Daily viva help for PhDs
The breakdown of viva lengths, pass rates, corrections and questions don’t mean a thing for confidence. They might give a little comfort but they won’t really make you feel better about your viva.
What did you do? What does that mean? What can you do now that you couldn’t do before?
Consider these simple questions, look back over your time as a postgraduate researcher and you’ll find lots of confidence to help you feel better about your viva.
That’s what my viva was.
Of course, I have told people about my research in the years since, but I moved away from my research discipline into different work. Since June 2008 I’ve never had the opportunity to talk about my PhD research with knowledgeable people who really wanted to know more.
(I’ve had plenty of small chats with polite people who probably regretted asking, “So what did you do for your PhD?”)
I don’t have any regrets but I didn’t know that was going to be the final real conversation I’d have about my PhD work. Your future plans might give you some confidence that there will be plenty more times to come when you can discuss all of what you’ve done…
…but if you’re not sure then please consider: if your viva was the final substantive conversation you would have about your PhD research what would you want to make sure you talk about?
You need your examiners to be experienced, capable, trained, available and interested. If the academic you’re thinking about is missing any of these criteria then they can’t be your examiner.
You might want your future examiner to be someone you’ve cited. You might find comfort in them being a familiar face from conferences. You might want a particular individual because their work connects with your future research plans.
If any of your wants feel particularly important then talk with your supervisors and see what can be arranged. Candidates don’t get to choose their examiners but you might be able to steer their nomination.
The needs will be guaranteed. What can you do to get who you want?
Every page in your thesis has a significant border. You don’t need to fill all of that space to annotate your thesis well and be ready for your viva. You can make some sensible additions to your thesis pages to make your thesis as useful as possible:
And you can do a lot more.
You don’t need to fill your pages to be well prepared. You can do what you need to get the most from your thesis.
Some candidates worry that viva prep will be a terrible task to complete.
The viva can seem like an awesome task to face – how can you get ready in the few months between submission and the viva when you’re being called to be prepared to talk about your work, yourself and what it all means with two experienced academics?
By recognising that in reality, the gap between who you are at submission and who you need to be for the viva is not that great.
By remembering that viva prep is doing particular work for the particular challenge of the viva – and remembering that if you have got to submission then you are very experienced at rising to challenges.
There’s a little work to do to cross that gap. You can do it.
The first is the end of your research. At some point, even if you’re figuring things out while writing, you have to stop doing practical research work.
The second is the end of writing your thesis. You submit your thesis, knowing that it’s probably not perfect but accepting that you’ve done all you can to make it good.
The third end is the end of your viva. Hours have passed after weeks of prep and you’ve succeeded! But you’re not quite done.
The fourth is the end of your corrections. You can hope you get none but most people get some. You likely will too. I hope it’s a smooth process for you!
The fifth and final end of your PhD journey is the opportunity for graduation. You might attend or might not but that’s the final, final end of your PhD. After that you’re officially Dr Someone.
That’s the end of your PhD and the beginning of the next chapter.
PS: you can find out more about the end of the PhD at my 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar tomorrow evening, Wednesday 8th July 2026 at 7pm. Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. Hope to see you there – but if tomorrow is too short notice I have one more webinar next week!
Every day after submission write down one sentence describing something that didn’t exist before you made it happen during your PhD.
It could be a result in your thesis. It could be an output or outcome of your research. It could be a chapter of your thesis. It could be a skillset or aptitude that you developed over the last few years. It could be a small idea or a great big contribution.
If you write one sentence per day in this way then by your viva you’ll have dozens of reminders of your capability and contribution.
You’ll have dozens of reminders that underscore why you’ll succeed in your viva.
PS: I’ll be exploring core reasons for viva success and confidence at my 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar this Wednesday evening. Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. Hope to see you on Wednesday 8th July 2026 at 7!
“Is it a good idea to record my mock viva?”
I’ve been asked this a lot. I’m not sure it is a good idea.
Rather than simply say no, I always ask a question in response: “What would a recording give you that you really need?”
The experience of a mock viva and maybe a chat with your supervisor afterwards will probably be enough. A mock isn’t about perfecting answers but building confidence in how you respond.
Would listening back to a recording help with that?
I’m not sure it would, but if it sounds good to you then go for it.
Like a lot of viva prep, ask for advice and think for yourself. Make sure you meet your needs.
It’s likely that you’re very aware of many questions you’ve been asked in the past:
And, I’m sure, a lot more besides.
It’ll help you to think about these past questions as you prepare for your viva. If any of these questions have been asked several times during your PhD it’s worth thinking about why that is. Perhaps you’ve addressed the question now in your thesis but it’s still worth thinking through. Perhaps some questions are natural consequences of what you’ve done before.
You can be aware of the many questions you’ve been asked in the past. You don’t have to have an answer for all of them though – and you don’t need to worry about the many possible unknown questions you could be asked at your viva.
Or rather, you might worry but you can do more than that.
For example, you can:
You can’t prepare to answer every possible question at the viva by having a big list and thinking about them all – but you can be ready to respond to any possible question that comes up even if it is an unknown.
If you ask a friend about their viva experience you know that yours won’t be the same.
Even if they had it in your department with the same examiners your viva will be different because you are different: a different person with different research, resulting in a different thesis at a different time.
If you ask your friend and listen to their experience though you can:
The last point helps a lot.
Doing a PhD, even in the best and most supportive departments, can feel like a lonely thing. Your unique position can make you feel that no-one else could understand.
You’re one of a kind but you’re not the only one. You won’t have the same viva but there’s lots that could be similar.
PS: I’ll be sharing more viva help tomorrow morning, Saturday 4th July 2026, at my 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar. This is my first-ever weekend webinar and I’m very excited! 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 July webinars here. Hope to see you at a session soon 🙂