“No Corrections”

“No corrections” is a possible outcome for candidates at their viva. Not for many: it seems to be the case for around 10% of UK PhDs. You can hope you get this outcome, but that’s about it.

“No corrections” is like finding a coin on the path as you walk down the street. You had to go that way anyway and this is a nice extra thing you weren’t expecting.

“No corrections” doesn’t mean that a thesis is perfect.

“No corrections” doesn’t mean that someone’s PhD is better than someone else. It’s just one of the outcomes.

“No corrections” does mean that a candidate will have less work to do after the viva than someone asked to complete minor corrections.

And as it’s much more likely to be asked to complete corrections after the viva it’s worth planning ahead: check your diary, think about your other commitments in that period and explore how you would get the hypothetical-but-likely work done.