A List Of Lists

If you’ve five or ten minutes and are looking to do something to help your viva preparation, you can do a lot worse than make a list. Here are ten ideas:

• A short list of key contributions in your research.
• The top ten most useful papers in your bibliography.
• Five questions or topics you anticipate being asked about at your viva.
• Seven small tasks you can do to help your prep.
• Seven questions to ask your supervisor at your next meeting.
• A short list of everything you’ll take with you to your viva.
• Five little things you could do to steady your nerves.
• A list of anything you don’t know about the viva that you need to find out.
• A list of your proudest moments from your PhD journey.
• Five things that show you are a capable researcher.

Lists can be summaries, boosters, reminders and more. Don’t underestimate the power of a good list to focus your attention on your preparation and how close you are to being done.

PS: looking for more viva prep ideas? Take a look at my Viva Survivor session! Registration is open now for my March 27th 2025 webinar and includes a catch-up recording if you can’t attend live.