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Nathan

Where Is Your Focus?

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Where are you giving your attention when you plan your viva prep?

You don’t have to do everything all at once. You don’t have to do what everyone else does.

It might be a good idea to summarise the content of each chapter in your thesis – but equally you could focus on the contribution of your thesis as a whole. Either way could work well to get you reviewing and reflecting.

Having a mock viva is a good general preparation idea – but it might be even more helpful for you to explore different ways of explaining key parts of your research to friends or in a presentation.

Be mindful of your focus as you get ready. Are you doing what you need to do to get ready?

Nathan

Change For Your Prep

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There might be a certain logic to do some of your viva prep in a different space to where you would typically work.

A different space allows you to think away from your typical environment. Maybe working at a different time could give you a new insight into how you work or what you’ve done well. Working in a different way (writing longhand rather than typing) might change the pace of your observations or the way you think about things.

Viva prep could be a really good time for changing things up as you get ready for your viva.

Nathan

Two Step Viva Prep

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Step One: Make lists.

Step Two: Do the work.

Viva prep involves a fair amount of work, reflection, planning and time – but you don’t need to make it complicated.

 

PS: one more helpful viva prep step would be to subscribe to the Viva Survivors blog and get a new helpful post emailed to you every day!

Nathan

Unpacking & Reframing

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Summaries are a helpful viva prep tool.

A good summary could help you to unpack ideas. You can take out, examine and remind yourself of what something is, why it helps and what it’s for.

A good summary could allow you to reframe your work. You can find a new perspective by taking a particular focus or by examining a specific aspect of what you’ve done.

Summaries allow you to think ahead. The information can be the foundations of responses in the viva. You wouldn’t be expected to read from summaries in the viva but they can help you to rehearse what points really matter.

Unpack your ideas. Reframe your thinking. Use summary creation as a useful part of your viva prep toolkit.

Nathan

Building A Bridge

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Public domain image of a small wooden bridge that crosses a stream between two close banks.

Viva prep is like building a bridge between where you are when you submit your thesis and where you need to be for your viva.

But the gap is not that wide. The bridge does not have to be that complicated.

Why take the chance that you might stumble when preparation is not much work compared to all the work you’ve done before?

 

PS: Viva prep is one of the big topics of my Viva Survivor webinar which is running on Wednesday 3rd December 2025. I’ve shared this session more than 400 times and it is my comprehensive live session on getting ready for the viva. Check the link for full details of what to expect from the webinar!

Nathan

Solving Viva Prep

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If 20 to 30 hours of viva prep is about right for most candidates then depending on someone’s plans that might mean:

  • 1 or 2 hours of viva prep every day over the course of two weeks;
  • 30 mins to 1 hour of viva prep most days over the course of a month;
  • At least 3 hours of viva prep every day if there is just one week left.

The last option is probably not desirable or helpful!

The other two could work and more generally you can find a solution for viva prep simply by thinking about your circumstances, needs and preferences.

How much time do you have? What pressures constrain you? How do you like to work?

Reflect on those questions and compare the timings above. Then you can start to think about how you might plan your viva prep in a kind and sustainable way for yourself.

Nathan

Viva Prep Recipes

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I do a lot of the cooking in our house. Most of what I make regularly is the result of recipes I carry in my head but I sometimes look in cookbooks to check my instincts around cooking times, temperatures and good ingredient pairings.

It also helps me to figure out alternatives too. Will this dish still work if I change the seasoning? Probably. Can I swap tomatoes for carrots? Maybe not. And what do I do if I need to make a big change from the process described?

 

Viva prep feels a lot like this too. There are a lot of good ideas for how to get ready but you have to find something that feels right for you and tweak it from there.

A mock viva is often held around two weeks before the viva date but a week before your viva or a month before could work too with a few adjustments.

It’s common to start viva prep by reading your thesis but journalling or making other notes is equally helpful and valid.

Ask around to find out what others did. Read blog posts for good ideas. Then assemble your own recipe for viva prep success.

 

PS: I released the latest edition of Viva Survivors Select this week. As with today’s post The Confidence Issue has lots of practical ideas from the Viva Survivors archive for building confidence for the viva!

Nathan

First Steps Of Prep

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Step one could be to breathe after submission and take a short break.

Your first step could be to read the regulations and check there’s nothing unexpected.

Top of the list might be to check in with your supervisor and see what they think.

And if you feel you’ve got a good handle on what you need to do then step one of viva prep could be to make a plan of how you’re going to get it done.

 

There are lots of really good, sensible things that a candidate might do to prepare for their viva. The starting point and the process is different for everyone: it depends on what you need, how you feel and what your circumstances are like.

Take charge though. Only you can take all the steps needed and only you can take the first step, whatever you need it to be.

 

PS: If you’re looking for more ideas of steps you can take to be prepared for your viva then check out my Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 3rd December 2025. This is my comprehensive live session on getting ready for your viva. There’s full details at the link of what to expect from the webinar and what past participants think of it. Please get in touch if you have any questions!

Nathan

A Kind Process

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Whatever your situation and circumstances you can make viva prep a kind process for you.

  • Find out what helps viva prep before you get to submission and read your university’s thesis examination regulations.
  • Sketch out a rough plan of what you need to do and how you might need to do it when you submit your thesis.
  • Be generous with your planning and don’t assume that life will allow your plans to remain fixed; work out good milestones for your progress.
  • Ask for help well in advance of when you need it so that you are sure that your helpers’ schedules will allow the support you need.
  • Find time to remind yourself every day that you have got as far as you have by being good at what you do and by making a contribution to your field of research.

Step by step and bit by bit you can prepare for your viva without stress and without unwelcome pressure. You have the opportunity to make viva prep a kind process for you.

 

PS: I’ll be digging into this kind process in much more detail at my Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 3rd December 2025. This is my comprehensive live session on getting ready. There’s full details at the link of what to expect from the webinar but please get in touch if you have any questions!

Nathan

Plan Ahead

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Read the regulations for vivas at your institution before you get to submission time.

Sketch out a plan for your prep when you submit your thesis, looking ahead at your obligations and circumstances for the coming weeks.

Assume that you have a good plan as you get to work but review it as and when you do work or your situation changes.

When confronted with several options for how to get ready – or when circumstances change ahead of your viva – the best option is probably the one that allows you to keep as many options open as possible.

The more freedom you have to pivot and change your plans the less stress you’ll hopefully have as you get ready for your viva.

 

PS: if you’re thinking about how to plan your viva prep you can get many more ideas at my Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 3rd December 2025. This is my in-depth 3-hour session on getting ready for your viva. Participants can attend the live session, get a catch-up recording and a bundle of resources to help their prep. Also, if you use code VIVASURVIVORS before midnight on Sunday 5th October 2025 you can save £10 on registration!

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