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Nathan

Careful Prep

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Is there a danger that I could be overprepared for my viva? Do I need to be careful?

No to the first question, yes to the second.

I don’t think a candidate can do so much preparation that they can harm how ready they are for their viva – as if they were driving so fast in one direction that they missed their destination. Of course, a candidate could be over-invested: prep is necessary but it’s a means to an end.

Being careful means making a plan and trying to follow it. Sketch out the things you need to do, ask others for a little help or guidance and then do the work. Leave yourself time so that you aren’t stressed. Don’t fill in the hours with more and more work just so you feel busy.

You can’t be overprepared for your viva. Be careful that you don’t spend more time than you need or leave yourself too little time to feel really ready.

 

PS: want to know exactly what kind of work goes into being prepared for your viva? Take a look at the details of my Viva Survivor session on March 27th 2025. I’ll be covering a lot at my live webinar next week and providing a catch-up recording too!

Nathan

A Part Of You

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Yes, your viva matters. Yes, you need to pass.

But it is only one thing in your life.

  • Read your thesis – but make time for rest.
  • Create summaries – but create space to do other things as well.
  • Have a mock viva with your supervisor – and have a good catch up with a friend.

The viva, your thesis and your research all matter.

You matter more. Take care of yourself.

Nathan

The Build-up

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At submission sketch out a viva prep plan.

You might not know your viva date but that’s OK: you know your current situation. You know how busy you are and you know what responsibilities you have. With a little reflection you can also get a good feeling about how you need to approach getting ready.

A sketch of a plan can take account of busy-ness and obligations. Do you need two weeks to get ready or is it safer for your stress and your time to have a month? Sketch how you would do the work.

Start small and build. Day one of viva prep doesn’t have to mean reading your whole thesis, checking ten papers and having a mock viva. Build up to that. Read a little and then do more the next day.

The last week of viva prep will probably be busier than the first – but the last day might be more relaxed as you realise you’ve built up everything you need for meeting your examiners.

After all, you’re building on solid foundations.

Nathan

Final Preparations

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My last viva prep task was to knock on my supervisor’s door with fifteen minutes to go, “Hi Hugh, just to check one more time, a genus 2 mutant can be defined as….?”

What will your final prep be?

Perhaps you’ll just check you have everything in your bag. Maybe you’ll focus on re-reading something one more time. Your last prep step could be to relax with a cup of coffee.

Or like me, your last task will be to stress at the last moment.

 

There’s an element of choice involved. You can plan your viva preparation. Sketch out a plan when you reach submission. You don’t need to account for every minute of every day until your viva, but by looking ahead you can remove stress, rush and a lot of doubts.

The last step in getting ready for your viva could be tiny or could be a big task. It’s better if it’s not panicked or stressed.

Nathan

Your Viva, Your Prep

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There are regulations, trends for the viva process and departmental good practice which can give you an idea of what your viva might be like – but then your viva will be one of a kind, unique and never repeated.

There are a lot of well-founded good ideas for the general process of viva preparation, both in terms of what someone could do to get ready and when – but your situation is unique, your preferences are your own and you have to make it work well for you.

 

Vivas are unique to the individual, their research, their thesis and their circumstances – even while there are lots of things that can be certain or expected about the process.

Viva prep is the same: unique to the individual but grounded on good practice and useful ideas that are applicable by any candidate.

What do your PhD circumstances mean for your viva? What do they mean for your viva prep?

Nathan

Set Your Course

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Good viva prep is like embarking on any long trip or expedition (or any project): you plan, figure out a direction and get started.

Good viva prep is planned. It’s less effective and more stressful if you improvise completely. It takes time to do and a little time to first consider how you will do it. You can decide when, where, how and so on. As you plan you can figure out sticking points or stumbling blocks.

You can set your course – but you also have to be ready to adapt if circumstances change.

If you have a bad day, if something goes wrong, if you forget something then the plan changes and you go with the changes. This is just what you would do with any long trip or expedition – or any project – or the viva itself!

Set your course, but be ready to adapt.

Nathan

Why You Rehearse

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An incomplete list of reasons why a PhD candidate would benefit from rehearsal before the viva.

To know how it might feel to be in the viva, minute to minute.

To get a sense of what you might do when you’re asked a question.

To get a sense of how you might feel and what you might do when you’re asked an unexpected question.

To practise what you might do when asked a question.

To practise talking about your work with a good audience.

To review how you did afterwards.

To explore your work.

To explore how you describe your work.

To ask questions about your work and how others see it.

To revise your plans for your viva prep.

To build your confidence for the viva.

To hopefully feel better about your viva.

To experience what it feels like to say “I don’t know.”

To demonstrate to yourself that you can do it.

 

Rehearsal isn’t limited to a mock viva. There are many other opportunities like having a chat, coffee with friends, giving a seminar or having a mini-viva.

And the list of reasons above is incomplete. Why else might you rehearse for your viva?

Nathan

Consistent & Different

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Thesis annotation is a useful part of viva prep. Take time to review your thesis and add details to make a more useful version for your viva. Make things in your thesis easier to find and easier to see at a glance.

Thesis annotation is inherently personal as your thesis is unique. Follow your preferences for information and marking up work to make your thesis helpful for you.

Two words that might help you annotate well are consistent and different.

  • Be consistent in how you annotate things. If you underline your typos in red ink, for example, do that throughout your thesis and don’t switch it up.
  • Be different in how you annotate different things. So, for example, if you use pink highlighter to emphasise key references then use a green highlighter to add emphasis to quotes or statistics.

Keep consistent and different in mind to make the final, annotated version of your thesis as useful as possible for you at the viva. Make it so that when you see an addition it is clear and unambiguous.

Nathan

Resting

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Include some rest time in your viva prep plan.

Your circumstances might not allow for proper time off. Holidays and breaks might be out but certainly give yourself time away from your research.

Your day-to-day life might be filled with work, family obligations or caring responsibilities. If this is so, don’t then go straight from submitting your thesis to viva prep.

Rest from your research. Rest from your thesis. A little breathing room will help when you return to your work.

Nathan

Considering Prep

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If you’re trying to explore any problem or project then remember SWOT:

  • What strengths do you have that could help?
  • Do you have any weaknesses that could make this more difficult?
  • What opportunities might you take advantage of in this situation?
  • Are there any threats to your success?

In particular, when it comes to viva prep, you could apply the questions to consider the following:

  • What could you consider as strengths for getting ready? (resources, knowledge, skills)
  • What weaknesses do you need to address? (resources, circumstances, perspectives)
  • Are there opportunities you could use to help you get ready? (people, events, resources)
  • Are there any threats to getting the work done? (events, risks, situations)

Exploring each of these could help you plan your viva preparation.

Remember that while your plans might not go exactly as you want, given the momentum you have from your PhD journey so far and the talent you have built up there are no real threats that could stop you being prepared for your viva.

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