Daily viva help for PhDs
Important questions in the viva are interested in the why of the decisions you made during your PhD.
Why this topic?
Why this method rather than that one?
Why did you decide to focus on this approach?
Take a little time in your preparation to review the choices you’ve made and the reasons that supported them.
Unless they are both well-known to you before you submit your thesis, take some time in your viva prep to find out more about both your internal and your external.
Your examiners, whoever they are, are not just two random people. They are chosen for particular reasons. Explore that choice with your supervisors, explore your examiners’ work and explore the role of the examiner to be well-prepared for meeting them in your viva.
Do read your thesis in preparation for your viva, but don’t feel that you have to memorise it to be able to respond to questions well.
Do check the regulations to know about various outcomes, but don’t focus too much on major corrections as you are less likely to receive them.
Do check your examiners’ recent work to have a sense of their interests, but don’t become an expert in what they do – unless you already are!
Do prepare well for your viva and don’t forget that you are building up from a solid foundation of talent, knowledge and experience from your years of work.
Creating a summary is a useful viva prep task, but it can be a daunting one when you are faced with a blank page. There’s a lot of space to fill, and if you only intend to write something then it can be easy to be overwhelmed at the prospect.
Instead, have a clear idea in mind when you set to work to write a summary. On a single page you could:
Summaries allow you to gather your thoughts and key ideas before the viva. They are an opportunity to reflect and consider many aspects of your research. Don’t let a new page intimidate you as you get started!
As you get ready for your viva:
Looking back helps remind you of the journey that has lead you this far. Taking action now can help you be more prepared for your viva. Looking ahead and reflecting on the challenges you’ll face will allow you to be more ready for when they arrive.
An archer doesn’t get close to the target consistently through luck. If their arrow flies and strikes the bullseye they have been fortunate: this particular moment of skill has been rewarded.
It takes time, effort and learning to build capability to the point where someone can consistently hit their target. An archer has a different skillset from a researcher, but both need to demonstrate a great level of commitment and growth tif they are to be good enough to meet the challenges that face them.
When you sit with your examiners, discuss your work and respond to challenging questions you will show yourself to be capable of hitting your target consistently. There’s no luck: it takes time, effort and learning, everything you will have invested in during your PhD journey.
Many aspects of the viva, viva prep, viva expectations and what to do in the many related situations depend on the circumstances.
So many questions. So many scenarios. No easy answers.
It depends.
Explore the context. What does that question mean in your situation? What do you need to do? What is the real issue that you are unsure about?
Viva prep is the set of tasks and activities related to your research and thesis that help you be prepared for meeting with your examiners. You feel comfortable responding to their questions and engaging with the discussion. Viva prep involves reading your thesis, making notes, checking papers and rehearsing.
Getting ready for the viva requires viva prep, but also preparing oneself emotionally for the viva. It involves feeling confident. It involves reflecting on your doctoral journey to realise that your work has value and that you are talented. Getting ready is a lot of practical work and a lot of hidden work.
Viva prep is something that you do in the weeks leading up to your viva, but getting ready for your viva is something that you start when you begin your PhD – if not earlier.
A few weeks ago I shared four pointers that help when preparing for a video viva:
It struck me today that all of these apply for preparing for in-person vivas as well.
There are differences; the good space you need for an in-person viva is the space you’ll prepare in rather than the space for your viva. Even then you can do things to help yourself. Ahead of an in-person viva you can check the room out, be certain it has what you need and make arrangements for anything else that you require.
In-person or over-video, the viva is still the same event. There are differences because of the format, but they are not that great.
Neither are the differences in preparation.
The purpose of viva prep is universal among PhD candidates: it’s part of the work that someone does to help them get ready for the particular challenge they’ll find in the viva.
The principles of viva prep are sound for any postgraduate researcher: read your thesis, annotate it, write summaries of things you need to think about and rehearse for meeting your examiners.
The doing of viva prep is individual for every PhD candidate.
No two candidates have the same prep because no two candidates are the same. Every thesis is unique and every set of circumstances is different. There are similarities and generalisations that can be made, but when it comes to doing the work every candidate has to pause, plan and then do the work in a way that suits them.
Plan the work in advance. Fit it around your other responsibilities. Get the support you need.
Prep is personal.
PS: Looking for more ideas of what you can do to be ready for your viva or how to get the work done? Check out the Viva Help Bundle: three great resources for a special price of £6 until November 30th 2023. The bundle has an edited book of 150+ Viva Survivors posts, my successfully Kickstarted 101 Steps To A Great Viva and an original reflective writing game on the PhD journey. Please do take a look!