When Are You Ready?
You can’t be ready for your viva until you’ve at least submitted your thesis. You need to have spent some time doing various viva prep tasks. To be ready you have to feel some amount of confidence for the viva....
Daily viva help for PhDs
You can’t be ready for your viva until you’ve at least submitted your thesis. You need to have spent some time doing various viva prep tasks. To be ready you have to feel some amount of confidence for the viva....
A key step of viva preparation is investing a little time to practise. A mock viva could be a great rehearsal for the real thing, but it’s not the only option. Simply talk. Sit down over coffee, over video if...
I can’t imagine what someone could say in the viva, without going to flippant extremes, that would be so wrong as to lead to a terrible outcome. Wrong couldn’t be saying too little or too much; your examiners will help...
Don’t keep your viva worry bottled up in your brain where you can merely be anxious about it. Write it down. Tell a friend. Talk to your supervisor. Your worry could be unfounded. Talking to someone who has had their...
Everyone writes them. Too-long sentences or a missing conclusion. Half-finished thoughts or poorly-punctuated points. Despite your best efforts, you might not find clumsy paragraphs in your thesis until after submission. Don’t stress too much, there’s a chance to get it...
After many years of working in this area I still think survive is the best verb to associate with the viva. Manage to keep going in difficult circumstances. Survive doesn’t mean it’s going to be a struggle, but it doesn’t...
Find out when and how you’ll have your viva. Check the regulations. Google your examiners and bookmark their staff pages. Note down key expectations your supervisors share. Be sure of the viva process at your institution. The formalities matter. They’re...
In the end, getting ready for the viva comes down to you figuring out your way to make it work. There’s a lot of viva advice, both general and practical. This site alone contains over 24 hours of podcast interviews...
It’s likely you’re going to see the first page of your thesis a lot when you open your thesis. All through your prep and in the viva too you’re going to see “Chapter 1” or “Introduction” again and again. Maybe...
When a candidate hears “defend your thesis” it’s easy for them to think of the viva as a battle, a struggle or a debate. Perhaps a better way to describe the viva is that it’s a chance to support your...