You Are Here

Tag: viva confidence

Nathan

List Ten Problems

Daily Post

Here’s a little viva prep exercise to unpack problems you faced on your PhD journey.

Start by listing up to ten problems that you faced. These could be access to literature or resources, time challenges, supervisory issues, personal circumstances, a particularly difficult research issue or something else.

Once you have up to ten on your list take a minute or two to rank them according to severity, starting with the one which had least impact and then working your way to the most severe.

For each one write a few notes to respond to the following questions:

  • Why was it a problem?
  • How did you overcome it?
  • What was the specific impact on your PhD?

Reflecting and writing you will build up ideas for how you could talk about this with your examiners if the topic comes up at your viva. You might make connections between problems and see there was a deeper issue you addressed.

However big the problems were you will also see that you were able to rise to meet them: you overcame a lot to get this far and that means something, both for your research and for you.

Nathan

Keeping Score

Daily Post

You don’t get points for right answers in the viva.

You don’t get marks deducted depending on how long you take to respond.

You don’t get a final mark – there’s no A, B or 7/10.

Your level of corrections aren’t a grade: they are simply a part of the process.

 

You can keep score for yourself before your viva.

Tally the days you showed up. Count the papers and books you’ve read. Add up all the versions of all of the pages you wrote. Consider how many times you’ve done the practical elements of your research (experiments, models, paper, interviews, hypotheses and so on).

When you consider the numbers of all of these things you can see that you’ve built up an impressive score of your own – that corresponds with your capability, your knowledge and the confidence you can feel for meeting with your examiners and succeeding at your viva.

 

PS: If you want more idea on confidence building then take a look at The Confidence Issue – the most recent curated collection of Viva Survivors Select. Twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive plus new helpful resources. And the final collection of this volume, The Survival Issue, will be released next week on Wednesday 12th November 2025!

Nathan

Two Months Left

Daily Post

Use the next two months as an opportunity to finish the year in a good place for your viva.

Every day for the rest of the year take two minutes to do one of the following:

  • Write down a work-related achievement from that day;
  • Write down one thing in your thesis you are proud of;
  • Write down one thing from your research that didn’t exist before your PhD;
  • Write down one thing that moves you closer to being ready for your viva.

If you do this for the next sixty days – let’s say you take Christmas Day off! – then you’ll have sixty small pieces of confidence for your viva. Sixty small thoughts that will help you start 2026 in a good place for whatever challenges await you.

Two minutes per day, one thought written down per day. What will you do?

Nathan

Is A Video Viva A Good Idea?

Daily Post

Things have come a long way since the emergency measures of 2020 when, against an uncertain background, many PhD candidates had to change plans and have a viva over video.

Without the stress of those times there are definite pros and cons of a video viva.

On the plus side:

  • Not needing to travel could be a positive for many candidates;
  • Not needing to meet in person could reduce anxiety for some;
  • Being able to control the setup and space could be really helpful.

And of course, there are some situations where a video viva isn’t just a positive idea: it could be a necessity that will allow someone to have a viva at all or participate fully.

There are potential negatives though:

  • Anecdotes suggest that video vivas are more formalised, probably due to the format;
  • There is the potential for conversations to be awkward because of platform limitations;
  • They might not allow for networking-style conversations in the same way as an in-person conversation.

Where does all of this leave a candidate wondering what to do?

 

Unless a video viva is a necessity because of travel or availability it just depends on the candidate and what they feel they need. There are plenty of positives that can make a video viva a good experience. The negatives are not overwhelmingly negative in any way.

And remember: we are not in 2020 any more. Technology, training and experience has moved on. A video viva is a known thing and can be learned about and prepared for. If you need one or are thinking about one it’s not a bad idea at all.

Whatever the format the purpose and process of the viva is the same. You can do well in it wherever you are.

 

PS: I’ll be sharing a lot more about the general viva process at my Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 3rd December 2025. This is my comprehensive session on getting ready for the viva. Check the link for full details of what to expect but please get in touch if you have any questions!

Nathan

Getting To Done

Daily Post

How did you get this far in your PhD journey?

There’s a great series of steps, actions, ideas, questions, papers, successes, failures, setbacks, breakthroughs, meetings and long hours.

All of which boils down to: you did it.

The talent, skill and knowledge are yours. The actions were yours.

You did it. Remember that as you get ready for your viva.

Nathan

Unusual Expectations

Daily Post

Some PhD candidates have unusual expectations for their vivas.

I’m not a mind-reader, but I know this must be true because of the questions that some candidates ask. I have met candidates who have expected the following:

  • Every question will be hard and every comment will be critical;
  • The external will ask most of the questions and the internal won’t care;
  • Success at the viva is 50/50, a coin toss between passing and failing;
  • The examiners will play good cop/bad cop!
  • The viva is just random so there’s no way to prepare.

These are all quite extreme! More benign and unusual expectations include candidates believing that they can’t take a break or that they can’t consult their thesis.

 

It’s not just that these expectations are wrong and don’t match reality: they are really negative. To hold them can only harm someone’s confidence as they get ready.

It’s not wrong to feel nervous ahead of your viva, but if you find yourself worried by an expectation or belief about the viva then find a way to check if your expectation is reasonable. If it’s unusual then you can maybe stop worrying.

And if you find that it isn’t unusual then there will still be something you can do towards feeling more prepared and more ready.

 

PS: I released the latest edition of Viva Survivors Select yesterday! The Confidence Issue contains twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive exploring confidence for the viva including how to respond well to questions in the viva – something which definitely helps with having good expectations.

Nathan

Viva Survivors Select 07

Update

It was a few years after my PhD before I started to feel confident. It took me time to find a way to build it up for myself. I didn’t find it during my PhD or ahead of my viva: I thought my thesis was pretty good but didn’t think I was a good candidate. I knew something was missing on my viva day but didn’t know what it was.

After my PhD I started to listen to podcasts, read blog posts and found books that helped me assemble a jigsaw of confidence from myself, borrowing ideas from many different places and finding what worked for me.

I’ve had the good fortune to spend my post-PhD life exploring confidence for myself and how to help other people find it for themselves. I’m glad to have the chance to share some help, encouragement and ideas in this month’s issue of Viva Survivors Select.

Cover of Viva Survivors Select 07/The Confidence Issue/Nathan Ryder. Background image shows a pair of hands holding a small plant growing in soil.

The Confidence Issue contains twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive exploring confidence in the PhD, helpful practices to try during viva prep and how to respond to questions in the viva. This is a topic I’ve explored a lot over the last fifteen years and it’s great to share a curated resource like this zine.

Every issue of Viva Survivors Select also contains new help too. This month I share my thoughts on making a playlist to help promote confidence. I love using music to prompt a shift of feelings and know I’m not alone in thinking it’s a useful nudge – and nudging confidence is the theme of my other new piece, a short game to help people getting ready for their viva.

Viva Survivors Select 07 is out now for £3 and joins six other issues in this ongoing series. If you like the blog, want more help and want to support what I do then please take a look at and consider buying The Confidence Issue.

The final issue of this volume, The Survival Issue, will be released on Wednesday 12th November. I’m also considering releasing a bundle of all eight issues of Volume 1 for a special price. Let me know if you think that’s a good idea!

Please do pass on details of this issue and Viva Survivors Select to anyone you know who is looking for viva help.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Nathan

Catalysts For Action

Daily Post

I bought a leather cover for my blog post ideas notebook and it completely changed how I use it.

The cover makes the book feel special. The cover protects the paper notebook so I feel better about carrying it around with me. The cover has little pockets for notes too!

And the cover is an extra reminder to me about what the book is for. It’s one more thing to encourage me to do the work.

Leather notebook cover with a yellow Bic pen on top against a blue background
The cover does mark quite easily!

The leather cover wasn’t that expensive. By itself it doesn’t do the work. It just helps the work get done.

What little things can you do to help your viva prep? What little changes could make you feel more ready for your viva?

By themselves little changes aren’t the work but they help the process along. A small change can be a catalyst for action. It can be an encouragement for or a reminder of what you’re doing or why you’re doing it.

What could you do to help your viva? Make a list of some ideas that might help – then make a choice and take it from there.

 

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

Nathan

Verb Carefully

Daily Post

If you’re getting ready to endure your viva then you’re probably not going to approach it with a good frame of mind. If you are hoping it goes well you’re probably downplaying the force of your other prep and work.

It’s one thing to worry that your viva will be a nightmare – a nasty noun could easily distract you – but the real concern is that you might worry!

Unhelpful verbs while you’re thinking about your viva and viva prep can have a big impact on your confidence. You might not simply be able to choose how you feel or choose the verbs you keep in mind but if you’re aware of negative associations you can make changes. Read the regulations for the viva, ask for support and find out more about what to expect.

How do you want to approach your viva? What do you need to change? What will you do?

Nathan

Removing Obstacles To Being Ready

Daily Post

What’s getting in the way of you being prepared for your viva?

  • Not being sure what to do;
  • Not knowing something;
  • Not having support from people;
  • Feeling like there’s not enough time;
  • Feeling like there’s not the right time;
  • Feeling like there’s too much to do;
  • Feeling nervous, worried, scared or unsure;
  • Not feeling as confident as you want to.

 

What can you do about these sources of friction and irritation?

  • Read viva regulations;
  • Talk to your supervisor and your friends;
  • Make a plan;
  • Reflect on your PhD experience;
  • Read a blog post or two;
  • Explore what help is available from your university;
  • Explore what help is available elsewhere (like daily blogs that also offer webinars sometimes!)
  • Reflect to find the root cause of what’s in the way.

 

That last point is really helpful actually: if you know you feel something that’s getting in the way of being prepared and you know WHY you’re feeling it then there’s typically a lot you can do to help yourself.

Figure out why and you can remove any obstacles in your way.

1 2 3 … 71