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Nathan

Ten 2-Minute Viva Prep Tasks

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A simple post! Here’s a list of ten things you can do in two minutes or less that will make a difference to your viva preparations.

  1. Find and download the regulations for thesis examination for your university.
  2. Check and make a note of a member of staff you could contact – in your Graduate School or Doctoral College – in case you need help with arrangements for the viva.
  3. Gather together a suitable assortment of stationery to support annotating your thesis.
  4. Write and send a short email to three friends who could help you have a mini-viva.
  5. Find and bookmark the webpages of your examiners for later reading.
  6. Write a short email to your supervisor(s) asking about their availability in the coming weeks.
  7. Contact two or three people you know who have recently had a viva in your department and ask them a few questions about the experience.
  8. Write “YOU CAN DO THIS” at the top of the first page of your thesis.
  9. Stick a Post-it Note at the start of each chapter in your thesis to help you navigate it well.
  10. Write down one thing that you know is a valuable contribution in your research.

Viva prep takes time, but there are lots of little things that can make a big difference. Whenever you have a spare moment, think about what you can do to help yourself get ready.

 

Bonus 11th suggestion! ReadĀ this blog post about the book I published a few months ago! Ordering in print or ebook will also take less than two minutes and will help! šŸ˜‰

Nathan

Time To Prep

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The time to prepare for the viva is after submission. There are many things you could do before submission that could help – and a lot you do while finishing your thesis will build you up for the viva – but your focus has to be on getting your thesis submitted.

The time to prepare for the viva is not a fixed period for everyone. Work and other responsibilities could mean a shorter time span for some or force activity to be spaced out over a long period than others. Preparing over the course of two to four weeks seems typical for most candidates.

The time to prepare will be better if you plan it: decide in advance how and when you will do the work. Sketch out a schedule that seems suitable and doesn’t leave you feeling stressed.

The time to prepare is getting ready for the particular challenge of the viva. It’s reading, note-making, practice and a chance to remind yourself: I can do this.

Nathan

First Things First

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A little tip for viva prep that can also be applied to any project: whenever you finish a period of activity or a task, leave a note for yourself of the first action you’ll take when you do more work.

  • “Re-read the summary of my methods.”
  • “Email supervisor to arrange mock viva.”
  • “Check recent paper by external.”
  • “Gather stationery for marking up thesis chapters.”

Whatever you need to do next time, leave a note for yourself: a reminder, a prompt, a shove to get started well.

It’s easy to sit down and think “What do I do?” but hard to ignore a clear direction you leave for yourself.

Nathan

What Can You Do?

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At submission you can apply everything you’ve done and learned to make your thesis the best it can be. It takes time but you can do it because you’ve been doing it for so long already.

After submission you can continue to do the work of a researcher in your field. You can take a little time to get ready for the viva.

During the viva you can take what you’ve been building for years and engage with your examiners. You can continue to prove yourself, despite doubts and worries.

There’s a lot to do but not too much. Not for you. When you face a challenge or problem, remember that you could only be facing a situation like this because you have already done so much – and you can do it again.

Nathan

Starting

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Starting the viva could make you feel a minute or two of nervousness. Your examiners will know this might be the case, so will respond accordingly. Simple questions to get things started. Perhaps a presentation, requested in advance, to give you a good way to begin.

Starting the viva is not the first thing you will do on viva day. Consider how you could plan ahead to begin your day well. Decide in advance how you will get to your viva. Decide in advance what you will wear to remove a decision from that day.

Starting the viva is a challenge, but not one that is wholly unknown to you. It is not something for which you have no experience to prepare you. Reflect on what you know about the viva and what you have done that can help you.

Starting the viva is almost the end of your PhD. Remind yourself that you could not have got this far by being lucky or by being unskilled. You must be good by this stage of the journey.

Nathan

You Don’t Need To Be Perfect

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You don’t need to have done perfect research.

You don’t need to have written the perfect thesis.

You can’t have done every possible task in preparation.

You don’t need to have an answer for everything.

You don’t need to be perfect to succeed in your viva.

Work hard, do your best, find out what to expect, prepare as well as you can.

You don’t need to be perfect: you just need to be you.

Nathan

Make A Space

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Gather the things you need to get ready.

Your thesis. A notebook or papers. Pens and assorted stationery. A loose page with a sketch of the coming weeks.

Decide where to do your prep. Find a place and makeĀ your space.

This is where you get ready. This is where the magic happens. Your little zone where your thesis is read and gets better. Where you think and write. Where you check and confirm. Where you ready yourself for a mock and for the real thing.

As you’re reading this post you might be imagining somewhere in particular to do your viva prep. Where are you? Would that space really work for you? And if not there, where? Where can you make a good space to concentrate, relax, think and prepare?

Nathan

Analyse & Annotate

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A helpful part of viva preparation is making your thesis ready for the viva. Then, throughout your discussions with your examiners you have a silent partner, able to support how you think and what you say.

You can write in the margins, stick Post-it Notes in, highlight and underline and do anything to annotate the book and make it better.

How can you make your thesis easier to navigate?

How can you make things easier to find?

How can you make things easier to see at a glance?

Those are the key questions that help you make a well-annotated thesis. You have to analyse what you have and annotate to make it better for you in the viva. Easier navigation could be achieved with Post-it Notes or highlighter tabs. A brief note at the start of each chapter could make things easier to find. Consistent highlighting practice might help you find key words and ideas at a glance.

Analyse and annotate. Find a system that works for you. Make a list, do the work and then benefit.

Nathan

Remember Who

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As you prepare for your viva, remember who did the work.

Remember who read the papers.

Remember who figured things out.

Remember who wrote your thesis.

Remember who became more capable and more knowledgeable.

Remember who made a real contribution to research.

Remember who you are, what you did and what you can do.

Nathan

The Room Was Hot

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For all the prep I did, it never occurred to me to think aboutĀ where my viva was going to be.

It was early June, but a warm week. The seminar room, which I was very familiar with, was on the side of the maths building that got the sun first thing in the morning.

When we started at 10am it was already warm. Two hours later and it was hot.

It was another two hours before we finished.

By then it was almost unbearable!

 

The location for your viva might be a small thing to consider next to your thesis contribution and all the preparation you might do, but it is still something to think about. You will know where it is in advance and can then think about what you need to do in order to be at your best in that room.

What could you do? What could you take? How might you dress? What do you need to do to help that space be a good one for you to work in?

Once you know the location, think about what – if anything – you need to do in response. It’s a small thing, but thinking about it can really help with your viva.

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