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Nathan

The Viva Essentials

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What do you need for a viva?

You need to have a significant, original contribution to research from one or more projects that you’ve completed over (at least) several years.

You need to have a well-written thesis which, in some way, describes the research.

You need to have read the regulations for your institution and learned what to expect generally from a viva.

You need to have two suitable examiners (or sometimes more) who are going to prepare for and examine you at the viva.

You need to prepare for your viva.

You need to make sure that the university makes any necessary adjustments to the viva process to meet your specific needs, if you have any.

You need to show up on the day, ready to engage as well as you can with your examiners’ questions.

 

What else do you need? If you can think of something, how will you get it?

Nathan

Final July Webinar!

Event, Update

“Hi Nathan, Thanks for your time and for setting these up – often it helps to hear about [the viva] from someone not in the department/same uni to get a broader perspective. I felt so assured when you said you’re more likely not to submit a final thesis than you are to fail a viva – so in a way that will make me have a much better summer knowing the hard slog is actually 90% over. I liked the structure of the session as well as your willingness to answer questions and interact with us.”

– PhD Candidate, University of Leeds

These very kind words from a recent attendee at a 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva session were a big boost. It felt like they got exactly what I’m offering with these sessions. It was so nice to receive this feedback 🙂

 

My final viva help webinar before I take a summer break is this Wednesday morning. Bizarrely it will also be the 100th time that I’ve delivered the session.

I say bizarre because it had such strange beginnings: 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva was something small I did to try something new during the first COVID lockdowns in April 2020. I was only going to run it once, maybe twice, but it has grown to be one of my most-requested webinar sessions.

I really love sharing this 1-hour confidence-boost for the viva and seeing how it resonates with PhD candidates. The session is designed to be a confidence boost, concise and valuable, with plenty of time for questions too.

Tickets for my final 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva session of the summer are available now. If you’re looking for viva help then I hope you can join me on Zoom this week:

Registration for this live 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar is £20 and includes a follow-up email, a pdf copy of my 101 Steps To A Great Viva guide and access to a catch-up recording of the session.

Thanks for reading! I hope to see you there – and if you think this might help a friend with their viva prep or viva nerves then please share this message with them.

All the best,

Nathan

Nathan

A Problem

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When you have a problem in your research there are a lot of questions that someone could ask.

  • Why is it a problem?
  • How is it a problem?
  • When did you realise you had a problem?
  • Did you resolve it? How did you do this? Did you have to try anything else first? And can you think of any other way you might have approached it?
  • Was this a one-time problem? A recurring problem? Is there literature about this kind of problem – or even this specific problem?
  • What does it mean to resolve this problem?
  • How have you felt the impact of the problem?
  • How would you advise someone else who faces this problem or similar in the future?

When you have a problem in your research there are a lot of questions that someone could ask – and someone could be one of your examiners.

Consider the problems you’ve faced in your PhD before you go to your viva. The fact that you have faced problems is not negative: it means there plenty of things to talk about which can demonstrate your capability.

Nathan

A Final Conversation

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That’s what my viva was.

Of course, I have told people about my research in the years since, but I moved away from my research discipline into different work. Since June 2008 I’ve never had the opportunity to talk about my PhD research with knowledgeable people who really wanted to know more.

(I’ve had plenty of small chats with polite people who probably regretted asking, “So what did you do for your PhD?”)

I don’t have any regrets but I didn’t know that was going to be the final real conversation I’d have about my PhD work. Your future plans might give you some confidence that there will be plenty more times to come when you can discuss all of what you’ve done…

…but if you’re not sure then please consider: if your viva was the final substantive conversation you would have about your PhD research what would you want to make sure you talk about?

Nathan

Framing The Page

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Every page in your thesis has a significant border. You don’t need to fill all of that space to annotate your thesis well and be ready for your viva. You can make some sensible additions to your thesis pages to make your thesis as useful as possible:

  • You can add sticky notes or bookmarks to help navigate your thesis;
  • You can add short summaries at the top of key pages;
  • You can use colour to draw your attention to specific sentences;
  • You can add notes to help unpick or explain your writing;
  • You can add reminders for the things you really need to remember.

And you can do a lot more.

You don’t need to fill your pages to be well prepared. You can do what you need to get the most from your thesis.

Nathan

Crossing The Gap

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Some candidates worry that viva prep will be a terrible task to complete.

The viva can seem like an awesome task to face – how can you get ready in the few months between submission and the viva when you’re being called to be prepared to talk about your work, yourself and what it all means with two experienced academics?

By recognising that in reality, the gap between who you are at submission and who you need to be for the viva is not that great.

By remembering that viva prep is doing particular work for the particular challenge of the viva – and remembering that if you have got to submission then you are very experienced at rising to challenges.

There’s a little work to do to cross that gap. You can do it.

Nathan

One Sentence Per Day

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Every day after submission write down one sentence describing something that didn’t exist before you made it happen during your PhD.

It could be a result in your thesis. It could be an output or outcome of your research. It could be a chapter of your thesis. It could be a skillset or aptitude that you developed over the last few years. It could be a small idea or a great big contribution.

If you write one sentence per day in this way then by your viva you’ll have dozens of reminders of your capability and contribution.

You’ll have dozens of reminders that underscore why you’ll succeed in your viva.

 

PS: I’ll be exploring core reasons for viva success and confidence at my 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar this Wednesday evening. Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. Hope to see you on Wednesday 8th July 2026 at 7!

Nathan

Listening Back

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“Is it a good idea to record my mock viva?”

I’ve been asked this a lot. I’m not sure it is a good idea.

Rather than simply say no, I always ask a question in response: “What would a recording give you that you really need?”

The experience of a mock viva and maybe a chat with your supervisor afterwards will probably be enough. A mock isn’t about perfecting answers but building confidence in how you respond.

Would listening back to a recording help with that?

I’m not sure it would, but if it sounds good to you then go for it.

Like a lot of viva prep, ask for advice and think for yourself. Make sure you meet your needs.

Nathan

Known & Unknown Questions

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It’s likely that you’re very aware of many questions you’ve been asked in the past:

  • Questions about why you’ve done the research you’ve done;
  • Questions about how you’ve done your research;
  • Questions asked because people don’t know what you know;
  • Questions asked for greater clarity from you;
  • Questions that help unpick what you’ve done;
  • Questions that show the limits or problems of your research.

And, I’m sure, a lot more besides.

It’ll help you to think about these past questions as you prepare for your viva. If any of these questions have been asked several times during your PhD it’s worth thinking about why that is. Perhaps you’ve addressed the question now in your thesis but it’s still worth thinking through. Perhaps some questions are natural consequences of what you’ve done before.

You can be aware of the many questions you’ve been asked in the past. You don’t have to have an answer for all of them though – and you don’t need to worry about the many possible unknown questions you could be asked at your viva.

Or rather, you might worry but you can do more than that.

For example, you can:

  • Read your thesis in preparation;
  • Consider your past questions and think again about how you’ve responded before;
  • Create summaries that help you to focus on what matters in your research;
  • Rehearse for the viva to give you opportunities to think and respond in the moment;
  • Make opportunities to tell others about what you’ve done;
  • Find out more to know the general expectations for viva questions.

You can’t prepare to answer every possible question at the viva by having a big list and thinking about them all – but you can be ready to respond to any possible question that comes up even if it is an unknown.

Nathan

Why Wait?

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Friendly advice time: take a break from your research when you submit your thesis.

Give yourself time to rest, plan your next steps and ask for support. Don’t rush into prep when you’ve only just finished thinking about and working on your thesis.

Wait before you prepare so that you can change gears from the kind of work that has completed your thesis to the particular work that will help you get ready for your viva.

Like any advice there are exceptions – say, if your schedule is so busy it won’t accommodate a break you might prefer to keep busy – but reflect on the intent behind the advice.

It will more likely than not help you to prepare better for your viva if you have a break after submission.

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