Pick One

Imagine I had a new service, YourViva™, where I could offer you a viva with one of the following characteristics:

• Your viva will be short, under an hour.
• Your viva will be easy, no surprising questions.
• Your viva will result in no corrections.
• Your viva questions will only come from one of your examiners, your choice.

You can pick one but will have no guarantees on any of the other characteristics. You might get them, their opposites or anything else in-between.

What would you pick? Why does that matter to you?

YourViva™ doesn’t exist but if you picked a viva feature it would be for a reason. You may not have any influence over getting that for your viva but, given that it’s in your mind, what will you do as a result? If you have a worry or concern you can still do something.

For example:

• Viva length is totally out of your control. You’d be better preparing yourself to be at your viva for as long as it takes.
• You can’t control the questions you’re asked. Rather than hope for easy questions, prepare yourself by rehearsing with a mock viva.
• Some people get no corrections but not many. Consult your regulations to get a sense of what to expect for minor corrections.
• Your examiners will have a plan and work together. A little research can help you understand who you’re talking to, what they might ask and why.

Focus on what you can reasonably expect and what you can practically do for your viva. You can’t control all the details of your viva but you can ensure you show up ready to do well.