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Tag: viva prep

Nathan

Achievements

Daily Post

Think back over the course of your PhD so far and list five big achievements.

  • How did they happen?
  • What did you do?
  • Why do they stand out to you so much?
  • And what did those achievements allow you to do next?

Remember that all of your achievements are yours. You did the work.

You can’t be certain about the questions you’ll face at your viva or your examiners’ opinions but you can be certain of the work you have invested and what you’ve achieved.

 

PS: I’ll dig into more confidence-building viva prep at my live 3-hour Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026. Attendees get four-week access to a recording of the session and follow-up materials too. More details at the link – and you can save £10 on registration with code VSMARCH2026 before Sunday 8th February 2026. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Viva Survivor Webinar, March 25th 2026

Event, Update

Let’s keep this webinar announcement short and simple:

  • I’m running my Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026.
  • Registration is open now for this three-hour live webinar. Participants will have access to a catch-up recording for four weeks after the session and receive follow-up materials including several of my publications.
  • Viva Survivor has been delivered for the last 15 years to more than 8300 PhD candidates at universities and programmes all over the UK.
  • In that time and in over 425 sessions I’ve been continuously developing Viva Survivor to be as helpful as possible to PGRs.
  • You can register now and use code VSMARCH2026 until midnight on Sunday 8th February 2026 to save £10 on registration.

There’s a lot more information at the link about what to expect from the webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026. If you have any questions please get in touch. Viva Survivor is one of my favourite things to do and I’m really looking forward to this session.

Please take a look if you’re interested and don’t forget that the code VSMARCH2026 will save £10 on your ticket if you register before midnight on Sunday 8th February 2026.

Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Nathan

Inspecting Chapters

Daily Post

Pick a chapter in the middle of your thesis. Have a quick read and then consider the following questions for a few minutes each:

  1. What does this chapter add to your thesis?
  2. What did you learn from doing the work?
  3. How did you feel writing this chapter?
  4. How did you feel reading it now?
  5. How many typos or other mistakes have you found?
  6. How many times did you think “I wish I could change that!”?
  7. What else from your research did you think about when reading it?
  8. What do you think your examiners might make of it?

Some of those questions might seem odd or unfair – but probably not as unfair as some of the questions you might ask when you doubt your progress or capability!

 

Doubts and worries are a part of being human but you can decide what you’d like to give your attention to. Not every question is worth your time. You can decide where to put your focus.

Find ways to ignore questions which only hinder your prep and confidence. One approach would be to focus on more helpful questions. In my opinion, questions 1, 2, 7 and 8 are probably the most helpful questions in the example above!

Nathan

Three Overviews

Daily Post

I like the structure of Why-How-What for writing an overview of PhD research:

  • Why did you do this research?
  • How did you do it?
  • What was the result?

Why-How-What has a nice structure for creating a summary during viva prep. It can also be expanded on in other ways. For example:

  • Why did you explore this area?
  • How did your plans change?
  • What do you need to emphasise to your examiners?

A different set of questions can help you draw together different helpful ideas. You could also help your general viva preparation with a quick Why-How-What overview:

  • Why are you on track to succeed at your viva?
  • How could you build your confidence in the coming weeks?
  • What will you do to help yourself?

Keep Why-How-What in mind as you approach your viva. If you’re asked to prepare a presentation as part of your viva, as some candidates are, then consider this as a nice introduction structure too!

 

PS: if you’re looking for helpful viva prep ideas then check out Viva Survivors Select Volume 1. This is my complete collection of helpful viva zines I made last year. Volume 1 has eight issues, 165 curated posts from the archives and lots of new resources – and an introductory offer price until tomorrow at midnight!

Nathan

No Shortcuts Needed

Daily Post

Viva prep takes a little time. It’s the necessary steps to getting ready for your viva. There are no tricks, hacks or shortcuts that will knock it out of the way.

There don’t need to be.

  • Make a plan that fits your needs and situation.
  • Prioritise reading your thesis, annotating it well, creating helpful summaries and rehearsing for the viva.
  • Remember to check the regulations in case you’re missing any detail of what to expect.
  • Give yourself enough time and a good environment for work.
  • Do the work.

That’s it. It takes time! It takes effort! But not a lot of either.

You don’t need shortcuts when the work isn’t long and when the work is the point.

Nathan

Find Your Whys

Daily Post

Why did you want to do a PhD?

Why did you pursue the research that you’ve explored?

Why did you keep going when things were tough?

Why do you believe your work makes a contribution?

Why do you believe you’re ready for your viva?

 

When you have answers to all of these then you’re in a good place to succeed at your viva.

Nathan

Refreshing Your Memory

Daily Post

Photographic recall isn’t needed for viva success. You are expected to know about your field and remember your research but you don’t need to know everything. Your thesis is a resource you can use in your viva to support your memory, your thinking in the moment and what you’re saying in response to your examiners’ questions.

If you worry about remembering things or simply want to be well prepared then you can take steps in your viva preparation to refresh your memory and support yourself in the viva.

  • Read your thesis carefully during prep.
  • Add sticky notes or bookmarks to help you navigate your thesis.
  • Annotate anything in your thesis that you want to stand out.
  • Find opportunities to rehearse responding to questions.

Build your knowledge, refresh your understanding and find ways to prompt your memory. That’s enough to help you be ready for your viva.

 

PS: if you’re looking for more ideas of what you need to be ready for your viva (and what you can do to help yourself) then check out Viva Survivors Select Volume 1. This is my complete collection of helpful viva zines I made last year. Volume 1 has eight issues, 165 curated posts from the archives and lots of new helpful resources – plus an introductory offer price until 31st January 2026!

Nathan

Little Differences

Daily Post

Thesis annotation is an accumulation of little differences.

Margin notes, underlining, bookmarks, highlighting, red pen, encouragements and more.

All of those little differences become a big improvement on your thesis for the viva.

What will you add to make your thesis better?

 

Nathan

Cut

Daily Post

What did you leave out of your thesis?

You can’t have included everything you did over the last few years. You read papers that aren’t listed, had ideas you didn’t follow, worked on projects that ultimately aren’t written about and probably even developed results that you’re not sharing.

Part of the work of writing a thesis is curation: you did a lot but only present the material you think is necessary. For your viva do a little work to remember why. Reflect on what you cut and remember why you didn’t include it.

More importantly, remember what you left in and why. All of the references you’ve included and their impact, all of the ideas and their value, all off the projects and their outcomes – and all of the results and their meaning.

You made a contribution by deciding what really matters.

 

PS: you’ll find more helpful reflections in Viva Survivors Select Volume 1 – my complete collection of helpful viva zines that I made in 2025. Volume 1 is eight issues containing 165 curated posts from the archives along with a lot of new resources to help with viva prep. Check out the introductory offer price available until 31st January 2026.

Nathan

My Checklist

Daily Post

Before I deliver a webinar I go through a checklist to make sure everything is right.

  • Equipment set up?
  • Software running smoothly?
  • All of my session notes up to date?
  • Any special notes for this webinar?
  • Got my backup notes?
  • Water bottle?
  • Break time chocolate stash?
  • Chair adjusted?
  • Captions working on Zoom?
  • Adjusted other Zoom settings?
  • And have I got the paperweight I like to hand?

There are a lot of needs being met here. Some are purely practical: the software and equipment for delivering a webinar. Some are informational: the general and specific notes. Some are emotional: the chocolate and paperweight!

If I meet all of these needs I can be sure I’m ready. This list is the final piece of confidence I’m looking for.

 

What do you need for your viva? Make a list and check things off. Gather up whatever you need in terms of resources. Do the preparations that will support you. Ask for the support you need from other people and from your institution.

Once you meet your needs for the viva then you’re on your way to feeling ready for the exam.

 

PS: one more thing for your checklist might be Viva Survivors Select Volume 1, which I released this week. This is my complete collection of helpful viva zines from 2025: eight issues containing a total of 165 posts from the Viva Survivors archives and lots of new viva prep resources. Volume 1 is a great deal made better with an introductory offer price available until 31st January 2026!

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