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Tag: viva expectations

Nathan

Certainty

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You can’t know in advance what questions you’ll be asked at your viva. You can’t know how long it will be. You can’t know exactly what opinions your examiners will hold. A viva experience happens based on a range of expectations, combined with the regulations of an institution and the individual thesis and candidate.

And with all of that true, there’s still a lot you can be certain about for your viva.

You can be certain that your examiners have prepared. You can be certain that their questions, whatever they are, are all carefully considered. You can be certain of who your examiners are before your viva by researching them, if needed. You can be certain of the range of expectations because so many people have shared their viva stories.

And you can be certain of who you are, what you’ve done and what you know. You can be certain that you are ready.

Nathan

Out With The Old

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What are you holding on to that you don’t need any more?

Perhaps it’s a drift of papers that you’ve never quite got around to reading. Maybe some scraps of notes for a section you’re not sure you need in your thesis. Or maybe you’re holding on to ideas about the viva that don’t help you.

If you think that vivas are a big mystery, then you can replace those thoughts with real expectations. Talk to people about their viva experiences, read blog posts and find out more. If you wonder what examiners might ask about your work then talk to your supervisor. Again, ask people about their vivas for a sense of what’s wanted. And read your thesis because that’s something you’ll definitely be asked about in your viva.

And if you worry that you’re not good enough, that you need to know more or need to be better, then look back over your PhD journey for the success. Look for the highlights. Realise when and how you have become a more capable researcher.

Let go of the old ideas that don’t help, and find new ways to think about yourself, your work and the viva.

Nathan

The Viva Radar

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In movies, people look at radar, sonar and other detection screens and as a noise pings and a blur moves across the screen they say, “Something’s coming!”

Everyone stops and stares, holds their breath and wonders, “What is it? It’s getting closer! It’s big! It’s almost here!”

They wait to see what will happen. What exactly is this thing? What do they need to do in that situation? And then whatever it is – a submarine, an alien, a spaceship – arrives and urgent action is needed.

 

This isn’t so different from the situation some PhD candidates find themselves in with their viva.

“My viva is coming soon! Something will happen! I’ll be asked some questions! I need to get ready!”

But they hold it all in. They focus inwards. They wait until the day nears and they have to take urgent action.

Thousands of vivas happen every year. There are plenty of people around every candidate, not to mention books, blogs, podcasts, resources, supervisors, graduate schools and more. There is no reason for the viva to be just another vague blob on your screen.

Find out what it is and you’ll know what you need to do.

Nathan

The Right Words

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There are wrong words you could use in the viva. You could exaggerate or bluff. You could lie! You could mis-speak. You could be too modest or you could be careless in your thought or speech.

There are no perfect words for the viva discussion. Your examiners don’t expect you to respond like a machine without hesitation, errors or deliberation. Questions can have answers but they could also have opinions offered or hunches shared. You can say I don’t know.

You need the right words in your viva. The right words aren’t perfect, but they are considered. The right words aren’t scripted but can benefit from practice beforehand. The right words don’t require knowing the questions ahead of time or special understanding of the process.

The right words just require you to do the work. Do the work and you’ll find the right words on your viva day.

Nathan

A Cracking Viva

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A viva is a little like a Christmas cracker.

There’s a moment of tension between two sides. There’s an expectation that something will happen. But what?

Christmas crackers and vivas have a lot of variety. Some are small, some are big.

The contents can vary wildly. Some people like them and some don’t, but all put up with them when it’s time.

The tension is real-

-and then it’s done.

Nathan

Evaluating Success

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Why do candidates succeed at the viva?

How do they do it?

What does that success look like?

 

The why is pretty simple: they have done enough in and through their research to produce a suitably good thesis and suitably capable researcher.

The how isn’t hard either: candidates demonstrate in the thesis and through the viva that they have done enough. They engage with their examiners’ questions and comments and participate in the discussion of the viva.

What success looks like varies: in the majority of vivas, success means being asked to complete some corrections to the satisfaction of examiners. Amendments for the thesis are requested, done and checked in the weeks following the viva.

 

Why will you succeed? Because you’ve done the work and you’re good.

How will you do it? You’ll demonstrate what’s needed at the viva.

What does success look like for you? A little more work to round out the thesis – and smiles!

Nathan

Good Reasons

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There are good reasons to have your supervisor present at your viva.

They can make notes on your behalf. After the viva these notes could be helpful for completing corrections or continuing research. Your supervisor could also be a friendly face in your viva. It’s not supposed to be terrible, but knowing they are there could help how you feel.

There are also good reasons not to have your supervisor at your viva.

They can only be present: they can’t ask questions or respond to them. And it could be that while they are a friendly face that might not be what you need. For how you feel about your viva, an audience of any kind might be the last thing you want.

Rather than weigh pros and cons, reflect on what you want and what you need for your viva. That might include your supervisor or it might not. Whatever you decide your reasons are good enough.

Nathan

Fifteen

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What should I include in a 15-minute summary of my thesis?

The candidate asking me this had been prompted by their examiners to prepare a presentation to start their viva. This isn’t a common situation, but it’s one way to begin the viva. I can’t remember what I said in the moment that I was asked – it was towards the end of a three-hour webinar – but remembering it today I’m struck by several thoughts.

Fifteen minutes isn’t very long to summarise a thesis, so it pays to be concise. It helps to rehearse. It helps to think things through. And the question, as asked, is worth interrogating: should isn’t helpful. There are lots of things one could do.

Here are fifteen points and questions to reflect on if you were asked to prepare a fifteen-minute presentation for the viva:

  1. Why did you want to do this research?
  2. Why did the research need doing?
  3. What were the main methods you used?
  4. What literature supported the approach that you took?
  5. What makes your work an original contribution?
  6. What are you proudest of in what you have done?
  7. What was the hardest problem you overcame?
  8. What can you explain simply in the space of fifteen minutes?
  9. What can you not explain in the space of fifteen minutes?
  10. Given that your examiners have read your thesis, what do you need to re-emphasise in a presentation at the start of your viva?
  11. How does your work make a difference?
  12. How has your work made a difference in you?
  13. What do you need to start your presentation by saying?
  14. What do you need to conclude your presentation with?
  15. What can you safely leave out of your presentation?

Even if you – like most candidates – are not asked to prepare an opening presentation, reflecting on many of these questions could be useful before your viva!

Nathan

Exceptional

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There are lots of expectations for what vivas are supposed to be like.

Vivas tend to last a certain length, it’s typical for candidates to have two examiners, it’s common for them to take place within three months of submission, and so on.

Of course, there are exceptions.

  • Some exceptions arise from who the candidate is. If you are a full-time member of staff at your institution then you might have more than two examiners.
  • Some exceptions arise from what a candidate does. It may be that your research necessitates some kind of demonstration of work that wouldn’t be standard in most vivas.
  • Some exceptions come from what a candidate has written. A specific kind of research or thesis could require certain approaches in the viva that aren’t typical.
  • And some exceptions just happen. You could have an examiner who isn’t an academic or there may, for some reason, be a difference in the viva process for you.

Vivas have expectations, but there are always exceptions. What do you do if you find out that yours will be a little different? You ask for help. Talk to your supervisors or ask your graduate school. Your exception will not be so exceptional that you can find no support if you need it.

If your viva is going to be different then ask yourself what that really means for you and for the process. Then ask yourself if that really makes much of a difference at all – or is the exceptional circumstance just one more thing to keep in mind?

Nathan

Always Check The Rules

Daily Post

A simple plea for a Saturday: always, always read the regulations for thesis examination at your institution. Read the rules for the viva at your university.

They might be a little dull in places, but you will get confirmation about who does what, when you find things out and see estimates on how long things like the submission period will take.

There may even be things you don’t expect: a candidate told me recently that they had to take proof of their identity to their viva!

Always check the rules. It won’t take much to find them and won’t take long to read them.

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