Set Prep Goals
It’s not enough to plan your viva prep and write read my thesis: you have to spell out what you’re trying to achieve by doing that. Don’t just pencil in a date for your mock viva: what do you want...
Daily viva help for PhDs
It’s not enough to plan your viva prep and write read my thesis: you have to spell out what you’re trying to achieve by doing that. Don’t just pencil in a date for your mock viva: what do you want...
If you can’t have a mock viva or don’t want one, there will be another way for you to rehearse talking about your research. Give a seminar, go for coffee with a friend or just chat with people about what...
What would you change about your viva prep if you could go back and do it over? I was asked this at a recent webinar. I knew immediately what I would change: I would have a mock viva. I definitely...
A mock viva or mini-viva is like a prototype for the real thing you’ll experience. Does it have all of the questions you’ll be asked at your viva? No, but it has enough to get a sense of what to...
Certain kinds of feedback can be useful as you prepare for your viva. By that stage you can’t make any changes to your thesis. Feedback has to be carefully targeted to things you can change. If you have a mock...
Rehearsal for the viva is essential because it simulates some of the aspects of being there. If you’re nervous about how you will respond, what will come up or what it will feel like to be there then you can’t...
A key part of viva prep is using opportunities to rehearse for the viva. You have to read your thesis to prepare, make notes, check references you might have forgotten, and so on – but in the viva you need...
We don’t own a toaster. The rest of our family think we’re really weird. They can’t wrap their heads around why we choose not to have a toaster and prefer to use our grill. We still toast things! We just...
You don’t need a mock viva. You need practice for the viva, a rehearsal space to think and respond like you might do in the viva. You don’t need a mock viva, it’s just one of the ways that you...
Do have a mock viva because they’re generally seen as a useful part of viva preparations, but… …don’t have a mock viva if you want to go through a script. …don’t have a mock viva if you’re not prepared. …don’t...