Bad Viva Advice

Do none of these things.

1. Ask your examiners, “Did you get the cheque?”
2. Start with a joke: “Did you hear about the stupid examiners who missed the obvious plagiarism on page 25?”
3. Shake a Magic 8-Ball after each question.
4. Humblebrag.
5. Plead ignorance: “I don’t know how it got in there!” When asked what you mean say, “Nothing! Nothing!”
6. Preface every response with, “Well I’m no expert, but…”
7. Sigh a lot.
8. Ask if you can sit in-between your examiners. Before they answer, pick up a chair and say, “Come on, scooch.”
9. Red Bull. Lots of Red Bull.

Candidates sometimes worry that they might do the wrong thing in the viva. Common sense rules. You’re going to have a great conversation with experienced academics about your long-term research project. Your instincts won’t lead you astray.

Thankfully there’s not a lot of bad viva advice out there. Listen for the good stuff, run it past your gut feeling. You’ll get it right.