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Author: Nathan

Nathan

What’s Stopping You?

Daily Post

Is there anything in the way of you finding out more about the viva process?

Is there anything stopping you from being prepared for meeting your examiners?

Is there anything in the way of you feeling confident?

 

These aren’t strictly rhetorical questions: anyone might have practical or emotional barriers to any of the above. You could have a supervisory relationship that makes you feel like you can’t ask questions. You might have personal circumstances that make your time pressured. Or you could face challenges from a disability that impact how you can get things done.

All of these are real obstacles. And all of them have to be acknowledged or overcome in some way.

If there’s a barrier and you need to know more or do more then you need to figure out a way. You could ask for help from someone, take time to consider how to get something done or in some cases ask for specialised support from your institution.

If something is stopping you from making progress with your viva readiness then you need to figure out a way to stop it. It might not be fair that it’s happening to you but it might still be up to you to take the first step to making it better.

Nathan

Little Actions

Daily Post

Find little actions or reminders to help steer your confidence for the viva.

  • A piece of music that calms you.
  • A checklist or cheatsheet that confirms you’ve done what you need to.
  • A plan of action for your viva day.
  • An outfit choice that reassures you.

What else could you do? Find small steps to help build up your certainty that you are ready for your viva.

Nathan

Contribution Is Cumulative

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Or, in simpler words, the value of your work builds over time.

It’s unlikely that there was one particular day of your PhD that you did one particular thing that made the only valuable contribution in your work. Even if your contribution is a big maths theorem or is highlighted by a paragraph that neatly explains the other 70,000 words in your thesis these things don’t just appear. They don’t standalone.

Your contribution is pieced together from all kinds of work over years of effort. As you prepare for your viva take a little time to reflect. How did all of this come together? How did your early results develop? And how did the work change you?

Contribution is cumulative – and so is your capability.

Nathan

You Can’t Lose

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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.

Nathan

Remaking My Viva

Daily Post

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?

  • I could have asked about what I didn’t know instead of just seeing unknowns. I could have worked to find out more about what to expect.
  • I could have realised that the one person I knew of who had failed didn’t have to define my concerns. I knew over a dozen people who had passed.
  • I was a nervous presenter and felt similar nerves for my viva. I could have worked on building up my confidence or found ways to cope better.

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?

Nathan

Scale & Perspective

Daily Post

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.

Nathan

Responses At The Viva

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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.

Nathan

The Regulation Checklist

Daily Post

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:

  • What forms need to be completed and when do they need to be done?
  • What is the process for submitting forms and your thesis?
  • When do you have to advise the university of any special circumstances for your viva?
  • If you want to have a video viva how do you make that happen?
  • Will you have an independent chairperson?
  • What are the key dates and milestones you should expect?
  • How far in advance of your viva are you likely to know the date and logistics?
  • What do the regulations say about the on-the-day process of the viva?
  • What are the different outcomes for vivas at your institution?
  • How much time is given for the completion of minor corrections?

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.

Nathan

Your Reasons

Daily Post

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.

Nathan

Find Useful Numbers

Daily Post

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!

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