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Nathan

Regulations & Exceptions

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If you have a viva soon then your university has regulations for it. These are updated every few years so make sure you have read the most recent version. Pay attention to what they say about the viva process – don’t simply rely on advice and information from a well-meaning friend or supervisor.

The regulations will paint a general picture of a typical viva. They might also describe some exceptions and what those processes could be like:

  • Having more examiners;
  • Ensuring accessibility requirements;
  • When independent chairpersons are needed;
  • How to have vivas over video or hybrid vivas.

Some of these exceptions are not as exceptional as they once were. For example, video vivas might be uncommon compared to 2020 and 2021 but they are far less rare now than before the pandemic.

You might expect your viva to be different from others for many reasons. Maybe your research is explored and explained differently in your thesis. Maybe your own lived experience is not like other people you know. Maybe one of your examiners is not an academic.

Still the regulations will help. Your viva will still happen. Check the regulations, decide on if and how your viva might be exceptional and ask to get the support that you need.

Every viva is unique – and some are a little more different than others!

 

PS: I released the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select yesterday! The 2025 Issue collects twenty of my favourite blog posts from last year and adds two new pages of viva help. Please take a look at the zine and some pages here and pick it up if it seems helpful 🙂 And please spread the word if you can!

Nathan

“I Might Have A Problem”

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The five words that start you on a path to resolution. They work in all kinds of situations in life and help a lot with getting ready for the viva.

Many viva problems start with feeling that something is wrong. A gap in your expectations, an issue with your thesis, a delay to some part of prep – any one of these could make you feel that things aren’t right.

They might not be a problem. The only way you’ll know for sure is if you stop sitting with the feeling and say, “I might have a problem.”

Then you can do something else: you can explore the situation, ask for help, check something or simply take steps that move you towards feeling better.

  • If there’s a gap in your expectations you can ask someone or read something that will tell you more about what vivas are like.
  • If there’s an issue with your thesis you can read more, think more or talk with your supervisor to see if you have a problem or not. If you don’t, that’s great! If you do then you’re a step closer to sorting it out.
  • And if there’s a delay to your prep work then you move on: what can you do next? How can you make it up? There was a problem but you can work past it.

Given all the problems you must have overcome during your PhD journey you can deal with any situation that occurs during your viva prep – so long as you’re willing to admit that you might have a problem.

Don’t simply sit with the discomfort of feeling something’s wrong. Work past it.

Nathan

Prototypes, Screens & Props

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The typical picture of the viva as imagined by regulations, stories and ideas shows three people sat around a table having a conversation.

  • But you might have something to share with your examiners: a physical prototype or prop.
  • You might need a screen to show part of your research: a computer program needs to be displayed, a video viewed or a data set explored.
  • Or you might have a model, a piece of art or something else that has to be seen live not just read about in advance.

If your research seems a little different or your viva might be atypical as a result of something you’ve made or found then check with your regulations and supervisors to find out what you do.

What are the expectations when you’ve done something a little different? What do you need with you to showcase your research at the viva?

Nathan

Broad & Narrow Questions

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You’ll find lots of broad questions about your research ahead of your viva. These are the lists of general questions that have been shared for years on websites and graduate school handouts. They’re the big questions and can be helpful in preparation and reflection as you get ready. For example:

  • Why did you explore this area?
  • How would you describe your approach?
  • What could you do differently?

These are good questions but they’re broad: they could be asked by almost anyone of almost any PhD candidate.

You’ll be asked lots of narrow questions at your viva. They relate to the topics – some of which you or your supervisor could maybe predict in advance – that your examiners could ask only of you, given your research, your experience and your thesis. For example:

  • Why did you follow the method you used in Chapter 3 over the alternate method you referenced on page 56?
  • How do you account for the gap in data that you mentioned in the second study?
  • What do you expect someone might do to develop your research further, assuming someone continued your line of study?

These kinds of questions are good but they’re narrow: they are particular only to you. They might be asked by people other than your examiners, assuming they had enough knowledge, but they could only be asked of you.

It’s likely you’ll get some broad questions at your viva. It’s certain you’ll be asked lots of narrow questions. You have to consider general broad questions in your prep to be ready for the specific narrow questions you’ll encounter in 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

Needing Help

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Academic culture can create barriers. If you don’t know something then you can feel like you are supposed to figure it out by yourself without knowing where to look. Somehow, you are just supposed to know…

Sometimes PhD candidates do need to take a first step or take some responsibility. In most cases though, if you feel like you need help to understand what the viva is all about or to help you get ready for your viva then please reach out to someone:

  • Ask your institution for resources or for guidance on regulations.
  • Ask your supervisor for their perspective on your examiners.
  • Speak to friends and colleagues about their experiences to help guide your understanding.
  • Talk to family and friends about what you’re going through and what they can do to help.

Ask if you need help or support. Be clear, give people time to respond but do ask.

And if you need something from Viva Survivors or me then please get in touch!

 

PS: One potential source of help is my live 3-hour Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026. I’ll cover everything you need to know about the viva and getting ready, as well as take questions throughout the session. 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

Share What You Need

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There are institutional regulations and general expectations that underpin what might happen at a viva – and yet so much of what happens in every viva is unique.

One aspect of this is simply a person’s situation and needs. Nevermind that every thesis and the research is unique – every candidate has their own preferences, requirements and situation. You might like to do things a certain way or want things to happen in a certain way at your viva.

 

In some cases you might need particular support to help you get ready or to help your viva be a fair and accessible experience for you. Your institution’s regulations will show you what you need to do if that’s the case; universities have got a lot better at listening to their PhD candidates who need support in the last decade but none are perfect at following processes. If you have needs for your viva then you might have to follow up and make sure that the right people know the right information.

For more general needs talk to your allies. Ask for practical support from your supervisors, friends and family. Reach out to your graduate school or doctoral college to see what help they offer people getting ready for their viva.

Support isn’t just for the viva itself. Think about what you need from others to help you get ready.

Nathan

Asking For Help

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Viva prep is mostly solitary work but it can benefit from targeted help from the people around you. You might want a mock viva from your supervisor or a casual chat from friends. You might need your family to give you space. Depending on your situation you might need a lot more from others.

So how do you ask for help with your post-submission viva prep?

  • Ask early. Talk to people before submission so they know your general plans.
  • Express your need. Say what you need help with and why.
  • Ask for specific help to meet the need. Be clear when you describe what you have in mind.
  • Say please!
  • Give opportunities. Allow space to arrange when, give them a chance to offer a compromise if they can’t do the thing you were thinking of and make sure they know that they can say no.

Helpfully, when you leave space for a compromise you also start thinking about how else you might meet your needs. A mock viva is a great solution to meet the need for rehearsal but if your supervisor is not available there are other options.

Ask early. Express your need. Be specific. Say please! Give opportunities.

And, of course, say thank you 🙂

Nathan

Do It Yourself

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My wife and I painted our daughter’s bedroom in the autumn.

We had to move furniture, in some cases taking it apart to move it; we had to box up and make space for books and toys; my wife sourced the paint and painting supplies; I carried the ladders and between us we gave four wall sections what felt like countless coats of paint.

We did it ourselves. We could have asked someone else to do it. They might have been quicker or more professional or both! As hard as the work was at times we took some satisfaction that we had done it.

(although my right arm still feels the strain from some of the stretching and carrying!)

 

Some jobs you can do yourself or get someone else to do it in your stead.

Viva prep is not one of those jobs.

You have to do it yourself: you have to do the work to feel the benefit of viva prep, although thankfully there is still a lot of support you can get from other people.

  • Only you can read your thesis to refresh your memory – but you can ask others for their opinions on where to focus.
  • Only you can annotate your thesis well – but you can look for plenty of ideas of what might help.
  • Only can you feel the benefit of a mock viva – but you have to turn to your supervisor to make it happen.

You have to do viva prep yourself. You can’t outsource it but you can get help to make it happen.

Nathan

Questions For Friends

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Before submission check in with your academic friends and colleagues. Ask those who’ve had a viva what it was like. Look for detail and common threads in the stories that you hear. Ask anyone who might be willing if they can practically help you with viva preparation when the time comes.

After submission ask your friends to listen. Will they be a sounding board for rehearsal? Will they be happy and able to help you rehearse over tea or coffee? (this resource might help!) Do they have any other insights into viva prep that might help you? And do they have any insight into your examiners’ work that might help you prepare well?

After the viva ask your friends to celebrate!

And in the future ask any friends or colleagues who are approaching submission if they need any help or advice. Help make a better community for getting ready for the viva.

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