Too many viva fears are rooted in the mistaken belief that examiners are somehow the enemy. I’ve written before about what examiners aren’t, but what are they?
Examiners Are Human: if they think you’re nervous, they’ll respond kindly. They know that anxiety is about the importance of the day.
Examiners Are (usually) PhDs: your examiners know what the viva means. They know what matters, and they have an idea of the work you must have put in to get to that day.
Examiners Are Interested: you’re the only person in that room who has to be there. Examiners are asked and can say no – if they’re doing it, it’s because they’re interested.
That last point gets forgotten sometimes. Your examiners are academics interested in your work. They’ll be ready for your viva. They’ll read your thesis carefully, weigh it up, and come with questions in mind.
If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.
(Henry Ford probably said something like this, but he probably heard something like it from someone else; see here)
A reflection for today: if your viva is coming up, honestly, truthfully, do you think you can pass it? If you do, what are you going to do to make it a certainty? If you think you can’t, what are you going to do to get help? Either way, what are you going to do?
Candidates joke about these terms to describe the viva, but I think the joke masks real fears. They worry that examiners will come in and speak harshly, treat them or their thesis with a lack of respect. They worry that they will come in with an agenda, a pre-determined outcome based on “the right way” to do research.
I can’t say this never happens. I can say that I’ve not heard of many viva experiences that match this fear. I’ve spoken to a lot of people about their vivas, and it’s not come up much. Talk to people from your field about their viva experiences. You’ll find that there are ways that examiners generally behave. They’ve generally prepared well, read your thesis carefully and have fair questions in mind to drive a discussion.
Listen to stories and get it settled in your head: if your examiners disagree with an idea, a method, a conclusion, they will treat you with respect and they will be open to your explanations. They’re not interrogators or inquisitors.
If you’re doing a PhD, the viva is coming. It will happen. It is all about your work, your ideas and what they all mean. The viva reveals things, to your examiners and to you. Your examiners have read your thesis and are exploring something new to them; they’re exploring it with you, the researcher who did it.
However you feel now, today, there’s time to get ready. If your viva is two years away, you have time to explore good examiners. If your viva is tomorrow, you have time to make quick summaries or use questions to unpick your argument. If your submission is six months away you have time to review your thesis structure and explore if there’s any way to improve it. If you submitted a month ago, have time to carefully read your thesis.
Doing a PhD? Your viva is inevitable. But you can be ready when you reach that day. You have time.
One way viva processes differ around the UK is in terms of awards. These are the various outcomes. Often people think in terms of corrections: no corrections, minor corrections and major corrections. If your viva is coming up I would encourage you to check exactly what each of these means at your institution.
Some universities give three months for minor corrections; others, only four weeks. At some institutions major corrections is an acknowledgement that your thesis is on track but you have some substantial editing or rewriting to do; at others, you must formally resubmit your thesis and have a second viva. Check the outcomes before you go to the viva. Better to know all of the possibilities…
…and then temper them with facts. Most people get minor corrections. It’s likely you will too. They won’t be terrible, but they’ll still be work that needs doing. Sketch a plan now. How long would you have to complete them? What would you have to do in order to complete them in that timeframe given everything else you have going on?
Be realistic. Prepare to pass and prepare for that final burst of work to make your best thesis.
I think this is the best way to describe the places where most vivas happen. They might just be another seminar room in your department, but some universities have their own viva suites. You probably can’t control where it will be, but you will know in advance, and that can be really useful.
Any space you’re working in can have an impact on the quality of the work you do. The room your viva is in can have an impact on how you feel. But because you know the location in advance you can do something to help yourself.
Check the layout. Does it make a difference to you if you can see a clock in the room? If there is one, do you want to sit with your back to it? Check it there is a whiteboard, chalkboard or flipchart. Would you need one of these? Is there a window in the door? Would you sit with your back to that, so you don’t get distracted by passers-by?
Environments do have an effect on our confidence and performance. Explore your viva room ahead of time and see what you can do to make it the best space for you.
In 2009 I went on a road trip across the USA. One day my friend and I saw a sign announcing, “PRAIRIE DOG TOWN!! See the world’s largest prairie dog!!” It was over one hundred miles away, and we laughed at something that seemed so silly.
Our feelings changed quickly.
Every few miles there was a different sign talking about the world’s largest prairie dog. Signs said we wouldn’t want to miss it. They counted down the miles. There would be a five-legged cow as well! And other animals: snakes, wolves and more.
The world’s largest prairie dog!
“How big could it be?” we thought. Prairie dogs are quite small normally… Could the world’s largest prairie dog be the size of a pig? Surely no bigger… Could it? Sign after sign told us it would be something amazing, something incredible. On the road to Prairie Dog Town we listened to the story. We built on it and built on it ourselves until…
Your humble author, for comparison…
…it’s a statue. And not even a particularly good one! For over one hundred miles we had amped ourselves up, read the signs, invested hours of conversation and discussion.
It was a statue!!!
Sigh…
There’s a set of persistent, conflicting, stories about the PhD viva:
It’s a big mystery.
It’s all about choosing the “right” examiners.
It’s supposed to be tough.
No-one fails, so don’t treat it seriously.
People do fail…and you might be one of them!
Is it any wonder that by the time of the viva, candidates don’t know which way is up? All they know is that it’s going to be a probably-survivable-but-maybe-not-all-that-good-event.
Stories are useful, but so are facts. With the viva people get swept up in the story about the event and forget their own story. What did you do to get to the viva? How did you do your research? What’s the beginning, middle and end of the journey so far? Whether it has felt easy or hard, whether it’s been rough or smooth, you got this far. You did this.
There was only one set of signs that lead my friend and I to the World’s Largest Prairie Dog. We went because we listened. There are lots of stories that swirl around the viva. Find the facts then listen to your story.
I talk about a lot of different things in Viva Survivor workshops, but there are certain tips or pieces of advice that often encounter a bit of resistance. See if they do the same for you that they do for others:
“Use Post It notes to add bookmarks or details to your thesis.”
“Pause and make a note after each question.”
“Feel free to ask your examiner if they can expand on a point.”
“It’s fine to ask for a break if you need one.”
Did any of those make you feel awkward, or make you feel that it would be awkward in the viva? Are you happy with the idea of pausing in silence to think? Do you feel comfortable with making notes? What do you think your examiners will say if you do or ask for any of these things?
Awkwardness is one of those things we develop over time. It’s related to stories that we come to believe. For example, if you feel awkward about the idea of pausing to make a note after a question, I would guess that you generally believe it’s rude to keep someone waiting if they’ve asked you a question.
Stories are powerful, but you can change them. If you feel awkward about any of the circumstances around the viva, or if anyone’s advice makes you think, “Sounds good but I couldn’t,” then see what you can do to change the story. Explore whether there’s a more helpful narrative you can take with you to talk about your research.
It’s wrong to expect that your viva will be exactly like your friend’s. It’s wrong to think that because every thesis is different there are no similarities between vivas. It’s wrong to expect to fail. It’s wrong to think that the viva is a box-ticking exercise. It’s wrong to think of it as a trial by fire.
All of these represent persistent memes or half-truths about the viva. You’re not stupid for thinking any of them. They’re a product of PhD culture. They get stuck in your head and can be difficult to shift.
Hard though it might be, we need to re-align the viva story. Every viva is unique, but they happen within frameworks. They’ll be different from each other, but there are expectations for how they are done. It’s an exam, it’s a challenge, and it could be tough or uncomfortable because of what you’re there to do – discuss and unpick your work and you as a researcher.
It’s a challenge that you can be ready for. If you did the research and wrote the thesis then you can thrive in the viva.
It’s tough to generalise about examiners but it’s easy to tie yourself in knots about them.
Get an examiner who is an expert and you won’t have to explain the back story to your thesis… Unless they decide to test you and make sure that you understand it all…
Get an examiner who isn’t too connected then there’s no chance that they’ll have an ego to bruise… Although you might need to explain some things to them…
Get someone you know and at least it won’t be a total stranger coming to examine you… Doesn’t sound so bad actually…
It’s tough to generalise about examiners because they’re people. They have their own wants and needs, their own thoughts and feelings. So do you. We can go back and forth on pros and cons, try to second guess what someone might be like, but it’ll only ever be a guess. Whatever qualities you’ve discerned in the past, they’re there to exam your thesis.
All that said: they’re only people. Forget pros and cons. Think about what you need. Think about who you know. Talk to your supervisor. Don’t try to second guess what someone might be like or say. You’ve done the work. Find people who might appreciate it. Do your best to prepare. Then go to the viva and answer their questions.
