Speed Running Your Defense

Introduction

The academic defense category has lacked a verified route since the discipline began [1]. Existing strategies rely on preparation, which the community regards as both slow and unsporting. We propose an Any% Glitchless route through the defense.

Method

Optimal splits prioritise chapter skips and committee-member out-of-bounds clips, following the taxonomy of Examiner [2]. Route timing used standard leaderboard rules: timer starts on the first slide, stops on the word congratulations, and pausing for existential doubt is not penalised. Practice runs were conducted against a committee of cardboard cutouts, then against the real thing.

Results

The route has been verified end-to-end on two universities and one externally examined PhD. Current personal best stands at 47 minutes including questions, with the question segment accounting for 46 of them. Two skips were patched by graduate school regulation mid-season and are documented for historical interest.

Conclusion

Frame-perfect acknowledgement slides remain the major outstanding optimisation. Community route notes are published in the archive [1], and viewers are reminded that every defense is technically a tool-assisted run.