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Year: 2024

Nathan

Quizzical

Daily Post

Some PhD candidates think of the viva as a TV quiz show. How do I know this? Because many, many candidates over the last decade have asked me questions like:

  • How many questions can I get wrong?
  • How can I score highly?
  • Can I pass on questions I don’t know?
  • How big is the thirty-second timer in the room?!

…OK, maybe they haven’t asked that last question! 🙂

But the questions people do ask give a window into how they think of something.

Thinking of the viva as being like a game show, even in some small ways, is not helpful. The viva is not a quiz show. Questions are not only true or false, they’re not multiple choice or needing to remember a fact.

The viva, first and foremost, is a discussion. That’s how you respond. That’s how you engage with your examiners.

Knowing things and being able to share information helps, but be ready for a conversation and not a quiz at your viva.

Nathan

Don’t Chase Perfection

Daily Post

Perfect answers don’t exist in the viva. With preparation and rehearsal you can give good responses.

A perfect thesis is an ideal: if you’re very fortunate then perhaps you’ll pass your viva with no corrections required. It’s something you can only hope for though.

Vivas have ranges of expectations and patterns of experience. You might have an idea of your perfect viva. You can’t really steer your viva towards the 90-minute, no-corrections, easy-conversation that you might have in mind.

Perfects and ideals are nice, but you’ll over-commit your time, energy and focus if you chase them.

Instead, just do the work you can. Do your best research, write the best thesis you can, prepare with the time you have – while resting and looking after yourself and your other responsibilities – and then show up on the day of your viva determined to engage with your examiners.

Your best is better than chasing PhD perfection.

Nathan

The Meaning

Daily Post

A simple and effective way to tackle a tricky question in the viva is to look for the meaning behind it.

  • If your examiner challenges a method, look for why they might be doing that.
  • If you go blank or think “I don’t know” then ask yourself why.
  • If you can’t see what your examiners are getting at then ask them why.

Searching for the meaning behind a difficult question or comment is far better than trying to stumble your way to a few words. It’s far better than sitting in silence and hoping that something clicks.

Ask yourself why or ask your examiners why, and watch as information and ideas start to move.

Nathan

Write It All Down

Daily Post

Before you begin your viva prep, write down everything you can think of that you need to do. This is before you make a plan. Get down thoughts of any little or big thing. After a few days of letting those ideas breathe you can start to make sense of how and when you’ll get things done.

As you do your viva prep, record what you do. Make a record of your actions, the tasks you complete and the outputs you create. This will help you to see that you are moving forwards to your viva with purpose. You’re not simply passing the time: you’re investing time in helping you pass.

After your viva is done, take twenty minutes to capture your thoughts about what the viva was like. What did you do to get ready? What made a difference? Keep a hold of these as you may have an opportunity to share helpful thoughts with a future candidate who needs a little advice.

There’s a lot to do to get ready for the viva. Take time to write and think, both to help you plan, to keep you on track and to help others in the future.

Nathan

What They Want

Daily Post

Your examiners want to read a good thesis with interesting research.

They want to follow the viva regulations for your institution and meet the expectations of your field or disciplines.

They want to engage with a capable, knowledgeable candidate.

They want the hours of the viva to be an appropriate challenge for you.

They want to see you rise to that challenge.

So what will you do to give them what they want?

Nathan

Alright

Daily Post

Most vivas result in success, the majority result in minor corrections and a fair percentage are only one to two hours long. Questions are challenging but fair for the person who has to respond to them. However:

  • There are also long vivas.
  • There are tricky questions.
  • Some people do get major corrections.
  • And some candidates don’t enjoy the viva process.

What percentages of candidates have these experiences? Which candidates are more likely to have them? I don’t know. It would be almost impossible to say. But I do think if we try to summarise vivas with single attributes we can run into trouble. For example:

  • A long viva could be filled with interesting discussion. Tiring but satisfying.
  • Tricky questions can be fun to talk about or be only one out of hours of talking.
  • Major corrections will take work but will certainly make a thesis better.
  • Not enjoying the process could be for many reasons and would still most likely lead to passing.

I don’t think you can expect your viva to be the most amazing event of your life. I don’t think you can expect that it will be awful either. There’s a range of overlapping patterns of expectations that can guide you to getting ready.

Your viva will probably be neither “good” nor “bad”. Expect that it will be alright and expect that you will be fine.

Nathan

Talking Comfortably

Daily Post

I think a huge part of viva confidence for a candidate is based on feeling comfortable when talking about their research.

Examiners need to ask the candidate questions, they need to share opinions and they need the candidate to respond so that they can have a discussion and examine. Candidates have to do their part and want to do their part, but too often worry that they won’t be able to in the moment.

  • “What if I forget something?”
  • “What if there’s a long pause?”
  • “What if I don’t know something?”
  • “What if it’s a bit awkward or I’m hesitant?”

The short answer for all of these questions and worries is that the viva will still happen. It’ll continue however you feel, but will feel better for you if you’re able to talk with some confidence about your research and all the related things your examiners want to discuss.

How do you get to talk comfortably? You prepare. You read your thesis and think and make notes. More important than anything you take time to rehearse for being in the viva through opportunities like a mock viva.

You can’t be ready with pre-loaded responses to every conceivable question or comment.

You can be ready to engage with whatever question your examiners ask by taking time before the viva to rehearse.

Have a mock viva. Talk with friends. Talk with your supervisor. Make opportunities to be in situations where you’ll talk about your work and respond to questions. Make sure you have real experience before the viva so that you feel more comfortable talking about your PhD research.

Nathan

Chapter Headlines

Daily Post

The chapters in your thesis might have titles, but what are the headlines?

How could you summarise what they’re all about in a few short sentences? What details or terms do you need to emphasise? What points must you get across?

A short headline or two for each chapter could be a neat and simple way to add a few useful annotations to your thesis. What would you add?

Nathan

Address Your Concerns

Daily Post

If you have any worries or concerns about your viva then take steps to address them.

It sounds like really obvious advice, right?

But I talk to hundreds and hundreds of PhD candidates every year who are worried about their viva. They aren’t sure what to expect. They worry about technical aspects of their research. Some are afraid of meeting their examiners.

And for some reason they keep hold of those worries rather than take actions to work past them.

I love helping people, but for their own sake, I do wish for candidates to realise that they can find help or release worry sooner. Ask your supervisor. Check the regulations. Do something rather than hold on to worry.

If you have a worry about your viva, don’t let it fester. Don’t let it become something bigger than it needs to be. If you need to know something or you aren’t sure then take steps.

By all means ask for advice – ask me! – but take steps rather than just worry.

Nathan

The Best Bits

Daily Post

What are the best bits of your thesis?

What are your favourite memories of doing research?

What stands out when you think about how you’ve developed as a postgraduate researcher?

It’s important to spend time to reflect on difficult things and hard topics – but equally important to be certain about the good in your work and in your growth as a researcher.

Focus on the best bits first.

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