In an academic setting, students must defend their work in oral examinations. These examinations are typically carried out in front of one or several persons. The viva (or oral exam) is a standard part of the Ph.D. process. It is conducted when a student nears the end of their research and doctoral thesis preparation.

The Viva Exam usually lasts one to three hours, but it can be longer if there are a group of candidates or if they are asking questions they wish to clarify during the exam. The exam’s primary purpose is to see how much information you retain and how well you can communicate that information to your examiner.

When preparing for your exam, there are some things that you need to consider to help you get ready for what is ahead.

What is a Viva Exam?

Viva-voce (oral examination) is an oral assessment of your research proposal by an expert panel, usually consisting of two or three heads of department or professors. The purpose of the viva is to ensure that candidates have mastered their subject area, have original ideas, and can communicate these effectively in English. Candidates are expected to be able to answer questions on their research proposal, as well as explain their methodology and their work in progress. A viva voce is usually held during an oral examination; however, the term may also refer to an oral report given by students at the end of their coursework.

How to Prepare for Viva Interview

The viva is a very stressful time, and it is vital to make sure that you are prepared. There are several things that you can do to ensure that you are well prepared for the viva:

Identify the weaknesses in your Ph.D

The first thing you should do is identify any weaknesses or gaps in your Ph.D. For example, if you have not written a literature review, start writing a good one. This will help you build confidence and improve your chances of success.

When identifying weaknesses, it is essential to be realistic about your available time for this task. You may ask your supervisor if they can help with this part of the preparation process (for example, if you are struggling with the literature review). However, most supervisors will be happy to assist because it will help them too! It is also worth remembering that there may be some areas where you are already confident but not relevant for the viva (such as statistical analysis). In these cases, you should ignore them completely when preparing for the viva.

Know what will happen during the interview

A typical viva consists of three parts: an introduction from the chairperson, a presentation from the candidate, and questions from the panel. The chairperson briefly introduces how vivas work at their institution and then introduces the panel members. The candidate then presents their work in slides or by talking through their thesis proposal or dissertation chapter. Finally, questions from the panel members may focus on research methodology, statistical analysis, or anything related to your research topic.

What to wear

Remember that your outfit does not have to be expensive or brand new. It’s best if it isn’t because it will make you seem more comfortable and relaxed during the interview.

Here are some other tips on what not to wear:

Don’t wear anything too tight or revealing. You want the interviewer to focus on your answers, not your clothes. Plus, if you have to sit down in front of them for an extended period, it can be uncomfortable for both parties.

Don’t wear jeans unless they’re fitted jeans with a nice top or blouse over them! Jeans are casual and can make you look sloppy and unprofessional if worn without the right top underneath them. If the school asks their students not to wear jeans or shorts on campus (which many do), then don’t wear them either!

Things to remember

Prepare for your viva; you’ll be in a much stronger position to give the best performance possible. Here are some things to remember:

Check the examiners’ backgrounds

You can find this information on the website of the university or department where you are taking your viva or on their social media pages. Knowing who will be sitting on your panel can help you prepare questions relevant to them and their research interests.

Make a plan for how long you will talk

Use the answer time calculator on Moodle to work out how many minutes you have left in total, and divide this into three parts: introduction, middle section, and conclusion. You may use visual aids such as PowerPoint slides or video clips to help structure your talk, but if not, try writing down bullet points that cover each section and any key points you want to make so that you don’t forget anything important!

Practice makes perfect!

Practice giving your viva presentation in front of friends or family members – this way, they can provide constructive feedback on what works well and what needs improving before the real thing happens! If possible, make sure they give positive feedback.

Prepare carefully for each question you’re likely to be asked. Read through each examiner’s report carefully and identify any questions they might ask during your viva. Then plan out answers in advance so you have a clear idea of what you want to say when it comes time for them to ask.

Practice answering every question in detail, using notes or slides if necessary. Practice makes perfect! If possible, ask a friend or colleague who has recently completed their viva to contribute feedback on your answers – they’ll know what examiners are looking for while being sympathetic enough not to give too much away!

Do some background reading on each panel member so that you know what they’ve published in recent years and what their areas of interest are likely to be (for example, if one member has written extensively.

Be prepared for an interview, even if you are only asked a few questions. If you’re not sure what to expect, check out our article on how to prepare for a viva.

Arrive with enough time to review security checks and find your seat in the exam room. The exam room will be full of other candidates and their supervisors – nobody, likes sitting next to someone late!

Make sure you have everything you need before the interview starts. This includes pens, pencils, erasers, and spare sheets of paper (in case your exam paper runs out).

Frame of mind

The first thing you need to do is get yourself into the right frame of mind. You have completed your thesis and dissertation and are now going for the final oral assessment. You must know all about your subject, show confidence in what you are saying, and not look like an amateur at this stage.

The best way to prepare is by taking a few minutes every day beforehand and reading through some relevant articles on your subject. This will help put things in perspective and refresh your memory on some more critical points.

What Questions are They Going to Ask?

• What is your field of study?
• What are your significant contributions to the thesis?
• Did you work with someone else on this project? How much did this person contribute to your work?
• Who are the members of your thesis committee, and what are their specialties and interests?
• What was the most challenging part of this project?
• What were your main goals for this thesis? How well do you think you achieved them?
• How did you go about solving this problem? Why did you decide on this approach?
• What aspects of your thesis are you proudest of or interested in discussing further?
• Are there other things you want to discuss that I have not asked yet?
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Why do you think you would be a good fit for this position?
• How do you see yourself contributing to the team/company?
• What can I expect from you in this position, and what are your goals?
• What have you learned from past jobs/experiences that would benefit us if we decided to hire you, and what have you done recently to improve upon those skills or experiences?
• How do you handle pressure or stress, and how do you deal with difficult situations/people?

10 Tips and Tricks to Succeed in the Viva

1. Know your subject well: The first step is to know your subject well. To appear for the viva, you should go through all the related books, journals, and articles available on that topic. This will help you give a detailed answer to the examiner’s queries during the viva.
2. Practice with mock interviewers: Asking and answering questions is a vital skill for appearing in interviews. You can improve this skill by practicing with mock interviewers or friends who can ask questions about your subject area. Practice many times to get used to answering them confidently and clearly without hesitation.
3. Be confident while answering questions: Your confidence level will show while answering questions during the interview. If you are not confident about your answers, it will reflect on your voice tone and body language, which may not be suitable for you during the interview session. So try to be confident about what you say even if you don’t know much about that topic or how it works!
4. Review all your work before the interview. You should know what you have done in your research project or dissertation. If you do not know about any part of it, ask someone to help you with this task as soon as possible because if you do not know about anything related to your research, it will be difficult to answer questions during the interview.
5. Make sure that there are no spelling mistakes in any of your documents, including dissertation proposal and thesis/dissertation chapters, and also make sure that there are no grammatical errors in them as well because if there are, then it will be a big minus point for you during the interview since it shows that either you did not proofread or did not proofread properly which means that most probably there would be more errors in other parts of your research project as well.
6. Don’t guess answers unless necessary because guessing wrong in exams can cost you marks! Remember that guessing wrong means losing marks, which can also be very harmful in viva.
7. If an examiner asks a question outside your area of expertise, do not panic or feel embarrassed. Ask if you may consult someone else who may be able to answer it for you (e.g., another examiner). Do not ask for help from anyone in the audience unless specifically allowed by an examiner – this could result in your answer being deemed unsatisfactory if no one can help you!
8. Try to anticipate what questions examiners might ask and ensure that you have covered all of these issues during your preparation before the viva takes place. Do not rely on memory alone to answer a question! Make sure that you have written down notes with all relevant information and calculations so that you can refer to them during the viva if necessary (but do not write anything on any scrap paper provided by examiners unless asked to).
9. Always answer a question directly, even if it was poorly phrased or complex – get clarification if necessary! It is better to answer than leave it blank!
10. Make sure all calculations are correct, tables/figures are cited correctly, and all figures/tables have legends explaining them clearly so that examiners/jury can understand them properly during the viva interview session without asking too many questions beforehand!

Wrapping Up

Preparing for the viva takes thorough groundwork, keen observation, and a little practice. It might be arduous at some points, but you will come out stronger after it has passed your viva exam!

The most crucial aspect of any interview is being yourself and selling yourself. You want to ensure that you are relaxed and comfortable during the viva and confident in your abilities. Take the advice, tips, and tricks mentioned above, but do not forget that practice makes progress. Practice will help you get better, so go out there and impress them!

Based on the above, it is hard to say that preparation is the only factor in successfully going through the viva exam, but at the same time, the lack of preparation will decrease the chances of succeeding in it.