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Author: Nathan

Nathan

Imagine Success

Daily Post

Success at your viva means satisfying your examiners and doing what you need to in the discussion. Maybe success still leads to corrections but it certainly leads to passing, the opportunity to graduate, celebration and being Doctor Somebody.

  • What would it take for you to succeed at your viva?
  • What might you have to do between now and then?
  • Who do you need help from?
  • What might you need to explore or check?
  • How might you have to change?

There might be time and work ahead of you before you reach that success. Remember though that that viva success does not solely rest on the actions ahead of you.

In fact if you’ve submitted your thesis or are working towards submitting soon then your future actions are only a small part of your success. Remember everything else you’ve done to get to this point.

 

PS: Looking for more helpful reflections and viva confidence-building? Then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection – twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.

PPS: If you’re looking for even more help then check out the dates of my upcoming 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva live webinars in June and July. Booking for all of these opens on Tuesday and I’ll be sending an extra announcement then – but you can activate reminders on Eventbrite so you’re told as soon as registration opens!

Thanks for reading 🙂

Nathan

That One Question

Daily Post

It’s my belief that every candidate has one question that they know they don’t want to be asked.

  • “Why did you use the method you outlined in Chapter 4?”
  • “How would you summarise the limitations of the data you collected?
  • “How else could you approach the project you detail in Chapter 5?”

There may be other things candidates generally don’t want at the viva – unexpected questions they’ve never considered or going blank – but fairly high up the list is that one question that they are dreading being asked.

It’s entirely rational to not want the question. There’s no guarantee that someone will get the question they dread. As it’s probably going to be a distraction either way, if you know that one question you don’t want then it makes sense to find a way to prepare for it.

Unpack and unpick what it means. Make notes. Talk it over with someone. Find some helpful points that you could draw on if you are asked the question at your viva.

Give far more time to general preparations and rehearsal though: there’s a lot more to your viva than that one question you hope you’re not asked.

Nathan

Try Something

Daily Post

Viva prep shouldn’t be a terrible, all-consuming task. It shouldn’t require great changes to how you do things.

It might require that you try something different though.

You might need to try a different approach to your planning to make sure you have time to get things done. You might need to try annotation-making or summary-creating to help you focus differently. Or you might need to try something as you rehearse to give you a good process for responding to questions at the viva.

If you need to try something different during viva prep then there is time to do it. Don’t wait until your viva.

Nathan

Confidence Beats Comfort

Daily Post

There is something to be said for getting comfortable with the viva. You can find out what to expect, learn what happens and rehearse to feel alright being there.

Finding confidence for the viva helps even more. When you really reflect on what you did to get to this point you can appreciate that the challenge of the viva is well within your capability.

Knowing that 99.9% of people succeed at the viva might give you some comfort.

Knowing what you did to get this far will give you confidence.

Comfort will only take you so far – and confidence will help raise how comfortable you feel.

 

PS: There’s more ideas about building viva confidence and a lot more in The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection – see last week’s news about the contents here!

Nathan

Opportunities At The Viva

Daily Post

In my experience PhD candidates worry a lot about general questions, specific questions, attitudes and the atmosphere of the viva:

  • What if my examiners don’t agree?
  • What if they disagree with me?
  • What if I forget something?
  • What if something goes wrong?

With even a little thought and exploration there are many small and helpful steps that any candidate can take to overcome viva-related obstacles – but I wonder sometimes if a simple change of focus could help more with a lot of problems.

What if, instead of looking at the obstacles that might occur, we looked first at the many opportunities that can be found at the viva?

  • You have the opportunity to share your work.
  • You have the opportunity to show that you’re a capable researcher.
  • You have the opportunity to ask for expert opinions.
  • You have the opportunity to have a thorough and interesting conversation.

And you have the opportunity to succeed!

 

PS: Want some ideas on how to make the most of all of these opportunities? Then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection – twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.

Nathan

Times Change

Daily Post

Check the thesis examination regulations for your institution before you submit your thesis.

It’s not that long ago that video vivas would have been exceptionally rare. Who knows what else could have changed in the regulations for your institution?

Perhaps the process for submitting your thesis? It’s probably worth checking that. Also check the expected timescale for your submission period, the time and process for completing corrections and a dozen other things.

Don’t rely on the experience of your supervisor or your friend: regulations change or are updated every few years. Make sure that you’re doing what needs to be done in the way that’s expected.

 

PS: What do you do when you’ve got the regulations all checked and sorted in your mind? If you’re looking for more pre-viva support then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection – twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.

Nathan

Different

Daily Post

There are regulations that cover every viva at your university: strong ideas of what needs to happen at a viva.

There are viva expectations that filter out into common understanding: patterns, trends and descriptions that guide future candidates (and examiners) in their anticipation and preparation.

There are viva norms for your department or discipline: common ideas of practice for the viva and for what you need to have as a candidate, both on the day and in your past experience.

All of these aspects combine with you and your thesis to create a different viva every single time – and still you might expect your viva to be even more different from other vivas because of your personal circumstances, your specific thesis, your personal needs and more.

 

Get a sense of what might happen from regulations, expectations and norms. Get a sense of what you, your work and your situation might do to make changes from past experiences. Get a sense of what you might need to do or ask for to be ready.

A different viva doesn’t mean a difficult viva or anything worse.

 

PS: checking regulations is a good use of your time when you get to submission. There’s a lot you can do then to get ready and work towards viva prep. If you’re looking for more pre-viva support then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection, out this week, and featuring twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.

Nathan

“No”

Daily Post

It might be the start of your response to a particular question at the viva.

It’s unlikely to be the only thing you can say or the only thing you need to say in response to that question.

 

(see also: “I don’t know”, “My supervisor told me to” and “I’ve not thought about that before”)

Nathan

Their Problem

Daily Post

If your examiners have an issue with something in your thesis then their problem is your problem.

Kind of.

Maybe.

First, it helps to ask, “What is the problem?”

Or even, “Is it a problem?”

Another person’s opinion doesn’t mean there is automatically a problem. It could just be a different perspective. Or a question of style.

If there is a problem it might then help to ask, calmly, carefully, “Why is this a problem for you?” Once you know why there is an issue for your examiner then you can start to think about how you can address it. If there is an unmet need you can consider how you bridge the gap. If you have to simply say more or do more then you can think about how that could be done.

Your examiners’ problem is your problem – but first be sure that there is a problem! Don’t rush to solve a situation that simply requires you to listen. Listening first is the way to approach any situation that may or may not be a problem at your viva.

 

PS: of course, you might find something that feels like a problem before you get to your viva. You can approach that with the same calm too and check if it’s really a problem before you get frantic! If you’re looking for more pre-viva support then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection – twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.

Nathan

Viva Survivors Select 10

Update

Cover image for Viva Survivors Select 10, The Submission Issue, May 2026. Image shows a red game-piece looking down a dark hallway to light at the end of the tunnel

It’s release day for The Submission Issue, the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select!

You can find The Submission Issue on my Payhip store now. This is a curated collection of some of my favourite pieces from the blog all about this pivotal time of the PhD journey: approaching submission, starting prep and navigating the change from finishing the thesis to getting ready for the viva.

Opening, introductory page of Viva Survivors Select 10. Titled HELLO! and summarising the contents of the zine.

The Submission Issue contains twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive along with an original poem and a new helpful tool for reflecting back on the PhD journey. The issue also contains lots of new original art I’ve made: I’m continuing with my plan to do all of the art for this series of curated zines!

Page 7 of Viva Survivors Select 10. Writing titled "Questions For Graduates" and a cartoon image at the bottom of the page showing a candidate asking others for help.

Viva Survivors Select 10 is out now for £3. If you like the blog, want more help and want to support what I do then please take a look at and consider buying Viva Survivors Select. If it helps then please pass on details of The Submission Issue and Viva Survivors Select to anyone you know who is looking for viva help.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

 

PS: the next Viva Survivors Select, The Examiners Issue, is due out on Wednesday 10th June 2026!

And PPS: if you’re looking for even more viva help then registration for my upcoming 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars opens on Tuesday 26th May 2026 – you can check dates and set reminders at Eventbrite.

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