Convinced
You might be. Certain, no doubts, no wavering. Or your examiner might be. 100%, thought about it, no alternatives. When someone is convinced, the best thing you can do is ask why. Once you know the why, you know what...
Daily viva help for PhDs
You might be. Certain, no doubts, no wavering. Or your examiner might be. 100%, thought about it, no alternatives. When someone is convinced, the best thing you can do is ask why. Once you know the why, you know what...
Both before and after you submit your thesis, one of the best things you can do to prepare for the viva is find opportunities to share your work. Telling others about what you’ve done helps you think about how you...
“Do publications mean my examiners are more likely to pass me?” Yes, but not for the reasons that I think are behind the question. Candidates asking this are really wondering, “Will my examiners add those papers into the balance of...
Your examiners are allowed to have a different opinion to you. They might favour a method, prefer an author or think that your results mean something other than your conclusion. They’re allowed to because they’re experienced: they view your work...
In your viva, remember: Every question you get is because of something you’ve done. All of your answers are because of something you’ve done too.
Two types of questions can seem challenging: unexpected questions and tricky, topic-related questions. You can’t prepare an answer for an unexpected question, but you can be prepared to answer. You can build confidence through a mock viva or by just...
You didn’t read that paper because there are lots of papers, and you can’t read them all. You didn’t run that experiment because you ran a hundred others and it didn’t seem like that one would make a difference. You...
In the viva, thesis defence doesn’t mean your work is being attacked. Think of it as support: you can support something without it being in danger. Think about how your words can support your research. Think about what you can...
They’re not always looking for answers. Viva questions aren’t unfair, but they might not always be asked with the expectation of a definitive answer. It could be they simply start a discussion. You might not know, your examiners might not...
It’s really tempting to have a couple of answers tucked away for the viva, ready for the obvious questions you’ll almost definitely be asked. But how do you know you’ll definitely be asked those questions? If you’re not, you’ll be...