Viva prep - your WORST viva questions

[Breakit]

Hello!
I have my viva next week.
My guts are in knots.
My thesis was submitted very unpolished, 3m after having my baby. One can see I’ve done a lot of work in the research chapters and the fact that it’s quite lengthy, but my intro and discussion are basically incomplete. The examiners didn’t say it was unexaminable. I’m expecting big criticism for that, with major corrections, which is entirely fair.

PLEASE can you help me by giving me the most challenging questions you’ve ever asked or been asked. Come at me!
and any other pointers you might think helpful.
Thank you in advance!

Maybe avoid telling the examiners what's wrong with your thesis (like I did) as they may not have noticed.... 😂

Re-read the bastard thing before your viva, unlike me who never wanted to see it ever again and so couldn't automatically respond to some more general comments...

Remember that, in theory at least, you know more about your subject than the examiners so whilst they might have the questions you definitely (should) have the answers!

It's OK to chat. Whilst it is an exam, it's a confirmation that you did the work and you are aware of what it means, so you don't have to have the word perfect response and talking around the point demonstrates you know what you are on about.

Sorry, none of those a tough questions but you'll find all that online. Caveat, I've not examined a PhD and maybe I got lucky that my examiners were lovely. Good luck!!

Thanks so much. Im reading it now which feels like nails to a blackboard. I’ve bee. Having a trawl online too. Thanks for your tips.

Following with interest, my viva is 29th. Good luck @Breakit

Tara Brabazon has a wonderful couple of YouTube vlogs on viva prep and I basically followed her advice, which centred a lot around not over preparing! I did buy a set of Viva Cards to help prep but they weren't really necessary. I was able to do a presentation which reduced the questioning as I'd covered important stuff. Mine was quite short but quite hard, very surreal, couldn't have predicted any of the questions so was very glad I hadn't rehearsed any!

You are the expert in your thesis, as long as you know why you did what you did and can articulate your SOCK you will be fine. Be prepared for corrections, nearly everyone has them so it's quite normal to have them.

@DrSpartacularsScathingTinsel thanks so much! Just watched them all. She’s a total legend. So cool. Great tip, thanks.

Good luck @IndigoSkye !

Good luck, I only finished the end of last year, and it feels both like yesterday and forever ago. Still can't quite believe I did it.

Mine is tomorrow. Bricking it.

Except I'm not in the UK so instead of the viva format we have a 45 minute trial lecture on a topic the evaluation committee chooses, followed (after a little break) by a 20 minute presentation of our work and then up to 2.5 hours of questions. All in a public auditorium with your colleagues there.

I think I've actually dissociated from my own body as it doesn't feel real. I've skimmed my thesis and read their feedback but I have no idea how this is going to go. The first opponent has already said she doesn't need a PowerPoint (which is usual here) as she will be referring to page numbers...

I don’t think we can predict the questions without knowing your field at least. But sometimes the basic ones are the hardest to answer eg ‘what is your intervention in the field?’ Or ‘what is original about your research?’/‘how does your research move your field forward?’ Also maybe ‘why did you want to do this research?

But try not to worry too much. A student of mine submitted an incomplete thesis and I was certain they’d get a r&r, but they passed with major corrections.

Oh eek @SuspiciousLampshade that sounds like quite an ordeal 😬

Is it ceremonial or can you actually fail at that stage? We don't get any feedback here until the viva, whereas I think many places you get examiners reports and the opportunity to make changes before the defence. It's all quite fascinating. I felt like mine was a bit of a damp squib in some ways as we have none of the ceremony stuff.

Sending lots of luck 🍀

My primary tip for hard questions is - you don't have to have an answer for everything. If the examiner says 'why didn't you cite Smith et al on page 143?', don't bluster and try to pretend you know what on earth Smith et al did if you have no idea. You can just say 'that is a great idea, I'll include it in my corrections'.

Oh goodness @SuspiciousLampshade that sounds terrifying! Good luck

I found this book really helpful when preparing for mine (many moons ago!): https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Your-Viva-Examination/dp/0335233821

I also would echo what a PP said - if you don't know the answer to something, don't try and fluff it! Much better to be honest and say you don't know, or that it is something you will look to include in corrections. I got a couple of questions in mine that I couldn't answer, but it was fine and I ended up with minor corrections. Try and see it as an academic chat between people who are interested in the same topic rather than an exam, changing my perspective on it a bit definitely helped with the nerves! I was also lucky that I got 2 very 'gentle' examiners who made me feel at ease throughout.

Make sure your rationale for your methodological approach is robust, and be prepared to engage in discussion about this.
Tolerate a bad examiner trying to make it about themselves and highlight their own knowledge 🙄
don’t rush answers

Thank you @AlwaysColdHands

and to you also @tabbymctwat, @parietal and @Flockameanie

i really appreciate this.

@SuspiciousLampshade How you doing? I hope partying.

Make sure your rationale for your methodological approach is robust, and be prepared to engage in discussion about this.

This. I was asked to explain the link between my methodology chapter and my theory chapter.

I loved my viva but I was terrified beforehand.

The main reason I was terrified was because I lacked confidence. I needed someone to tell me to take ownership of my work and recognise I was the authority on it.
And now, I try so hard to be kind (but rigorous) when examining theses.

I was in exactly the same situation as you many years ago, almost to the last detail, incl 3 m after childbirth ! I survived the day just about and got pass with corrections, and was given extra time to submit the corrections, due to childcare. Once I got over the intensity of the day and came to terms with the corrections, I quite enjoyed doing the corrections and it improved the quality of my final thesis greatly and I am glad I had that opportunity.

My list would be:
0) Sleep well over the next few days, not just the night before and enjoy the process; remind yourself about why you did the PhD

1. Be prepared to take criticism. It is not a negative thinking mode but, one that will empower you to give useful responses when asked
2. Have a big picture view of the ResearchQ-LitRev-hypothesis-methodology-conclusion narrative that you can fall back to; a mind-map sort of thing might be useful
3. The examiners have taken the time to read your thesis and they have all the material they need; it is your opportunity to provide clarifications perhaps on things that you think you may not have got across effectively or think that they might have missed. Might be useful to have a list of potential items
4. Lots of patience and endurance; it may feel like a long haul even if it is just a short time there.
5. Help the examiners to understand your work; thats what is going to get you the pass 😊It helps to go in with that sort of constructive mindset.

Good luck

My tip would be that they will probably ask you what you'd expect them to ask! That sounds flippant, but what I mean is that they will spot the controversial, intriguing, novel or (sorry to say) weaker elements of your thesis and will focus on those. They are what makes your thesis unique. The good thing is that you already know what these areas are so you can prepare. Don't expect the questions to be hostile. Quite often they will simply ask you to expand on a point you've made.

I was really helped by my supervisor's advice that I was now the expert in my research and they my job was to explain it to the non-experts. Remarkably empowering! Good luck.

Hello! I survived!!

It was a bloody long and exhausting day but it went well and I officially passed :) it's a bit more of a formality than in the UK but still not 100% guaranteed you'll pass.

Everyone agreed the first opponent was hard - she asked very specific questions and would just go "hmmm, no" if I didn't answer what she wanted. Gave no help whatsoever. Second opponent was absolutely lovely and made me feel loads more relaxed.

So what I learned that may be helpful:

1. Reflecting out loud is not a bad thing, they're interested in what you think and the process. It also means you will probably hit what they are thinking too if you don't just give one answer.
2. It's okay to say "I would do this differently if I were to do this again". A PhD is a learning process and my difficult opponent actually said afterwards that she was really impressed by my humility and it was a big influence in her passing the thesis.
3. You can disagree with what they are saying - my first opponent told me my thesis' biggest weakness was that it lacked a theoretical framework, I disagreed and told her why.
4. If you don't remember definitions off the top of your head it's not the end of the world! I couldn't for the life of me remember what a Type I error was, which is such basic knowledge, but they know you're in a high stress situation and help you along a little.

Otherwise I really liked @nice2BeNice's list and agree with it. Would also add to remember to have a snack or something with a bit of sugar just before (and during if you're allowed) and make sure you have food for after. It's insane how much energy it takes from you and I felt so sick and faint after because I didn't have enough salts/sugars, just drank a ton of water!

You got this. Let us know how it goes!

What do you think is the weakest point in your thesis?

Bastard!

But I sailed through...

Well done Doctor @SuspiciousLampshade 🎉🎉🎉

Congratulations! And really great advice for others.
well done and enjoy a lie down!

Congratulations @SuspiciousLampshade. That's great news

@nice2BeNice @tishtishboom @AlwaysColdHands thanks. That’s was great advice. @SuspiciousLampshade So pleased for you.

Thank you all so so so much. I passed.

Got a grilling. At one point I felt them both really thrashing the work I’d done, but then I felt myself liven-up and was well able to counter. I got the feeling that’s what they were after.
Overall, it felt a bit anticlimactic 😂 but I’m so glad to be out the other side. Certainly not as terrifying as I anticipated.

A baby, a job and a PhD is really hard. But it’s done now. Thank you all for the help and solidarity.