Nathan

The Spotlight

Daily Post

What do you think your examiners will most want to talk about in your viva? What do you think needs to be in the spotlight? What topics would you most want to talk about and why?

And more importantly, how comfortable do you feel talking about your work?

Reflecting on how you say things might help – word choices, key points and so on – but the real help comes from rehearsal. You need to find situations where you can practise. A mock viva will probably help but you could also try giving a seminar, going for coffee with friends or even just asking someone to listen.

Whatever you do you need to be comfortable and confident enough to discuss your work and your experience. To be ready for your viva you need to put both your work and yourself in the spotlight.

Nathan

Usually

Daily Post

It’s hard for me to offer guidance on questions that are usually asked at the viva.

You could search for “PhD viva questions UK” and explore the results. Adding your general research area as part of the search term might produce something more specific.

But every viva is unique and questions are always tailored by examiners to the research, the thesis and the candidate. Examiners need to explore the significant original contribution, unpick the research process and examine the capability of the candidate.

Consequently, it’s hard for someone like me without subject knowledge to suggest questions for someone – but if that candidate reflects on their research and the areas that drive examiners they will be able to identify topics to help their preparation.

There are no questions that are usually asked. There are areas that have to be explored in discussion.

Consider those areas, reflect on your research and see where that thinking leads you in your preparation.

Nathan

Questions For Everyone

Daily Post

A question for your supervisor: how does your thesis meet the expectations of your discipline?

A question for your graduate school: in their experience, are there any common difficult points in the viva process for candidates?

A question for friends who have PhDs: what surprised you about your viva?

A possible question for your examiners at your viva: what did you think?

A question for you: what do you need to feel ready for your viva?

 

PS, one more question: what else do you need to know about the viva? Come and ask me all your questions at my Viva Survivor webinar on March 27th 2025. Registration is open now if you’re looking to find out more about the viva, viva prep, expectations and building confidence.

Nathan

Just Yesterday

Daily Post

My life has moved on a lot since my PhD – but there are aspects of the first week of being a PGR that I remember as clearly with a pin sharp image and in 3D Surround Sound audio.

I remember what it felt like to walk in to my office for the first time. How it felt to get going again after a year’s gap from my Masters. Looking at half-remembered notes of a topic and rebuilding those ideas. The early conversations and confusion, “So what do I do?”

 

I can remember all of that well. With years of hindsight I see the difference between Nathan-in-October-2004 and Nathan-in-June-2008. The latter knew a lot more than the former! He had done a lot, but he didn’t think about it that way. He had results but he didn’t value them as much as he could have.

Both of those Nathans were quite different, except that both still continued to not feel confident.

 

At times the first day of my PhD and the first minutes of my viva seem like they were just yesterday. And sometimes they feel like a million years ago or that they happened to someone else.

I would encourage you to look back a little as you come to the end of your PhD journey. Hopefully you’ll look kindly on the former-you; at the very least realise that you have come a long way, growing in knowledge, understanding and skill.

And hopefully you’ll realise that that growth and achievement is a good foundation for feeling confident at your viva.

Nathan

Deleted

Daily Post

Or left out. Or removed. Edited. Excised. Not pursued after a certain point.

The many thousands of hours of work that lead to your thesis also produced things that did not make it into your thesis.

Your viva prep needs to focus on the research that’s in your thesis. You need to review the ideas, results and conclusions that matter but perhaps spare thirty minutes for the deleted.

Reflect and pick something that you left out and consider:

  • Why was it deleted?
  • How did you arrive at the decision?
  • What difference, if any, would it make to include it in your thesis?

You’ve not made a mistake by leaving something out; remind yourself of why your thesis has what it has – and why it doesn’t have what you have deleted. Review the case for presenting things exactly the way you have.

Nathan

Outside The Box

Daily Post

PhD researchers have to be creative in some way: a candidate is expected to produce a significant and original contribution through their work.

What makes your work original? In what ways were you creative throughout your PhD? How did you look at things differently? How did you find solutions to problems?

What did you do that no-one has ever done before?

And having stepped out of one box through your work, what does the new box look like?

(and how might you or someone else go further?)

Nathan

Guarding Your Research

Daily Post

It’s an easy enough mistake to hear “thesis defence” and believe that you have to guard your work.

Defence brings up ideas of protection, or courtrooms, of shielding and more.

An examiner might have a pointed question or comment, but you generally don’t need to worry about them piercing the armour of words and ideas you have fashioned during your PhD.

Defending your thesis means supporting your work. Defending your thesis means providing clarity. Defending your thesis means saying more after you’ve done a lot.

You don’t need to guard your research from your examiners. You do need to be ready to show exactly what it all means at your viva.

Nathan

Six Questions About Contributions

Daily Post

Examiners need to explore your significant original contributions to research at your viva.

In preparation for your viva it’s worth reviewing your contributions to think about how you would share them. There’s no right answer or script to use: the words you find in the moment will be enough. In preparation though, reflect on any contribution with the following questions to give you something to consider and speak about:

  • Why did you explore the contribution area?
  • How did you do that?
  • What did you find as a result?
  • When did you do this work?
  • Where did you do this work?
  • Who, if anyone, helped you?

The first three questions, Why-How-What, help to explore what makes the contribution valuable. The second three questions, When-Where-Who, reveal more of the context for the work.

Start with Why-How-What. Dig deeper with When-Where-Who.

No scripts. Just thoughts and ideas to draw from at the viva.

Nathan

The Seven Steps

Daily Post

I like details. I like tips. I like solutions.

I also like the big picture, like these seven steps to being ready for your viva:

  1. Submit your thesis.
  2. Sketch out a viva prep plan.
  3. Check the regulations and make sure you follow them.
  4. Ask for help when you need it.
  5. Do the prep work needed to be ready.
  6. Find opportunities to rehearse being in the viva.
  7. Reflect on the knowledge, capability and progress that has got you this far.

This is the big picture – and there over 2800 more posts on the Viva Survivors blog that dig deeper!

 

PS: I’ll be sharing a lot of advice and ideas at my Viva Survivor session on March 27th 2025. Registration is open now for my webinar and includes a catch-up recording if you can’t attend live.

Nathan

Viva Survivor, Thursday 27th March 2025

Event, Update

Every day I share at least one helpful thought through the Viva Survivors blog. There’s a lot in the archives but it could take a long time to put together a full picture of what to expect and what to do by reading the last 2800 posts.

If you want a good idea of what to expect, what to do, how to get ready and how to build confidence then take a look at my upcoming Viva Survivor session on Thursday 27th March 2025. For three hours I’ll be sharing what vivas are really like, what effective viva preparation can look like and how someone can engage well with their examiners.

For three hours on Zoom you’ll get direct help from me through a live session that I have shared and developed with thousands of PhD candidates over the last fifteen years. I have a full plan, plenty of time to take questions from attendees, great follow-up resources and a catch-up recording in case anyone can’t stay for the whole time.

I love doing this session (I’ve delivered it almost 400 times!) and I hope that you’ll take a look at the registration page if you are looking for viva help. If you have any questions please get in touch – and do please pass on information of the session to anyone who might be looking for viva help.

One last time: Viva Survivor session on Thursday 27th March 2025!

Thanks for reading 🙂

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