What You Expect
Every PhD candidate has expectations for their viva. Some expect it to be long. Some believe it will be difficult. Some expect that examiners will be harsh. Other will expect that it’s all a formality. And some don’t know what...
viva experiences
The Whispers
There are lots of whispers, rumours and half-truths about the viva. …I know someone whose viva was almost a whole day… …I’ve heard the internal barely says anything… …why do we have to have them, what’s the point, most people pass anyway… …don’t get corrections,...
“It Just Was”
Why was your viva so long? I’ve been asked many times before about why my viva was four hours long, but the question surprised me at a recent webinar. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it had been some time since...
Hole In One
You might have a viva that’s finished in an hour or less, but it’s not very likely. You can hope, but that’s about all you can do. Instead of hoping you get some rare occurrence, why not focus your energy...
Patchwork
Every viva is different because every thesis and candidate are unique. Your thesis and experiences will to some extent ensure that your viva is different from every other viva before or after yours. Every viva follows patterns because of university...
Snapshots
Remember that if you ask someone about their viva you are going to get a picture of what happened, and not the event itself. Not all of the details will be clear and perhaps some of the things you really...
Average Viva Lengths
I once took survey responses from over 300 PhD graduates about their viva experiences. There was a lot of data and a lot of clusters within the data. Without being careful it would have been easy to share wrong ideas...
Morning or Afternoon
A morning viva starts sooner, but an afternoon viva might finish more quickly. An afternoon viva could be more nervous for a candidate because they have more hours to think before it starts. But are there distinct advantages or disadvantages...
Viva Varieties
When you hear lots of different stories about the viva it’s natural to group them together. Short vivas. Long vivas. Tough vivas. Easy vivas. A presentation to start or an opening question to get things going. Lots of questions. Hardly...
Ask For A Break
The viva is not a test of endurance, a space where you have to simply work through everything until it is done. You can take a break. You could be offered a break after an hour or two. You could...