back to back because questions can be asked from anywhere and most times the questions are very unpredictable.
We advice everyone to study their project work very well before the day of the defense.
Below are some of the frequently asked project defense questions you must know:
Project Defense Questions and Answers
- What is Your Research About?
This is asking about your project title and you can also list your objectives.
- Why did you decide to undertake this specific research?
This is asking about the justification of the study or rationale.
- What are the motivations for your research?
This is asking about the statement of problem. After stating the problem statement also talk about your justification.
- Why is the problem you have tackled worth tackling.
This is asking about the significance of the study and of what use it will be to you.
- What are the main aims, questions, hypotheses?
- How will this study contribute to the body of knowledge on your topic.
Compare your study to previous studies and tell them what you did differently that have not been done before.
- Did you bridge any gap from your study?
The answer to this should be the same as with the question before this.
- What is the significance of the study?
This is asking about what your study or your project can be used for.
- What are the principal findings of this research project?
Simply state out the most important results from your data analysis.
- How do your findings compare with other research in this field?
This is asking about your discussion, state the most important aspects of your discussion.
- What limitations did you encounter?
Simply asking about the limitations of your study. This is part of your methodology.
- Comment on and Justify Your Research methodology
State your research methodology such as the study population, study design, research instruments, sample size, sampling technique etc.
- Why choose this methodology?
State why you used the sampling technique and the research instruments.
- In light of your discoveries/findings what are your recommendations?
State your findings and your recommendations.
- Where did you go wrong?
If you are so sure of your research work, say that you didn't go wrong anywhere.
- Based on your findings what areas will you suggest for future research?
Just say that you will modify your current research.
- What is the practicability of your research?
This is asking about the time, manpower and finance used for your research.
- How would you summarize your study to a practitioner in a few sentences?
This is asking about your abstract. Try and summarize your abstract so that it can be brief.
- What would you change if you were to conduct the study again?
Just say nothing or say that you will change your study location.
- What are your research Instruments and why did you use them?
Just state the research instruments you used as written in the report.
- What do you plan to do with your research project after Graduation?
Just say you will publish it.
- What theories or theoretical framework is your study based on?
Just say as written in your report.
- What source of data was employed for the study?
It is both primary and secondary data. Because primary data was the data you collected yourself and you used secondary data for your literature review.
- How would you relate your findings to existing theories on the study?
Simply asking about your empirical theory. Compare your current findings with previous theories.
- How has your thinking changed as a result of your project?
Just say what you learnt yourself.
- How would you build on this research?
So you will try to put it into practice and make relevant bodies use it for practice.
- Where do you see this kind of research moving in the future?
Just say what you think the project will be used for.
- How could you improve your work?
State that you will use feedback to improve your work.
- How can your research be used in practice?
State that relevant bodies will use your research.
- What would you change if you were to do the study again?
State that you will change the study area and sample size.
- If you did it again what would you do differently?
Same answer as above.
- What would you do differently if you were setting out to do it today?
Same answer as above.
- Is there any aspect of the research that you would do differently?
Same answer as above.
- Looking back, what might you have done differently?
Same answer as above.
- What are the main weaknesses with what you did and why are they there?
Just state limitations of the study.
- What are the strongest/weakest parts of your work?
Your results are the strongest and your limitations are the weakest.
- What is the main contribution of your project?
Your significance of the study.
- What have been the significant contributions of your research?
Same answer as above
- In what ways does this research make a significant contribution to your particular field of study?
Same answer as above
- Summarise your key findings.
Just state your key results. Remember to state them statistically too.
- What’s original about your work?
Your data collection and analysis.
- Where is the novelty?
Same answer as above
- What are the contributions (to knowledge) of your project?
Significance of your study
- What is the implication of your work in your area?
The significance of your study
- How did your research-questions emerge?
From the problem statement
- Why are your research questions interesting or important?
They are the foundation of the research.
- How have you evaluated your work?
Just rate anyhow but should be above 80%
Questions Asked During Final Year Project Defense
There are many questions you should expect during your final year project defense, apart from the questions already listed in this article you will also be questioned specifically on your project.
You have to read and study your project back to back because you can be asked any question.
Study your literature review very well, also study your data analysis and results too.
Referencing is also important so you have to understand it well.
How To Answer Final Year Project Defense Questions
Most of the questions you will be asked during your project defense are technical questions to test if you actually did your project yourself.
So when asked any question, do not panic, think about it and give a suitable answer to the question.
Don't be afraid, fear and anxiety can even make you forget your name.