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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!

Nathan

Margin Space

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In preparation for your viva you can use margin space to add to your thesis and make it as useful as possible for your viva.

You also need to balance.

Helpful but not overfull.

It doesn’t make sense to try to cram long sentences in.

Start by deciding on what you need from the space. What do you need to add to your thesis to make it useful? What does it make sense to put in the margin?

Keywords? Stickers and sticky notes? Things that draw attention to specific lines?

You have a lot of space in the borders. Your margins can be a useful space for viva prep, but don’t leave them cramped. The point is to make something useful for your viva.

A little thought and a little annotation goes a long way.

 

PS: viva coming up and an hour free tomorrow morning? Check out the details of 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva which is running at 11am tomorrow (Wednesday 24th September 2025). Find out why you can be confident, get access to a catch-up recording and my pdf guide to getting ready for the viva. Registration closes later this afternoon.

Nathan

Too Busy

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If you are too busy to prepare for your viva then you need a plan. Sketch one out at submission. Just a sketch. Can you spread the work over a month? What could you do in thirty minutes per day over three weeks and maybe an hour or so each day in the week before your viva?

If you are too busy to prepare for your viva then you need help. So ask for help! Talk to your supervisor, your friends, your family and make sure they know what you need with plenty of notice. Ask early so that anyone you live with can give you space and time to get ready.

If you are too busy to prepare for your viva then you need to make your working situation as good as you can. Get your materials together. Always know in advance what you will do with a chunk of prep time. Make yourself comfortable and perhaps find rewards for getting things done.

If you are too busy to prepare for your viva then you need to change how you feel. Reflect on and explore your progress to help you realise just how much you’ve done and just how proud you can be. Build up your confidence for the viva.

 

If you’re busy you still have to prepare. You can make a plan and make it nice but it’s still work. There are no shortcuts but equally it doesn’t have to be stressful.

If you’re busy: make a plan, ask for help, remove friction and build your confidence.

Nathan

Shifting Feelings

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“Don’t be nervous.”

“Cheer up.”

“You don’t have to worry.”

These are nice sentiments ahead of the viva, usually very well-intentioned. If only feeling better were as simple as stopping nerves or putting a smile on your face.

 

Maybe it’s not a lot harder. You can’t shift feelings directly but you can take action to change your mood. Reading over a chapter could help lower nerves you’ll forget something. A mock viva could make you happier for talking to your examiners. Reading the regulations could help you realise you don’t have to worry.

If you need to shift your feelings in some way for your viva you have to do something.

How do you feel? How do you want to feel? What will you do?

Nathan

The Deadline

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The viva prep deadline is technically ten minutes before the viva – that’s when you need to be in the room, ready to go!

Of course, you don’t need to do things so close to the deadline. You also don’t need to use all the time available between submission and ten minutes before your viva.

When you submit your thesis, sketch out a plan. What do you need to do? When works well for you? How will you break up the work to remove stress and give yourself space to think and rest?

What’s the better deadline to be ready that you can set for yourself?

Nathan

A Spare Day

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I’m fortunate enough to feel that today is a bit of a freebie.

It’s the end of the summer break. I have work to do but nothing pressing. Today feels like it could be all mine.

…well, if I wasn’t a parent and a small business owner. Alas, I do have things I have to do!

 

When you’re working towards your viva there is a lot you HAVE to do.

If you don’t, you’re leaving yourself open to the possibility of not being ready for your viva, stress and a lack of confidence.

Even so, find a spare day or two when you can rest and relax.

Maybe today! Maybe some time soon.

Viva prep requires reading, review and rehearsal. Don’t forget to rest.

Nathan

Understanding Limitations

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Every PhD journey has limits.

In research you might call them constraints. They could have been necessary choices. You might have found them frustrating at the time and their consequences could be disappointing depending on their impact.

 

Limitations can also be a gift: a constraining factor helps narrow possibilities for action. They could help when faced with overwhelming options.

When it’s time to get ready for your viva, understanding the limitations you face – in time, circumstances and even your preferences – can help you to plan out your prep and get the work done.

 

Reflect on your research and PhD limitations to help you explain and explore your research.

Unpick your limitations when it’s time to get ready to help you plan and do the essential work of viva prep.

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