Alone
You are the only person in your viva who can speak for you and your work. The questions and comments from your examiners, the discussion that follows, all of it is is centred on getting you to engage and talk....
viva process
Pause To…
…think in the viva. …reflect on what you’re about to say to your examiners. …decide how you will get ready when you’ve submitted your thesis. …compose a response to a difficult question in practice or in your viva. …realise that...
Impatience & The Viva
It’s not wrong to want your viva to be done. That’s a natural response to the challenge and the situation. But don’t try to rush your viva so it’s over as soon as possible. Don’t try to get every thought...
Always Something
No matter how much work you put into your research and thesis, or how much time you spend on viva prep, there’s always something that your examiners could say or ask that you haven’t anticipated. And no matter what they...
Slow Is Fast
I forget where I first heard that “slow is fast and fast is slow” – the point being that taking one’s time to do something helps it to get done more quickly than charging ahead and risking problems. This idea...
The Questions You Expect
A question that’s expected can be prepared for. A question you expect can still be difficult to respond to. If you expect a question you might not be asked it after all. And if you prepare you may still find...
When You Don’t Know
What would you do if you went blank or froze or could only think “I don’t know”? It’s a situation you wouldn’t want; it could even be stressful. It’s reasonable to think about it before the viva but unhelpful to...
The Chair
It’s not good or bad to have an independent chair at your viva. Independent chairs are not examiners. They’re often a senior member of staff from your institution who is mostly acting as an observer. In your experience of the...
It Doesn’t Matter
Lots of things matter about the viva and how you succeed at it, but lots of thing really don’t. It doesn’t matter if you have typos in your thesis, not really. Do your best to proofread and eliminate them, but...
Comments & Corrections
A comment from one of your examiners does not automatically become a correction that you have to make to your thesis. A correction you receive is not always something that needs to be commented on in the viva. A comment doesn’t...