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Nathan

A New Opportunity

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The viva is a new opportunity to talk about your research and your thesis. It’s similar to other times during your PhD but also unlike anything else you will have faced so far.

  • It’s similar to past discussions, meetings and presentations – and on a topic that you know a lot about – so your past experiences can really help you rise to the challenge.
  • It’s different to other challenges you’ve overcome so a little preparation will be necessary to be ready for the challenge you’ll face.

The viva is a new opportunity so it’s to be expected that you’ll feel a mix of nervous and confident about what might happen. Draw on your past experience and take time to make yourself ready for the challenge.

Nathan

All Your Hours

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Something like 5500 to 6000 hours of work might go into a full-time PhD journey.

(that might be more hours as well if you’re a part time researcher…)

Thousands of hours of reading, writing, making notes, practical work, meetings, seminars, learning, developing, growing, creating and making and improving – and thinking.

So many hours of thinking.

When you bring all of that together and really consider how much you’ve invested into your journey then you will find some confidence for your viva.

 

PS: The many hours of your PhD journey lead to significant original contributions in your thesis. The latest Viva Survivors Select, The Contribution Issue, explores contributions from many perspectives. Take a look if you’re looking for more viva prep or confidence building help!

Nathan

Crossing The Gap

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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.

Nathan

Everything & Something

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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

Needing More

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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

Keep Going Afterwards

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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

Reflecting On Capable

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Some questions to consider as you get ready for your viva:

  • When did you know you had made a significant and original research contribution?
  • What’s the most interesting thing you know now that you didn’t know when you started your PhD?
  • How many references have you listed in your bibliography? (and how many more potential references did you read?)
  • What do you understand about your research area now that you had no idea about when you started?

A key part of the viva process is your internal and external examining your capability as a researcher. They need to get a sense that you are good. It helps to reflect on this in advance of your viva: it helps you prepare and builds your certainty that you are good.

Reflecting on your capability leads towards finding confidence for your viva.

 

PS: You’ll find more reflections in the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select. 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 🙂 Oh, and please spread the word if you can!

Nathan

Days Of Work

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Between 700 and 800 days probably, if you’re a full time PhD candidate.

Seven to eight hundred days where you show up to do the work. Maybe some were really light on work but others were full dawn to dusk efforts.

Between seven and eight hundred days. Seven or eight hundred days of opportunities.

Probably not all of those 700 to 800 days were good. I’m sure they weren’t all bad either.

700-800 days of learning. 700-800 days of trying things. 700-800 days of moving your research forwards. 700-800 days of becoming a capable researcher.

Between 700 and 800 days of work. That’s what helps you be ready to succeed at your viva.

Nathan

The Firsts

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There are a lot of firsts on your PhD journey.

What was the first day of your PhD like? How far have you come since then?

What was the first paper you read? How did it help?

When did you find an answer to the first question you raised? How many more have you found since then?

What was the first step towards the first big result you got? And what was the first big result?

When did you finish your first draft? How did you improve upon it?

After submission you’ll find your first typo, take your first step to being ready, have your first moment of nervousness at the thought of your viva and eventually face the first question at your viva.

There are a lot of firsts on your PhD journey. Don’t forget them – and don’t forget how much more you have done.

Nathan

Talent & Work & Time

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Talent, work and time are three related things that help a PhD candidate get to their viva – and help them get through their viva.

You need all three and each of them needs the others.

  • Your talent, by which we mean your capability as a researcher, rests on being developed through your work over a long period of time.
  • The work you do requires ability and a good amount of time for it to be done and to mean something.
  • The time for your PhD journey is necessitated by the work you do and the effort and talent you bring to it.

All three of these are wrapped up in you, your research and your PhD journey. All three of these are behind you, supporting you as you work towards being ready for your viva and then help your success at your viva.

You took the time. You did the work. You have the talent.

That’s how you got this far and it’s how you will succeed at your viva.

 

PS: I’ll be exploring viva confidence, which is what today’s post is all about, at my Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 3rd December 2025. I’ve shared Viva Survivor more than 400 times. It is my comprehensive live session on getting ready for the viva covering expectations, viva prep, examiners and more. Check the link for full details of what to expect from the webinar!

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