My viva is in a month's time and am finding it so difficult to read my thesis. I found this UKgrad tip on preparing for viva useful
ENJOY

Subject: UKGrad - PGR Tips: Preparing for the Viva



PGR tips: Preparing for the viva



The viva can be a daunting prospect but presenting and defending your research to fellow researchers, your supervisor, or at conferences will help to build your confidence.



Use the viva checklist below:

* Know your own thesis thoroughly - it might help to write a one page summary of each chapter in your thesis. Give yourself enough time to prepare

* The viva is also a test of understanding of the context in which your research took place, so make sure you're up to date

* Have a mock viva with your supervisor

* Practise with different people: friends or colleagues in your own or other disciplines, who might be better at challenging your assumptions. Ask them to interrupt you, so that you can work out how to deal with this

* Check the backgrounds of your examiners and their areas of particular interest

* Find out what your institution will ask your examiners to do in reading your thesis and examining you in the viva, and be sure you understand what they will be looking for

* Try to anticipate questions you will be asked and prepare example answers

* Think especially about results or claims that are controversial or could be open to interpretation and expect to be asked about them

* Mark the highlights in your thesis with post-its and practice working these into answers to different questions

* Have a look at 'How to survive your Viva' by Rowena Murray, Open University Press (ISBN 0-335-21284-0)



Things to take into the viva:

* Your thesis - marked with post-its if you wish

* The list of your anticipated questions and how you might respond to them

* Any notes you made in revision



During the viva

* Ask for clarification of ambiguous questions or ask for the question to be repeated if necessary

* Take time to think before answering

* Score points by mentioning very specific details, eg names, titles, journals and dates of publication, of key articles or books by key people in your field

* Be prepared to ask questions and enter into a dialogue with your examiners

* Don't be afraid to admit you don't know the answer to a question

* Be prepared to express opinions of your own



Remember that the PhD is a qualification in research and you need only to demonstrate that you have added to the knowledge-base in your subject area and that you can write and defend a book on your research.

Do people enjoy viva preparation???

I'm not sure, Ruby, but I doubt it.

I'm not relishing the prospect of preparation as I'm sure I'll come across mistakes or poorly written sentences/arguments, and then kick myself for not catching them before submission. On the positive side, for anyone planning to publish their thesis, it provides a good opportunity to prepare the thesis for publication (eg, assuming I get a publishing offer, I plan to expand my thesis and make it more textbook'ish).

Thanks Missspacey! It was more a comment to the previous poster really... I should have put enjoy in quotes. After Lara describing it as preparing for your own execution, I wasn't sure whether it was said ironically or not, not that it matters really, it's just that old internet thing of interpretation. The tips all look useful, so thanks Grace1. :-)

lol my comment about preparing for your own execution ? whether that was said ironically or not. uh not sure meself heheh. half in jest half serious i suppose :)

Oh blimey no Lara, lol !! Grace1 said 'enjoy' at the top of her post about preparing for a viva, and I couldn't see how on earth it might be enjoyable, particularly given your comments about the hellishness of it. It seemed a bit like someone saying 'have a nice day!' to you when you're off to a funeral or to have your tooth pulled out at the dentists with no anaesthetic. I wish I hadn't said anything now, put it down to lack of sleep.... sorry Grace, it's not usually that pedantic on here... :$

OHHHH LOL! that's quite funny actually , i get it now. i dont know how i missed it hehehehe

Sorry Ruby! I read your post in isolation...I thought it was a bit random. I really should read threads in their entirety... to avoid turning them into Chinese whispers. :-)

What's happened to all those who had their viva last week eg. Sarahk5275, et al? We want to know!

Yes, I wondered that too Aloha.... yours is coming up soon, isn't it?

i had mine yesterday and it went really well - passed with minor typos! Hurrah! It all feels a bit weird now...plus, im exhausted today from all the intensity of it.

well done Zelda!! you must be so pleased. once you have recovered, maybe you can give us some pointers :-) congratulations !! you must be over the moon ! and with only minor corrections, you did so well!

Have a pint on me!

Well done Zelda, minor typos is a great result! Ooh... you can take it easy now and get back to normal. How lovely! :-)

Hi Everyone!

Well I had my viva this morning and it went very well. I passed with minor corrections and am delighted! It really wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be and I actually almost enjoyed it!

My advice would be to stay positve and try to be as confident and as positive as possible and take your examiners comments on board. It's hard to say anything else as I think no matter how many people told me it would be ok, I didn't believe them.
So good luck everyone it will be ok!