Easy-To-Remember
Here’s a short, easy-to-remember, viva prep exercise for when you read a chapter of your thesis.
Take a sheet of paper and divide it into four equal parts. Reflect on each of the following four points and make notes on the paper:
- When you think about the chapter what is valuable to others?
- What was interesting to you? What sparked your fascination when you were doing it?
- Were any points in the chapter vague or unclear as you read them now? Reflect on what could help you to explain them to others.
- Finally, is there anything you would like to ask your examiners? The viva is a conversation so what would you ask?
I first thought of this idea over ten years ago and have been developing the concept ever since. I’ve written about it a few times before on the Viva Survivors blog (here are some other times). I like it because it’s an easy-to-remember exercise with an easy-to-remember acronym.
- Valuable to others;
- Interesting to you;
- Vague or unclear;
- Ask your examiners.
See, easy-to-remember! 🙂