Daily viva help for PhDs
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.
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!
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.
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?
It’s always worth saying: yes, you can have a break in your viva.
A bathroom break.
A medically necessary break.
A break to breathe and relax or compose yourself.
An hour in, two hours in, three hours in, it doesn’t matter when.
Your examiners might offer, but you can always ask.
Then at the end of your viva, most likely, one more short break while your examiners discuss the outcome. They exchange notes and reach their final consensus.
For that final break decide in advance what you might do, so that you aren’t sitting and wondering about what just happened and what is about to happen.
And hopefully when your viva is finished you can take a longer break that is solely about relaxing and resting.
I listen to podcasts while I wash the dishes. It’s my little bit of “me time” in a busy day!
Recently, while scrubbing away at a pan I was struck by how often someone being interviewed began their response by saying, “That’s a good question…” They said it a lot, and every time they sounded very sincere and genuine – almost delighted to have been asked.
Many years ago in a short presentation skills seminar I was told that saying “that’s a good question” was a good way to stall and play for time to think. It could help to create a good impression and – as a presenter – engage with the person asking the question.
All those things can be true but stood in my kitchen with my hands covered in bubbles it hit me that it was also a really positive attitude to take into the viva.
Now, I don’t mean that every time your examiners ask something, you have to smile and say, “That’s a good question!”
But rather than worry in advance about what might come up, or ponder in the moment what your examiners could mean, just think that all of the questions you will be asked will be good questions.
Every single one.
Good because the topic is good.
Good because they get you to talk about something great.
Good because they challenge you.
Good because they highlight something that needs to be talked about.
Good because they help you get one step closer to the end of your viva and passing.
Your role in the viva is to engage with the discussion and respond to questions. Will some of them be tough? Probably – but start with the idea that they will all be good to give yourself a helpful way to engage throughout your viva.
There are three types of people at your viva: those who will be there, those who might be there and those who may be there only if you agree.
Your examiners WILL be there. Every candidate in the UK has at least two examiners, typically one internal and one external. There are exceptions, but the majority of candidates will have two experienced academics examine them. Yours will have read your thesis, prepared and be ready to discuss whatever is needed at your viva.
You MIGHT have an independent chair at your viva. This person would typically be a senior academic from your university. They would act as an observer: no questions asked, no opinions given, except to confirm that the viva has been appropriate and fair. Not all vivas have an independent chair. It’s a good idea to check and find out if you might have one, so that you can prepare yourself accordingly.
Your supervisor may be present at your viva ONLY IF YOU AGREE. If they come they can only observe. No questions asked, no responses given. They could make notes on your behalf, but their presence might be stressful for you. You get to decide if they’re there: if you say no, they can’t go.
Oh! And you WILL be there. It’s your viva!
I was in full flow in my viva. The questions were challenging but fair. I was working hard to explain and explore my work, but that was, I suppose, to be expected.
Then I happened to notice the time. The clock on the wall informing me that we had been discussing things now for almost two-and-a-half hours.
I didn’t know if this was good or bad. I had no real expectations or understanding of what happened at a viva. But two-and-a-half hours seemed like a long time. I was surprised that was how long it had been so far.
I started to wonder how much longer it might be.
It seemed like a good idea to look up every now and then to “keep an eye on the time”. This quickly became a distraction, the first two-and-a-half hours of my viva had seemed to pass in no time at all. Now it felt as if time had slowed to a crawl…
Staring at the clock didn’t help.
Staring at the clock never helps.
Staring at the clock does nothing but distract.
For the most part the venue for your viva doesn’t make a great difference on your experience. It’s a seminar room or it’s over Zoom, that’s all. However, in either situation, do what you can to avoid staring at the clock.
If you have a video viva, place a little Post-it Note in the corner of your screen to obscure the clock once you get started. If you’re in-person for your viva, arrange to sit with your back to the clock in the meeting room.
Knowing the time does nothing to help you. You will only wonder when you’ll be finished, or whether you’re progressing well. It’s far better to reserve all your focus for simply engaging with the discussion in your viva.
In July, our daughter was in school and so my wife and I snuck to the cinema for a day-time date. Watching the movie on the big screen was amazing: the story, colour, the scale, the sound, all fantastic.
A few weeks ago we watched it all together at home. We drew our curtains, snuggled up on the couch with chocolate and watched the movie on a smaller screen. It was amazing: the story, watching it with my daughter, pausing for hugs in sad moments, stopping to get ice cream, all fantastic.
In both times the movie was the same: we just engaged with it in a different way. In the cinema it was great to be able to get lost in the movie. At home it was great to be super comfortable and together. It was the same, but different.
And this is how we can think about the reality of in-person and video vivas: they are the same, but different.
Same purpose, same parameters, same drivers, same roles, same needs but different locations, different ways of engaging and different opportunities. Depending on who you are, who your examiners are and the regulations of your university you may have a choice or not about where your viva is. But fundamentally, despite the differences, you can expect the same process from the viva.
From time to time I’ve been told that the viva is unfair because candidates are at a great disadvantage due to the position they’re in. Examiners can ask what they want, they have more experience, they get to decide the outcome, candidates don’t know what’s coming – and so on.
I’ll admit, there are things that a candidate won’t know at the start of their viva – but does that really disadvantage them?
There are regulations that govern the viva. There are consistent expectations – patterns of experience – that are derived from countless viva stories. The viva is a custom exam every time, but it springs from the seeds of the candidate’s work. The viva is an exam on their thesis and their journey. A candidate might not know every question, but they know everything they need to be able to respond to them.
A candidate is in a different position to their examiners. They have a different role in the viva. They have different information. But that doesn’t mean they are at a disadvantage.
Too often the viva is thought of as only a negative experience.
Questions, Examiners, The End, Stress, Worry, What If, Failure, The Unknown…
In advance of the viva, for many very understandable reasons, a candidate could expect it is going to be a bad experience. The viva is a necessary part of the PhD process in the UK, but also one that is a little unclear. It’s an exam so thinking about it can be a little worrying. It involves examiners and discussion – which can make thinking about engaging with the viva more than a little concerning.
The viva and the outcome really matter. The viva is important. Hypothetical questions about what might happen and worry about failure are reasonable.
You can’t simply change a negative opinion of the viva. You have to find out more. Ask friends about their experiences. Check the regulations and prepare yourself to meet the expectations you find there. You might still continue to think of the viva as hard or difficult, but it doesn’t have to be a negative experience.
Your viva is a necessary part of your PhD journey. It doesn’t have to be a bad part.