Nathan

How It’s Done

Daily Post

Good viva expectations follow from considering three sources of information:

  1. Read the regulations for your institution. This will give you the big picture, the formal process and who to get official help from.
  2. Listen to viva stories. Find out more of the general experiences of people who have vivas. From a few stories you’ll get a sense of viva length, flow, process and more.
  3. Ask about local norms. Talk to staff and graduates from your department to get a sense of what vivas are like locally. Are people asked to prepare presentations? Are there any common post-viva traditions?

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.

Nathan

Cosy

Daily Post

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:

  • Take your time. There’s work to do but you can find a good pace for your needs.
  • Be creative. Make the work fun in parts and in expression.
  • Make it personal. Find an aesthetic for how you make notes. Follow your feelings for how you get it done.

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.

Nathan

Awareness

Daily Post

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.

  • If you’re worried about getting nervous then maybe learn more about what to expect.
  • If you’re worried you’ll forget something then perhaps take steps to annotate your thesis.
  • And if you’re concerned about tough questions then use tough questions as you rehearse for your viva.

When you know what’s wrong as you get ready for your viva you can start to make it right.

Work past worry.

Nathan

Keep Going Afterwards

Daily Post

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.

Nathan

“All The Ideas”

Daily Post

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:

  • Take a sheet of paper and divide it into four parts.
  • In the first part, list five results or conclusions you think are valuable. Add a few keywords for each.
  • In the second part, write down five things you did well during your PhD. These could be projects, tasks or skills you developed.
  • In the third part, list five papers you believe supported your work well. Add a few keywords for each of these.
  • In the fourth part, list five things you left out of your thesis and a few keywords for each that expresses why.

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 🙂

Nathan

Viva Survivors Select 11

Update

Cover of VSS11, The Examiners Issue, dated June 2026 and by Nathan Ryder. Two towering figures loom over a smaller figure; all are stylised as simple game pieces

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.

Page 1 of VSS11, titled HELLO! and introducing the content of the issue

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!)

Page 5 of VSS11, titled Citing Examiners. The top half of the page is a short article and the bottom shows a black and white illustration of a figure examining a noticeboard with various images and papers connected by strings

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.

Nathan

Icebreakers

Daily Post

How might your viva begin?

  • Why did you want to do a PhD?
  • How would you summarise your research?
  • Can you briefly describe your main conclusions?
  • How are you doing today?

These example questions might break the ice at your viva. They might seem easy, challenging or unexpected – yes, some examiners really will see how you’re feeling!

Your examiners are asking a simple question and giving you something familiar to talk about:

  • Why did you want to do a PhD? – because you’ve likely thought about this many times before and told others why.
  • How would you summarise your research? – because you’ve had to think about, talk about and write about this many times before.
  • Can you briefly describe your main conclusions? – as this is something you’ve had to consider in writing your thesis.
  • How are you doing today? – because you and they are humans and they’re checking that you’re good to get started.

Whatever the question, that’s ultimately why they’re asking. Everyone in the room is human. Nerves play a part in the viva and everyone can engage better by starting well.

A simple icebreaker helps the viva to begin.

Nathan

Call A Friend

Daily Post

Remember that quiz show where you could call someone to help you answer a question?

Yeah, you can’t do that at the viva!

It’s all on you at the viva: engaging with your examiners’ questions and the discussion for several hours.

In preparation though you can most definitely call a friend. When you are approaching submission, so long as it feels comfortable to do so, tell your friends that your viva is coming up.

Ask for advice. Ask for assistance from the people who know about the viva and who could play an active role in your preparation.

Who could be a good listener? Is there anyone around who could ask you questions and prep with you?

And don’t forget to talk to friends and family who can’t play an active role in your preparation. They might still be able to support you by making space and giving you time to do the prep work that you need to do.

Nathan

Seven Reasons

Event, Update

I posted recently that I have five independent viva help webinars happening soon so this is a little reminder post!

7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva has grown to be one of my most-requested webinar sessions since I first delivered it during COVID lockdowns in 2020. I love sharing this 1-hour viva confidence-boost and seeing how it resonates with PhD candidates.

Why might this session be worth your time? Here are seven reasons to attend 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva!

  1. I’ve offered viva help for more than fifteen years to over 10,000 PGRs so I’m not new to the topic.
  2. I’ve shared 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva almost 100 times – in fact the final session in July will be number 100.
  3. The session is designed to be a confidence boost, concise and valuable, with plenty of time for questions too.
  4. “Thanks, really helpful session that’s helped me feel confident about the viva!” – one of the many pieces of feedback I’ve received about the session.
  5. I’m offering 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva at a range of times in June and July – including evening and weekend sessions.
  6. Attendees will have access to a catch-up recording to review for four weeks afterwards…
  7. …and receive a follow-up email and resources including my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva.

Tickets for all 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva sessions are available now. If you’re looking for viva help then I hope you can join me on Zoom on one of these dates:

One more time: registration for these live 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars is £20 and includes a follow-up email, a pdf copy of my 101 Steps To A Great Viva guide and access to a catch-up recording of the session.

Thank you for reading. I hope you can join me for one of these sessions – and if this news might help a friend with their upcoming viva then please share this message.

All the best,

Nathan

Nathan

The Tops

Daily Post

What’s the top paper you’d recommend someone read to start learning about your research?

What’s the top result of your PhD research?

What’s the top point you struggle to remember when you think about your research?

What’s the top question you hope to be asked by your examiners?

What’s the top question you really hope not to be asked by your examiners?

What’s the top thing you can think of doing to help yourself get ready for your viva?

It’s helpful, when getting ready for your viva, to start with the first of something: the best this, the top that, the number one thing – it gives a signpost to help you see what will be a helpful focus.

What do you do next? And, beyond the list above, what other top things do you need to consider, do or find out more about ahead of your viva?

 

PS: if you’re looking for more general viva help then please check out the details for my upcoming live 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars. The first of these is next Wednesday 17th June 2026 and I have four more dates. Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. Thanks for reading!

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