Guidelines on Oral Examination Presentation For PhD Students

PhD candidates in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine are required to give an open seminar where the Oral Examination Panel will assess their presentation and ability to answer questions from the audience. A suitable date for the Open seminar will be arranged by the Division of Graduate Studies (DGS).

Instructions to Candidates

The duration of the oral presentation should not exceed 45 minutes, either in-person or virtually.

For in-person presentations, the DGS administrator will arrange for a suitable venue which has the necessary AV equipment. Students will be expected to bring their own laptops for the presentation.

During the presentation, the candidate should not spend too much time on the literature review but highlight the:

• aims of research project
• development of new methodology used in the project (if applicable)
• original contribution made to the research area
• impact of scientific/clinical findings in the research area

The candidate is expected to answer questions raised by the audience.

• At the end of the open seminar, the candidate will meet privately with the Oral Examination Panel for discussion on any further questions that the Panel wishes to raise as well as any amendments to the written thesis.
• Candidate who performs unsatisfactorily would be required to re-take the oral examination.