Daily viva help for PhDs
A PhD candidate can feel like they need more of lots of things.
More prep. More time. More work.
More papers in your bibliography. More results in your research. More page in your thesis.
What might it take for you to feel like you have enough?
I cut a chapter from my thesis I knew I didn’t have the time to finish the research involved. I rearranged the flow of information in a few chapters several times to try and make the points flow well.
When I started my prep, after only a week away from my thesis, my first thought was, “Where’s that section? Where did I write about…?”
So how has your thesis changed between your first draft and the draft you submitted?
The massive amount of writing, rewriting, changing and editing makes reading your thesis a crucial part of viva prep so that you can be really sure of what’s in there for your viva.
Reading your thesis doesn’t mean rote memorisation. It means refreshing your memory. Read and annotate your thesis after submission so you have a good overall view of your thesis and a helpful resource for your viva.
Your thesis has come a long way from your first draft. Be certain of what you’re talking about at your viva.
If a decision in your PhD was difficult then there is probably something interesting to reflect on as you get ready for your viva.
Hard choices might not be questioned directly in your viva but their impacts will likely be felt on your research and your journey.
It’s worth taking a little time in your preparation to reflect on how you progressed through difficult decisions.
PS: you’ll find advice for sharing your contribution at the viva in The Examiners Issue, the 11th issue of Viva Survivors Select which came out a week ago. The issue contains twenty posts from the blog all about examiners plus two new pages of viva help.
At some point you’ll know the date, time and location for your viva and, importantly, who is going to be there. Typically, a candidate gets at least two weeks notice of the viva circumstances.
Sometimes those circumstances have to change.
There’s a small chance you or one of your examiners will get sick in the days leading up to your viva forcing a postponement. There’s a small chance that one of your examiners, for illness or another reason, might have to cancel their involvement.
Travel disruption could have a last-minute impact. Room availability can change unexpectedly. It’s unlikely but not inconceivable that someone could forget something they felt was needed for the viva leading to a delay.
It’s worth remembering that most vivas happen exactly as planned – and it’s worth finding out in advance who you would contact if something was to go wrong.
If there was a change of circumstances for your viva who would you get in touch with? And are there any potential problems you can identify and guard against in advance?
PS: if you have any viva worries then check out tomorrow’s 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva live webinar on Wednesday 17th June 2026. As well as being a big confidence boost all about the viva there’s plenty of time for questions too. If tomorrow is too short notice to attend then you can find full details for all my June and July webinars here.
Good viva expectations follow from considering three sources of information:
Good viva expectations are not difficult to find out and can help you unpack how it’s done.
PS: if you want to explore viva expectations in greater depth then check out this week’s 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva live webinar on Wednesday 17th June 2026. You can find full details for all my June and July webinars here. Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. Hope to see you there!
PPS: if you just need to know how examiners get things done at the viva then check out The Examiners Issue. The 11th issue of Viva Survivors Select came out last week and contains twenty posts from the blog covering examiners and two new pages of ideas.
My daughter and I both have an appreciation for cosy video games. There’s often no great rush when you play, there’s typically a creative aspect to the things you do and you often see a great deal of cute aesthetics!
I don’t think that many vivas will feel cosy for those involved but maybe cosy isn’t a bad vibe to keep in mind for your viva preparations:
How else could you make your viva prep cosy? And is there anything you can do to take that feeling on to your viva as well?
PS: if you need to feel better about your examiners and their role at the viva then check out The Examiners Issue, the 11th issue of Viva Survivors Select. Twenty posts from the blog covering nearly everything to know about examiners and two new pages of viva help.
I get nervous. I’m worried I’ll forget something. What if my examiners ask me a tough question? What if…?
Many PhD candidates – in fact, the majority of those I meet – express one of these thoughts or something similar. If one of these resonates you’re really not alone.
That awareness is a good thing.
The best thing you can do is work past your worry: if you feel something about your viva and it feels bad then do something to help yourself.
When you know what’s wrong as you get ready for your viva you can start to make it right.
Work past worry.
We can define survive as manage to keep going in difficult circumstances. That definition is a cornerstone of this site, my work and how I help people with their viva preparations.
The viva is difficult, not impossible.
You’re managing, not struggling and you can take steps to work through difficulties.
Also as you approach your viva you “keep going” – you continue with the process and journey you’re already on from your PhD. The viva is not a new challenge, simply the next one of the PhD.
Of course, difficult circumstances won’t stop at the viva; they’re not limited in the present to your PhD. When the chapter closes on your time as a PhD candidate you can take what you’ve learned with you to the next challenge.
And the next.
You will face more difficult circumstances in the future.
What does your PhD experience, learning and development mean for that? Think about how you keep going now. How do you do that? How can you take that with you into the challenges beyond your viva?
Keep going.
PS: meeting your examiners won’t be the most difficult challenge of your PhD but it is something to prepare for. To find out more check out The Examiners Issue, the 11th issue of Viva Survivors Select – new out this week – containing twenty posts from the blog and two new pages of viva help.
Every thesis is “incomplete” in the sense that no book could possibly contain everything you did, read, thought and considered during your PhD journey. Your thesis just can’t contain it all.
It also doesn’t need to. Consider that what you leave out shows your awareness, curation, style – your expertise, if you like. Your thesis is an expression of your capability as a researcher as much as a summary of the research you did and what it means.
If it helps, use this short summary exercise to think through some of the ideas in your work:
Finally, think a little about what all this means.
Your thesis doesn’t show everything you did.
Recognise that what it does have means a lot more than what it doesn’t.
PS: if you’re looking for more viva help then check out The Examiners Issue, the 11th issue of Viva Survivors Select, freshly released yesterday! Twenty posts from the blog covering examiners from lots of perspectives and two new pages of ideas 🙂
It’s release day for The Examiners Issue, the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select!
You can find The Examiners Issue on my Payhip store now. This issue is a curated collection of writing from the blog and I’ve tried to cover every angle: who examiners are, what they do, how they’re selected and how you can prepare for meeting them at your viva.
The Examiners Issue contains twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive as well as two original pages of viva help: a reflection on my own examiners and a helpful quick process for exploring who yours are. This issue continues my plan for this year’s zines to create all of the art myself. I’m very happy with the cover for this month and can’t wait to share the next cover too! (you’ll find it as the back cover teaser on this issue!)
Viva Survivors Select 11, The Examiners Issue, is out now for £3. If you like the blog, want more help and want to support what I do then please consider buying Viva Survivors Select. If it helps you then please pass on details of The Examiners Issue and Viva Survivors Select to anyone you know who is looking for viva help.
Thanks for reading!
Nathan
PS: the next collection, The Contribution Issue, is due out on Wednesday 15th July 2026!
And PPS: if you’re looking for even more viva help then check out the details for my upcoming 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars: you can check dates for sessions over the next six weeks at Eventbrite, and the first session is next Wednesday 17th June 2026.