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Tag: viva prep

Nathan

Personal Prep Plan

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Every candidate has to read their thesis, make notes, talk with their supervisor, find a way to rehearse and so on to get ready for their viva.

Every candidate has a unique thesis, PhD journey, set of personal circumstances and an interconnected web of needs and preferences for how they do things.

So viva prep has to be personal.

 

There are big picture things that every candidate has to do – but they have to do them in the best way for themselves.

When you get to submission make a list of the things you need to do then sketch a plan for how you might get them done. Pay attention to your needs and preferences and meet them as well as you can. This will help the work to get done.

Make your prep personal.

 

PS: Looking for more viva prep help? Then check out my live 3-hour Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026 where I’ll talk about this and a lot more. You’ll also get four-week access to a recording of the session and follow-up materials too. There’s more information at the link but please get in touch if you have any questions or want to know more. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Valuable Work

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It’s a PhD expectation that you will have made a significant and original contribution to research.

Your work is valuable – so as you prepare, reflect:

  • Who will value your research?
  • What does your contribution add to knowledge?
  • Which journals might find your results and conclusions valuable?
  • What might your particular examiners find valuable?

The last question isn’t necessarily the most important but it is relevant because you’ll be talking with these two people for hours.

If there is something they might connect with then it makes sense to think about who they are, what they do and what they might really want to know – then rehearse how you might share that with them.

Nathan

A Basic Formula

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C = f(c) + P

Or: confidence is a function of your capability plus your preparation.

Or: the confidence you have for something like, say, your viva is related to your capability for your research plus the specific preparation you do for your viva.

 

I’m a pure mathematician by training, so blame that for how my brain has turned this over! A little “formula” like this isn’t very scientific but as a model there are two important things that stand out:

  1. The element that makes the most difference here is your capability as this has grown over a long time. As you get closer to your viva reflect on what has made you good in so many ways.
  2. You have a relatively short amount of time to do viva preparation – so plan your time well and focus on the important tasks first.

If you want your confidence for your viva to grow you have to increase your capability or do more preparation. What makes sense for where you are now?

 

PS: Viva confidence is a big topic at my live 3-hour Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026. I’ll be talk about a lot more too! You’ll also get four-week access to a recording of the session and follow-up materials too. There’s more information at the link but please get in touch if you have any questions or want to know more. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Perspectives Matter

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If there is more than one way to explain what you’ve done or what it means then make sure you practise talking about all of them.

If there was more than one way to accomplish your research goals then it helps to be able to explain what you did AND why you didn’t take the other approaches.

If you and your examiners look at things differently then that’s not a cause for concern – but it makes sense to understand their perspective to respond to it.

 

Writing notes to unpack your thinking or rehearsing aloud how you explain things can be helpful for grappling with also sorts of different perspectives.

What you have ultimately done through your work matters a lot – it’s one of the key things you’re there to talk about at your viva – but being aware of the variety of perspectives, processes, beliefs and understandings matters a lot too.

Nathan

That Next Step

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Whether you prepare for your viva in a series of twenty minute tasks or use three-hour blocks of activity, do yourself a favour: finish your prep time by making a note of the thing you’ll do next.

PhD candidates often find themselves getting ready by working around all of the other things in their life. This can mean prep time is work when they’re already tired and not in the mood to do more work. A note made ahead of time can remove friction, take away one more decision and give direction when someone needs it.

  • Read Chapter 3.
  • Make a list of key references.
  • Suggest mock viva dates.

When you plan ahead even a little you free up space to work well. Do yourself a favour and decide in advance what your next step will be when you finish a piece of viva prep.

Nathan

Your Objectives

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Why did you start your PhD? What was your objective when you began?

As you continued through the years how did your work develop? Did your objectives change?

And as you reach the conclusion how do you feel you’ve reached your objectives? What are your objectives for the future?

Some of the questions above might be in the background of your viva. Some are probably not typical of discussions but all are worth reflecting on as you prepare.

What you were doing, why you were doing it and how things changed over time are all worth considering before your viva.

 

PS: Want more reflective viva help? Then check out my live 3-hour Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026 where I’ll share more reflective thoughts and a lot more. You’ll also get four-week access to a recording of the session and follow-up materials too. There’s information at the link but please get in touch if you have questions or want to know more. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Concentrated

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What do you need to help you focus well as you prepare for your viva? What can you do to help you focus on what you need to in your viva? Every candidate is different in terms of their situation, their research, their preferences, so the “right answer” for you might be very different to someone else.

To help you focus well as you prepare for your viva, you might…

  • …need to clear specific times to get ready.
  • …follow a particular plan as you approach the work.
  • …need practical support.
  • …want to use specific stationery or approaches that work for you.
  • …keep a notebook of ideas and prompts to reflect on.

To help you focus well at the viva, you could…

  • …add navigation prompts in advance to your thesis with sticky notes or bookmarks.
  • …prepare by adding highlighting and underlining to your thesis pages.
  • …ask your examiners to repeat questions.
  • …make a note of questions as they’re asked.
  • …rehearse well beforehand so that you’re prepared for the particular work of the viva.

These are all suggestions that might or might not work for you, depending on your preferences, situation and needs.

Start cultivating your concentration and focus for your viva by considering what you need.

Nathan

What’s It About?

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If you want to describe your research to someone – and do it well – you have to consider who your audience is.

The general audience for your PhD thesis probably has a different knowledge and understanding than a family member who is curious about what you do. If you want to respond well to either audience you have to consider what they might know, what terms you might use and where they might find interesting parallels with their own knowledge.

The general audience for your PhD thesis might overlap with your examiners but the latter will probably have some interesting distinctions. While your research is for a wider audience it makes sense to consider your examiners particularly when you’re preparing for your viva.

You didn’t write your thesis for them but you’re preparing to meet them and talk about it. It makes sense to consider what they might know, what they probably understand and to explore what they have been working on recently to look for connections and mutual understanding.

Perfection isn’t the goal with preparing for your examiners. You’re working towards being ready to explore your research and present yourself as a capable researcher.

That’s what it’s all about.

Nathan

A Rough Outline

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Whenever you set your mind to creating a summary as part of viva prep start by making a quick rough outline. Give yourself two minutes to write down keywords, bullet points and essential details that you must include in whatever summary you’re going to write.

A rough outline is a catalyst for the real work. It’s not about writing more quickly but writing it at all! A blank page is a tricky opponent and often PhD candidates have to do viva prep after their regular working day. Any help you can give yourself to start well is a good thing.

A two-minute rough outline is a good starting point for any summary whether it’s a list, an overview, a mind map, a page of paragraphs.

What else could you do to help your viva prep tasks go well?

Nathan

Closing Stages

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When you’re close to being done with your PhD it’s a really good idea to pause and check you’ve not missed anything. This applies to all of the closing stages: writing up, submission, viva prep, the viva and the post-viva period.

As you finish writing up make sure you leave time to talk to your supervisors and reflect on their final feedback. With a little thought and planning you can submit your best possible thesis. Take time to check the regulations so you know you’ve not missed anything important.

Submission should be a happy exercise in following forms and guidelines! It might be an anti-climax in some ways though; one day you’re working hard to finish writing a book and the next day you’ve hit return on a webpage submission. You can still take time to make sure it’s done well.

Viva prep is best when it is personal and planned. Look for advice but do it your way. When you submit your thesis invest a little time to sketch out a plan for doing it well. Aim to remove stress from the process.

You’ve read the regulations but also remember to talk to PhD graduates about their viva experiences. Get a sense of what to expect. If you’re worried find an action to take that will lower the worry.

At your viva pause and think before you respond to any question or comment. Take it slow and remember how you’ve got to this point and all the work you’ve done.

Finally, when the viva is done and you know what corrections you need to do take time to make a plan. Check the regulations again. Ask for guidance on anything unclear. Figure out how and when you will get the work done. It helps to know in advance how much time is typically given for completing corrections and what the process is for submitting your final thesis.

There are lots of stages to the end of the PhD journey. As you get close to them take your time to do them well. Often this means checking details or making a plan – and typically the sooner you do these the more ready you will be for tackling the final closing stages.

 

PS: Looking for more help with getting ready for your viva? Then check out my live 3-hour Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026 – I’ll talk about a lot of things to help with your viva! You’ll get four-week access to a recording of the session and plenty of follow-up materials too. There’s more information at the link but please get in touch if you have any questions or want to know more. Thanks for reading!

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