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Tag: viva expectations

Nathan

Extras/Essentials

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For your viva you need:

  1. Your thesis;
  2. A notebook and pen;
  3. Something to drink.

These are the absolute essentials that every PhD candidate needs to have with them.

After the essentials there are lots of other things that might be a good idea:

  • Something to eat, in a break or at the end;
  • A list of corrections you’ve spotted;
  • A prototype of something you made;
  • A screen to show a video or software;
  • The means to show, display or demonstrate a creative work;
  • A digital copy of your thesis;
  • Notes in some form;
  • Other materials or resources, as agreed.

These are extras: useful for some people and not appropriate or needed for others. You’ll need to check the regulations, check with your supervisors and decide for yourself perhaps if you really need them.

An item on the list above might not be what you expect – or one item could be exactly what you need.

For some people these really might be considered extras after a thesis, notebook and a water bottle, just something else helpful to have with you.

For some candidates one of the “extras” could be essential to a good viva.

What do you need? What’s an extra and what is absolutely essential for you?

 

PS: you might need a little more support to help you get ready and feel ready. If that thought resonates then please check out my upcoming 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva live webinars. They’re running on Wednesday 24th September and Thursday 30th October and you can find more details of what you’ll find via the link. If you use code DAILYBLOGFAN before midnight tonight then you get a special discount too.

Nathan

The Process of Surviving

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Survive can be defined as manage to keep going in difficult circumstances.

So we can understand surviving the viva as managing to keep going in the difficult circumstances of the viva.

And even more particularly we can understand surviving your viva as managing to keep going in the difficult circumstances of your viva.

 

There are challenges in every viva that make them difficult. There are parts of the process that could be uniquely difficult for a candidate. You prepare for the viva in part so that you manage to keep going, continuing on the journey that you’ve been on for a long time, but you also have to think about what makes the viva difficult for you.

Every candidate probably faces some difficult circumstances at the viva because of the nature of their work and particular situation. Some candidates face difficult circumstances because of how they feel, what they might need for the viva to be fair for them and personal situations that make the viva a greater challenge than it might be for others.

Surviving the viva doesn’t mean overcoming terrible situations. Surviving the viva means continuing to show up as your best self doing your best work. It means facing the situation and making sure in advance that it is as fair as it can be for you.

 

Manage, not struggle. Difficult circumstances rather than almost-impossible situations.

And keep going – because this isn’t the first time you’ve been challenged.

 

PS: you can learn more about the challenge and why you’ll survive at my upcoming 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva live webinars. I’m running the session on Wednesday 24th September and Thursday 30th October: come to find out why people succeed at the viva and why you will too! There are more details via the link and use code DAILYBLOGFAN before midnight tomorrow to get a special discount.

Nathan

Balance

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Viva preparation balances between perfectionism and ignorance.

Confidence for the viva balances nervousness and arrogance for meeting your examiners.

In part, getting ready for your viva means taking time to find your balance.

 

PS: want to hear more about viva prep and viva confidence? Check out 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva, my live webinar running on Wednesday 24th September and Thursday 30th October. You can find full details via the link and use code DAILYBLOGFAN before midnight on Sunday 7th September to get a special discount.

Nathan

What If It Was All OK?

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If you knew that your viva was going to be fine, what would you do differently now?

I imagine that you would still prepare. You’d still have questions for your supervisor and friends. You’d still want to check the regulations and have a sense of what to expect.

The vast majority of vivas result in success. The majority of PhD candidates are asked to complete minor corrections as a result. The vast majority of vivas are fine, they’re OK, even if they’re a challenge there’s work to do afterwards.

There’s more to being ready than knowing it will be OK, but if you assumed it was going to be fine could you enjoy it more? Could you be excited?

When you know what your starting assumptions are for your viva – and if you assume it will go well – you’ll probably work towards it differently.

Nathan

Unscripted

Daily Post

Your examiners have a plan for your viva.

They’ve prepared well. They have questions and prompts to help them ask good questions and get what they need from the process – but they don’t have a script. They don’t have a set list of twenty questions they’ll be working through. They don’t have a rigid plan that they will follow exactly. Their plan guides but allows them space to respond to what you say and how the discussion develops.

 

You will prepare well for your viva.

You’ll invest time in reading your thesis, making notes, creating summaries and hopefully finding ways to rehearse. You don’t need a script for your viva either. Your examiners are happy for you to refer to your thesis but they don’t want you to read from a script. Your responsibility is to respond in the moment, taking part in the discussion and making sure your examiners get what they need.

 

Everyone should be well-prepared for your viva but no-one should be reading from a script.

Nathan

Finding Questions

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Where did your research questions come from?

How did they develop over time?

How did your reading change the questions you asked during your PhD?

Where will your examiners’ questions come from?

What do you expect you will be asked? Why?

What do you hope not to talk about? Why?

 

Reflecting and creating summaries helps you think ahead for your viva. Rehearsing helps you to find words in the moment and be ready for the conversations that you’ll have at the viva.

Explore how you found your research questions in the past and also consider the questions that could be coming your way in the future.

Nathan

Unclear Expectations

Daily Post

Academic culture likes to make the viva seem big, mysterious and important.

The viva is definitely big and important but it’s not mysterious. Every institution has regulations. There are thousands of people every year in the UK who have a viva. There is a wealth of information about it if you look.

If anything about the viva seems unclear then ask questions, read the regulations and generally look to find out more. Send me an email if you like!

Finding out realistic expectations for the viva means you can prepare for it well, feel good about it and know that you are on track to succeed.

So what’s unclear for you? As a result, what will you do to find out more?

Nathan

Ready At The Viva

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Everyone at the viva is ready.

Your examiners have prepared. They were selected for good reasons and have taken the time to study your thesis and do the work required. Your examiners are ready.

Your independent chairperson, if you have one, is there to support the viva. They are experienced, know the regulations and know how best to support the exam. Your independent chair is ready.

Your supervisor, if they’re observing, is ready to watch. They can’t respond to questions and won’t ask any, but can be a friendly face or make notes for later. Your supervisor is ready, if they’re there.

Above all you are ready. Years of work and weeks of prep, all for a few hours when you can show what you’ve done. You are ready.

Nathan

Ask The Right Person

Daily Post

Do you have any of these questions rattling around your mind?

  • What happens at vivas?
  • How much time is given for minor corrections?
  • What does “major corrections” mean?
  • If I don’t want a mock viva what could I do?
  • When do I know when my viva will be?

I’ve been asked these lots of times at webinars, over email and in-person when I used to travel for work. I am always happy to help but it’s also worth pointing out that some questions I’m asked can be dug into far better by the candidate asking.

I can give a general perspective on regulations and expectations – but if you ask someone at your institution or read your regulations you’ll know exactly what you need. I can suggest the kinds of good support you could get from someone else if a mock viva doesn’t feel right – but you could know exactly who around you would be best placed to offer help.

Always ask. If you see me in a webinar or want to send me an email please do! I will always respond. But consider that someone much closer to you could help with some problems much more effectively.

 

PS: the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select contains a lot of helpful thoughts for your viva. It might not answer all your questions, but it will give you a lot of help. It’s available at my Payhip store along with the previous issues of curated collections and other resources too. Take a look if you can and tell anyone else who needs viva help 🙂 Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Viva Survivors Select 05

Update

In 2012 a little spark came to me: “I wonder if people would be interested in hearing viva stories from PhD graduates?”

Eight years ago I realised I couldn’t continue the podcast but wanted to use this space to still do something helpful. A spark: “I wonder if people would be interested in daily viva help?”

Sometimes before you have a concrete idea you have a spark, a what-if, an “I wonder…” that prompts action and leads to something good.

This kind of little notion is what lead to Viva Survivors Select 05, The Sparks Issue, which is out today. In over eight years I’ve written some very long posts and also quite a few short ones as well. For this issue I just wanted to look at those short posts with big helpful ideas.

Cover for Viva Survivors Select 05, The Sparks Issue. Shows two textboxes in the foreground with the title and author (Nathan Ryder) and the publication month, August 2025. Background is black with yellow-orange sparks stirred by a breeze.

The Sparks Issue contains twenty-five posts from the Viva Survivors archive covering a range of topics: viva prep, the PhD journey, building confidence and a lot more. As with previous issues of Viva Survivors Select I’ve also written two new pages: a helpful reflection on how the little things in your PhD journey can have an impact and an original reflective writing game to explore how you’re feeling as you get ready for your viva.

Viva Survivors Select 05 is out now for £3 and joins the first four issues in this ongoing project of monthly viva help. 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 Sparks Issue.

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

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