Or, a handy guide to the scope and scale of various viva preparation activities!
Small Tasks
- Downloading regulations for your institution.
- Putting a sticky note at the start of each chapter of your thesis.
- Bookmarking the staff pages of your examiners.
- Messaging a friend to go for coffee and talk.
- Raiding the stationery cupboard for annotation supplies.
Medium Tasks
- Preparing a plan for completing your viva prep.
- Reading half a chapter of your thesis.
- Working through with highlighter to mark out key references.
- Summarising five important ideas from your research.
- Reading regulations or stories of viva success.
Large Tasks
- Having a mock viva.
- Reviewing your thesis and reflecting on it.
- Giving a presentation to rehearse key thesis ideas.
- Writing a list of ten key papers in your bibliography.
- Building your confidence for the viva.
There’s lots you could do to get ready. You don’t need to do everything, but everything you do will help.
