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From who will read your thesis honestly before you submit it, to the defence: what examiners check, and how to check it yourself first.

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Get your thesis reviewed before your examiner does

Your supervisor usually reads the whole thesis only after you submit it, and by then every weakness counts against your grade. Before that, you have a few ways to get an honest second pair of eyes. Here is what each of them actually checks, and what it does not.
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Thesis grading criteria: what your examiner looks for

Every institution has its own grading rubric, and your guidelines always take precedence. In substance, though, the rubrics mostly ask about the same five things. Check your thesis against them yourself before someone else does.
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Check your citation style and bibliography

Citation mistakes look like carelessness to an examiner, and a source that does not exist can cost far more than points. The good news: most mistakes are mechanical and can be found before you submit.
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Prepare your thesis defence: the questions that come

Defence, oral exam or colloquium: in the end you sit in front of examiners who have read your thesis and know exactly where it is thin. Format and length are set by your examination regulations. The questions about the thesis itself, though, are surprisingly predictable.
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