Daily viva help for PhDs
The viva isn’t a game. The viva isn’t a quiz.
You’re not scoring points. You’re not competing.
You’re presenting your work. You’re responding to questions.
You’re sharing what you did and demonstrating what you can do.
Do the work, prepare and go to show what you know and what you can do.
The viva is a demonstration and confirmation.
Oh no he’s done it again! It’s another video game related post about the viva!
Which is apt because I’ve been thinking about remakes and remasters of video games. This is the practice of taking an older game that people liked and saying, “We can make this look more fancy and play more modern. We can smooth out the rough edges we couldn’t do anything about in the past.”
It’s also typically a way to make money by tapping into nostalgia and fan curiosity!
I had my viva in 2008. I’ve been thinking about what I would change or do differently if I could go back. How would I remake my viva and tweak my experience?
Video game remakes often involve upgrading graphics and appearances. I would definitely change the venue for my viva! There were three of us in a long seminar room with rows of tables and filing cabinets at the back of the room. The room was the dumping ground for the spares and castoffs of my department. It wasn’t the nicest venue for a meeting at any time.
A change of venue would be an upgrade. Spending more time rehearsing would be an upgrade. Knowing more about what to expect would be an upgrade.
But maybe all of the stuff I do wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t had that experience and been thinking about it so much afterwards? Who knows?
But never mind my viva, here’s the real point: you can upgrade your viva today.
You don’t need to wait for hindsight. You won’t have a second opportunity to make this the best experience for yourself.
Take a little thought to think about what you need to know and what you need to do. How can you make your viva a great experience? What steps can you take? What actions will steer things closer to how you need them to be?
The viva is one day out of more than a thousand.
Viva prep is important – but takes perhaps 0.5% of the time and work of the rest of your PhD.
The longest possible viva is shorter than the longest work day of your PhD journey so far.
The number of words you’ll speak in your viva will be a fraction of the words you’ve written in your thesis – which is a fraction again of all of the words you’ve written for your PhD.
The viva matters and you have to pass but it helps to put it into perspective compared to the amount and importance of the work you’ve done before.
You don’t need perfect answers at your viva. You don’t need perfect responses.
You need to be prepared to respond well to your examiners but that doesn’t mean that you need to have “prepared responses”. Your examiners want to have a good conversation with you about your work, the process that lead to it and your capability as a researcher.
They don’t want you to read from a script and they don’t expect that you will have practised every possible permutation of question that they might ask.
Read your thesis. Write some summaries. Rehearse a bit.
You don’t need to be perfect. You need to be prepared.
As you approach submission it’s helpful to make sure you have consulted the thesis examination regulations for your university. Don’t simply rely on word of mouth as regulations are updated from time to time. Make sure you check:
If you can find an answer to every one of these questions then you’ll know what you need to know from the regulations to help you have a good viva.
There’s a reason you did your PhD.
There’s a reason you used the methods you used.
There are reasons why you think what you think.
There is a reason for the typo at the bottom of page 72.
There are reasons for the work you did and didn’t do.
There are many reasons why you’ll succeed at your viva.
When you can reflect and understand enough of the whys and reasons of your PhD journey then you’re probably ready to share them with your examiners – and ready to succeed.
In the last few months I passed two milestones in my work helping people get ready for their viva. Through delivering my Viva Survivor and 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva sessions I passed the 500 session mark – and a little after that I went past the 10,000 participant mark.
Not bad for a quiet and shy mathematician who used to dread presenting, eh?
The numbers don’t tell the full story though. They don’t mention the development, thinking, writing, preparation, admin and behind-the-scenes work that goes into making something – but they are a reminder and a reinforcement for me and my confidence.
If I wake up tired or if something isn’t write when I deliver a session I am reminded that I have done this before and have experience to draw from. I’m not perfect but I am ready. If I’m asked a question that is particularly tricky I can take a deep breath and do my best and feel confident in that.
My numbers are reminders for me: what numbers do you have?
The number of days you showed up?
The number of papers you’ve read?
The number of words you’ve written?
The number of challenges you overcame?
There’s a big story behind all of your success. Find useful numbers that remind you of your story and your progress.
Find numbers that remind you of the work you’ve done and what that means.
PS: Registration closes at 5pm today for my Viva Survivor webinar! I’m delivering this session tomorrow, Wednesday 3rd December 2025. As I said above, I’ve shared this session a lot – more than 400 times – and it is my comprehensive live session on getting ready for the viva. Check the link for full details of what to expect and if you’re thinking of signing up you have to do it soon!
I’ve always thought it funny that advent calendars are counting down the days to Christmas but the numbers on the doors increase. Counting down or counting up?
It makes me think of the viva (as lots of things do!) and the different ways that people approach getting ready:
Every day between now and your viva, however long you have, means one more day of doing the work.
It doesn’t matter how you record it. It’s one more day with more opportunities to get better and become more prepared.
PS: One opportunity for getting ready for your viva is my Viva Survivor webinar this Wednesday 3rd December 2025. I’ve shared this session more than 400 times and it is my comprehensive live session on getting ready for the viva. Registration closes tomorrow afternoon so check the link now for full details of what to expect from the webinar!