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Tag: viva prep

Nathan

When You Have To Stop

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There’s a moment coming when you will start your viva.

All of your preparations will stop. You will have to be ready.

What do you want that moment to be like? How would you like to feel? What would you need to know by then?

 

Whether your viva is a week away, a month from now or some date later this year take a little time to reflect on the questions above. You can’t directly control how ready you’ll feel but you can decide on and take steps that lead you in that general direction.

So what steps will you take? How do you want to feel when you have to stop?

Nathan

Zero Chance

Daily Post

The failure rate of the UK PhD viva is not zero but it’s very close. An incredibly rare event might still be enough to make someone worry, particularly when the outcome is so important.

If you are worrying at any stage before your viva then please consider:

  • If you did the work that means something.
  • If you wrote your thesis, reviewed, revised and redrafted, that means something.
  • If you learned what to expect that means something.
  • If you prepared well that means something.
  • If you show up with even a small amount of confidence to meet your examiners that means something.

If you have all of the above then you have nothing to worry about. You can work past worry ahead of your viva. You can do your best over a long period of time. The overall failure rate might not be zero but your actions can put you in a category all of your own.

If all of the above points are true for you, what are the chances that you’re really headed towards failing your viva?

Nathan

Pick One

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Imagine I had a new service, YourViva™, where I could offer you a viva with one of the following characteristics:

  • Your viva will be short, under an hour.
  • Your viva will be easy, no surprising questions.
  • Your viva will result in no corrections.
  • Your viva questions will only come from one of your examiners, your choice.

You can pick one but will have no guarantees on any of the other characteristics. You might get them, their opposites or anything else in-between.

What would you pick? Why does that matter to you?

 

YourViva™ doesn’t exist but if you picked a viva feature it would be for a reason. You may not have any influence over getting that for your viva but, given that it’s in your mind, what will you do as a result? If you have a worry or concern you can still do something.

For example:

  • Viva length is totally out of your control. You’d be better preparing yourself to be at your viva for as long as it takes.
  • You can’t control the questions you’re asked. Rather than hope for easy questions, prepare yourself by rehearsing with a mock viva.
  • Some people get no corrections but not many. Consult your regulations to get a sense of what to expect for minor corrections.
  • Your examiners will have a plan and work together. A little research can help you understand who you’re talking to, what they might ask and why.

Focus on what you can reasonably expect and what you can practically do for your viva. You can’t control all the details of your viva but you can ensure you show up ready to do well.

Nathan

A Part Of You

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Yes, your viva matters. Yes, you need to pass.

But it is only one thing in your life.

  • Read your thesis – but make time for rest.
  • Create summaries – but create space to do other things as well.
  • Have a mock viva with your supervisor – and have a good catch up with a friend.

The viva, your thesis and your research all matter.

You matter more. Take care of yourself.

Nathan

The Spotlight

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What do you think your examiners will most want to talk about in your viva? What do you think needs to be in the spotlight? What topics would you most want to talk about and why?

And more importantly, how comfortable do you feel talking about your work?

Reflecting on how you say things might help – word choices, key points and so on – but the real help comes from rehearsal. You need to find situations where you can practise. A mock viva will probably help but you could also try giving a seminar, going for coffee with friends or even just asking someone to listen.

Whatever you do you need to be comfortable and confident enough to discuss your work and your experience. To be ready for your viva you need to put both your work and yourself in the spotlight.

Nathan

Usually

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It’s hard for me to offer guidance on questions that are usually asked at the viva.

You could search for “PhD viva questions UK” and explore the results. Adding your general research area as part of the search term might produce something more specific.

But every viva is unique and questions are always tailored by examiners to the research, the thesis and the candidate. Examiners need to explore the significant original contribution, unpick the research process and examine the capability of the candidate.

Consequently, it’s hard for someone like me without subject knowledge to suggest questions for someone – but if that candidate reflects on their research and the areas that drive examiners they will be able to identify topics to help their preparation.

There are no questions that are usually asked. There are areas that have to be explored in discussion.

Consider those areas, reflect on your research and see where that thinking leads you in your preparation.

Nathan

Deleted

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Or left out. Or removed. Edited. Excised. Not pursued after a certain point.

The many thousands of hours of work that lead to your thesis also produced things that did not make it into your thesis.

Your viva prep needs to focus on the research that’s in your thesis. You need to review the ideas, results and conclusions that matter but perhaps spare thirty minutes for the deleted.

Reflect and pick something that you left out and consider:

  • Why was it deleted?
  • How did you arrive at the decision?
  • What difference, if any, would it make to include it in your thesis?

You’ve not made a mistake by leaving something out; remind yourself of why your thesis has what it has – and why it doesn’t have what you have deleted. Review the case for presenting things exactly the way you have.

Nathan

Outside The Box

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PhD researchers have to be creative in some way: a candidate is expected to produce a significant and original contribution through their work.

What makes your work original? In what ways were you creative throughout your PhD? How did you look at things differently? How did you find solutions to problems?

What did you do that no-one has ever done before?

And having stepped out of one box through your work, what does the new box look like?

(and how might you or someone else go further?)

Nathan

Guarding Your Research

Daily Post

It’s an easy enough mistake to hear “thesis defence” and believe that you have to guard your work.

Defence brings up ideas of protection, or courtrooms, of shielding and more.

An examiner might have a pointed question or comment, but you generally don’t need to worry about them piercing the armour of words and ideas you have fashioned during your PhD.

Defending your thesis means supporting your work. Defending your thesis means providing clarity. Defending your thesis means saying more after you’ve done a lot.

You don’t need to guard your research from your examiners. You do need to be ready to show exactly what it all means at your viva.

Nathan

Six Questions About Contributions

Daily Post

Examiners need to explore your significant original contributions to research at your viva.

In preparation for your viva it’s worth reviewing your contributions to think about how you would share them. There’s no right answer or script to use: the words you find in the moment will be enough. In preparation though, reflect on any contribution with the following questions to give you something to consider and speak about:

  • Why did you explore the contribution area?
  • How did you do that?
  • What did you find as a result?
  • When did you do this work?
  • Where did you do this work?
  • Who, if anyone, helped you?

The first three questions, Why-How-What, help to explore what makes the contribution valuable. The second three questions, When-Where-Who, reveal more of the context for the work.

Start with Why-How-What. Dig deeper with When-Where-Who.

No scripts. Just thoughts and ideas to draw from at the viva.

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