Nathan

Share Your Experiences

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Tell other people about your PhD journey.

Tell people working towards a similar submission date to you to share stories, advice and ideas. Tell those with further to go so that they get a sense of what the journey is like and what they can think ahead and plan for.

Share what it’s like to write up your thesis, what worked for you and what didn’t.

Share your prep plans and how they worked (or didn’t!).

Afterwards, tell others about your viva experience to help them have good expectations for their viva.

And let them know what it was like to complete corrections and the end of the PhD process.

Share your experiences with others so that they can know they’re not alone. Their research and thesis might be unique but they are not the first to do a PhD or have a viva.

Nathan

People Like Us

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Seth Godin defines culture as “people like us do things like this.”

This relates to the viva in lots of ways.

Some academic culture comes from rules. The regulations describe how things must be done in a formal way. General viva experiences follow stories: past experiences are shared, become embedded and then show up as general expectations. Examiners and candidates do things in a certain way because past examiners and candidates have done it before.

More particular viva experiences can become an expectation too. The culture in a department could lead to presentations as viva starters, a particular opening question, a way of communicating results or even celebrating success.

“People like us do things like this.” It’s important to figure out the things that people do – and remind yourself that you’re included in that definition. People like YOU do things like this – including succeed at your viva.

Nathan

A Reason To Clockwatch

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Standard Viva Advice Number 62: don’t check the time during the viva because doing so will only be a distraction.

A clear exception is to do this because you need to: maybe you need to take breaks for specific medical reasons or to help you have a fair viva process.

That would be a good reason to keep an eye on the time. If you’re concerned about losing focus by clockwatching then perhaps make sure your examiners know about your need and ask them to be responsible for encouraging those breaks.

More broadly: there’s a lot of really good, well-meaning and often-helpful viva advice that might not apply to you. Listen to advice, take what you need and find your own way to get ready and pass your viva.

Nathan

Your Objectives

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Why did you start your PhD? What was your objective when you began?

As you continued through the years how did your work develop? Did your objectives change?

And as you reach the conclusion how do you feel you’ve reached your objectives? What are your objectives for the future?

Some of the questions above might be in the background of your viva. Some are probably not typical of discussions but all are worth reflecting on as you prepare.

What you were doing, why you were doing it and how things changed over time are all worth considering before your viva.

 

PS: Want more reflective viva help? Then check out my live 3-hour Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026 where I’ll share more reflective thoughts and a lot more. You’ll also get four-week access to a recording of the session and follow-up materials too. There’s information at the link but please get in touch if you have questions or want to know more. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Find What You Need

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Viva prep is personal. You have to take responsibility for it by thinking about what you need, listening to the advice of others and figuring out how you meet your needs and preferences.

There are lots of good ideas for viva prep. You have to take responsibility for figuring out which ideas you’ll follow, which you’ll adapt, which you’ll avoid and which situations you’ll need to consider further before you land on the idea for you.

What do you need? As you finish your thesis and work towards submission consider your options and find what you need to prepare well.

Nathan

Listening

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It’s a big part of the viva.

There are no gotcha questions and hazing remarks. Your examiners are there to listen and they’ve giving you opportunities to speak about your work, your PhD journey and yourself.

They’re there to listen but you have to listen first. The questions they ask and the discussion they prompt are your opportunities to do well. You have to listen carefully to make the most of them.

When they ask a question, pause and check that you understood it. Ask for clarification if you didn’t. Consider what it all means and take your time to respond well.

They’ll be listening.

Nathan

Concentrated

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What do you need to help you focus well as you prepare for your viva? What can you do to help you focus on what you need to in your viva? Every candidate is different in terms of their situation, their research, their preferences, so the “right answer” for you might be very different to someone else.

To help you focus well as you prepare for your viva, you might…

  • …need to clear specific times to get ready.
  • …follow a particular plan as you approach the work.
  • …need practical support.
  • …want to use specific stationery or approaches that work for you.
  • …keep a notebook of ideas and prompts to reflect on.

To help you focus well at the viva, you could…

  • …add navigation prompts in advance to your thesis with sticky notes or bookmarks.
  • …prepare by adding highlighting and underlining to your thesis pages.
  • …ask your examiners to repeat questions.
  • …make a note of questions as they’re asked.
  • …rehearse well beforehand so that you’re prepared for the particular work of the viva.

These are all suggestions that might or might not work for you, depending on your preferences, situation and needs.

Start cultivating your concentration and focus for your viva by considering what you need.

Nathan

What’s It About?

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If you want to describe your research to someone – and do it well – you have to consider who your audience is.

The general audience for your PhD thesis probably has a different knowledge and understanding than a family member who is curious about what you do. If you want to respond well to either audience you have to consider what they might know, what terms you might use and where they might find interesting parallels with their own knowledge.

The general audience for your PhD thesis might overlap with your examiners but the latter will probably have some interesting distinctions. While your research is for a wider audience it makes sense to consider your examiners particularly when you’re preparing for your viva.

You didn’t write your thesis for them but you’re preparing to meet them and talk about it. It makes sense to consider what they might know, what they probably understand and to explore what they have been working on recently to look for connections and mutual understanding.

Perfection isn’t the goal with preparing for your examiners. You’re working towards being ready to explore your research and present yourself as a capable researcher.

That’s what it’s all about.

Nathan

Why Expectations Matter

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Expectations give your viva a sense of shape.

Expectations help you understand the pattern even if you know your viva will be unique.

Regulations and stories help you understand the process (in some cases in a lot of detail).

Every viva will be one of a kind – but no upcoming viva needs to be a complete unknown to a candidate.

And with a sense of what to expect you can measure how ready you feel for your viva.

 

PS: I’ll be exploring viva expectations a lot at my Viva Survivor session four weeks from today! Check out my live 3-hour webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026 for more details of what I’ll cover: viva prep, examiners and a lot more. Attendees get four-week access to a recording of the session and follow-up materials too. There’s more information at the link but please get in touch if you have any questions or want to know more. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

A Rough Outline

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Whenever you set your mind to creating a summary as part of viva prep start by making a quick rough outline. Give yourself two minutes to write down keywords, bullet points and essential details that you must include in whatever summary you’re going to write.

A rough outline is a catalyst for the real work. It’s not about writing more quickly but writing it at all! A blank page is a tricky opponent and often PhD candidates have to do viva prep after their regular working day. Any help you can give yourself to start well is a good thing.

A two-minute rough outline is a good starting point for any summary whether it’s a list, an overview, a mind map, a page of paragraphs.

What else could you do to help your viva prep tasks go well?

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