Engaging With Questions

The viva isn’t an interview, a quiz or trial by (verbal) combat!

The viva is a discussion. Examiners prepare, ask questions and make comments to facilitate a discussion. They need you to talk so that they can gather evidence to justify the decisions they’ll make about you, your thesis and your viva’s outcome.

So what does it mean to engage with their questions?

• You need to listen and be certain you understand. So take your time.
• If you’re not sure of what’s being said or asked then ask for clarification.
• To engage well you might need to check your thesis, make a note or stare off into space for a moment or two.
• Your viva is not a race and you don’t need to be in a rush.

Engaging with questions at the viva means treating each one like an opportunity. Every question is asked for a reason.

Every question, essentially, is asked to give you a chance to say something about your work, your thesis or yourself.