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Nathan

Last, Final, Only or Next

Daily Post

How do you feel about these expressions?

  • The viva is your last chance to succeed.
  • Your viva is the final test of your PhD.
  • The viva is your only opportunity to convince your examiners.

These are sentiments that I’ve come across while doing my own PhD and in the two decades since. There’s a small hint of truth to them but the tone always works to weaken one’s feelings of confidence.

How about, “The viva is your next challenge”? As in the next challenge after successfully completing many others.

“The viva is your next opportunity to share your research” or “Your viva is the next chance for you to show what you can do”?

Words matter. Can you change the words you use to describe the viva or yourself?

Nathan

Summary Elements

Daily Post

Creating a summary is a useful task as part of viva preparation. You could write sentences and paragraphs, bullet points or keywords. You could draw pictures, graphs and diagrams. A summary is a space to think ahead. A summary is a chance to focus before your viva.

A good summary has:

  • A clear focus. You can summarise your whole thesis or can zero in a particular aspect but you know what you’re focussed on.
  • A finite process. The summary is not open-ended. You have a clear space to write or draw in and an expected time to do the work.
  • A new resource. You are going to have made something that didn’t exist before. You aren’t simply copying words down. You are making something new.

A clear focus following a finite process makes a new resource. What will you focus on? What do you need to make to help your preparation?

Nathan

Everything & Something

Daily Post

You can’t do everything for your research, your thesis or your viva prep.

(and you don’t have to)

You must have done something good to get this far on your research journey.

(and you must be capable to have done it)

You don’t need to be perfect in any way – your capability and contribution are enough.

Nathan

Unique, Unknown

Daily Post

Every viva is unique because every person, their research and their thesis are unique.

There are regulations, broad expectations and local norms for the viva process so no viva should be a complete unknown. However, every viva has aspects that will be unknown until a candidate experiences it.

There is a tension between what you can reasonably expect and what you can’t know – and that tension pulls you in the direction of preparation and building confidence. Unique but expected, a little unknown but in no way impossible.

 

PS: I’ll be digging into more viva tensions tomorrow afternoon at my 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar. Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. There are full details for all of my June and July webinars here. Hope to see you at a session soon!

Nathan

Layering Prep

Daily Post

I’ve enjoyed learning to create digital art a lot so far this year.

(see recent issues of Viva Survivors Select for examples!)

It’s freeing to not have to worry about making mistakes while creating. The software I use allows you to add elements in layers: I can create a quick sketch, add a new layer and build on that with more detail. I can do some broad colour, add another layer and go deeper. Bringing all of these together creates a lovely composition.

(at least, I think it does!)

Consider viva prep in the same way. You’re layering pieces of work to create a beautiful effect. Layer annotation on top of spending time reading your thesis. Layer creating summaries on top of the time spent thinking while annotating. Layer a mock viva on top of a chat about your work with a friend. It all comes together to create a state of being ready.

Each layer matters but isn’t the whole picture. You need to bring things together to be well prepared.

 

PS: there are many more layers to the viva. You can find out more at this week’s 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar on Wednesday 24th June 2026. There are 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!

Nathan

120 Words

Daily Post

I was going through my files in the last few months and found the speech I gave at my sister’s wedding. When I gave the speech I was nervous but I also had a fair amount of experience with speaking in public so it wasn’t too bad. I got some laughs, I encouraged a few heartfelt tears and I didn’t take too long.

To help with the latter I researched a typical speaking speed: the low end estimate is 120 words per minute. If I didn’t want to speak for more than five minutes, I had to say everything I needed in 600 words, give or take. That was my guideline as I drafted and redrafted.

Now, at the viva you’re not required to give a response within a time or word limit, but thinking a little about them in preparation can help you shape your responses:

  • If you write a short 120 word summary over a handful of sentences then you know that’s about a minute of speech.
  • If you write ten keywords then that can help jog some thoughts.
  • If you write a full page you know that’s a lot to say.

You don’t want to take notes and prompts to the viva – although you might want to consider annotating your thesis to mark things out usefully – but you can make a variety of summaries and prompts in advance to help you think through how you talk about things generally.

Adding this to rehearsal can give you a lot of practice at shaping and sharing your thoughts. You’re not limited to 120 words – but maybe considering a range of options can help you find what feels right for you.

Nathan

Be Helpful, If You Can

Daily Post

After your viva, be helpful for other PhD candidates if and when you can.

  • Share your viva experience if it will help someone understand what they need to do to get ready.
  • Listen to someone if they have questions about the process.
  • Give suggestions for helpful viva prep ideas.
  • Offer your time if you can to ask someone about their research (the mini-viva resource will help).

If you can, when your viva is done, share your experience. Share what helped you get ready.

Nathan

Needing More

Daily Post

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?

Nathan

First Draft

Daily Post

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.

Nathan

Hard Choices

Daily Post

If a decision in your PhD was difficult then there is probably something interesting to reflect on as you get ready for your viva.

  • What was the situation?
  • How did you assess your options?
  • Why did you make the choice that you did?

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.

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