I thought my viva would be a walk in the park. I’d proofread my thesis so many times – given chapters to unfortunate colleagues, polished the thing until it gleamed. Surely the viva was just a formality? What PhD viva questions could they possibly ask? Then I opened the door and saw my examiners, glasses perched on noses, with the copies of my thesis bristling around the edges with post-it notes.
Your PhD viva voce or defence is the culmination of a lot of hard work. Years of trial and improvement, highs and lows, dead ends, changes in direction. It’s a story of you and your choices as much as it is a piece of research. You owe it to yourself to be prepared. One final hurdle. Then you can write “Dr” on your Tesco Clubcard. (And if you’d like some one-to-one help preparing for your viva, please see here.)
During your viva, your examiners are trying to establish three things –
- That you did the work (and wrote the thesis) yourself.
- That you can defend (and argue) your choices and conclusions.
- That you are (trying to be) free from bias.
A viva is like a job interview… after you’ve done the job. The overriding question is “is this person worthy of joining academia”?
Here are five PhD viva questions your examiners will ask, and how to answer them:
1. Why did you decide to do *this part of your research* in this way?
A clever question because it carries no judgement, yet still requires a justification. In answering, you are aiming for an unbiased evaluation of your thought processes at the time.
An answer might start: “Having looked at the approaches in the literature [outline these briefly], I wanted to use a complimentary but novel approach that used my skills. [You can talk about these here]. With hindsight, I think it worked because… OR with hindsight, I may have chosen a different approach because…”
The key is not to be too defensive – all choices have pros and cons and your examiners will have made many tough decisions in their careers. What they are looking for is evidence of your self-awareness and initiative.
2. What do you think is the weakest part of your thesis?
A confrontational question, but some examiners can be tough, especially if you’ve already fielded some PhD viva questions confidently. Remember there are *always* weaknesses in a project, the key is handling the question professionally by focussing on solutions.
An answer might be: “Well, I learned a great deal during my PhD. With hindsight I’m able to look upon certain parts critically. The experiments/ work I did on [topic area] are underdeveloped [explain how] because… the technique didn’t work / I ran out of time / the data was unconvincing. With more time I would repeat *this* / look into a new technique / collaborate with another expert…”
Every PhD thesis, even ones that lead to “high impact” publications, will have flaws. Possibly even big ones that are carefully hidden. Expect your examiners to find your Achilles heel. Again, it’s not necessarily a problem – they want to see evidence of your resilience and ability to adapt.
3. In your thesis, you said *something* – could you expand on this?
One of the kindest PhD viva questions, and one you can take full advantage of to talk about your work, anything that didn’t make it into your thesis and work you’ve done since.
Your answer might start: “Absolutely. When I concluded *this* I’m drawing from *these data*, but also past work from *these references*. I’m aware that *this research* contradicts my conclusion, but I wonder if on balance *this*. Going further, my hypothesis would be *something massively ambitious* but exploring this is beyond the scope of this project. I would be happy to discuss this further if you’d like?”
Your examiners likely won’t take you up on this offer as there is much more to discuss, but it shows a willingness to be open and talk about your research – good qualities in an academic.
4. You refer to the work of *Professor Someone et al.* in your introduction. Can you summarise the relevance of their work?
Be careful here. This is where a good knowledge of your examiners and their respective fields is useful. Why are they asking about Professor Someone? Always assume your examiners are much more clued in on the research they are asking about (and know the answer to their questions already). Your job is to be respectful and open about the limits of your knowledge.
Your answer may begin: “The papers I’ve read from *Prof Someone’s group* were interesting because they show *this, this and this*. As my work is using a similar approach / tools / context I believe there is some agreement between our conclusions, namely that in both of our research areas *this happens*. But I know they have explored other areas too, which I am less familiar with. This is an area I would like to read more about when I have more time…”
There is a limit to everyone’s knowledge. The key is being comfortable with what you know and don’t know. Saying “I don’t know” is a massive strength – and a lot of prominent scientists can’t bring themselves to do it! Your examiners will make it a goal to find the limit of your knowledge and see how you react when they keep you there.
5. In what directions could this research be taken further in the future?
A question that will likely come towards the end of your viva. You’re close! Now just take some ideas you’ve had (the less crazy ones) and discuss them imagining you had an infinite budget to play with.
An answer might begin… “Well, I do have a few ideas. One is to expand upon *this area* using *these techniques*. As I mentioned in my conclusion, this makes sense because *rationale*. Of course, this means passing my viva (smile). I’d be very keen to hear your thoughts for the future…”
Academics can’t resist giving their opinions and so engaging your examiners in discussion is inevitable, although this is supposed to be an interview. Take heart if they have ideas to expand upon your project – this means they have thought about it and have seen value in what you’ve done. You are probably very close to the end of your viva! Well done.
My own PhD viva was a proper grilling – I loved it. I loved feeling that the whole thing was being forensically pulled apart, only for my external examiner – a tough Polish mathematician (the best kind!) – to point to one paragraph about 2 and a half hours in and say “This… This I like”. We take victories where we find them.
Hopefully these PhD viva questions will help prepare you for your own victory!
If you would like some one to one, online help with practice PhD viva questions, help proofreading your thesis or coaching through your PhD – I can help! Take a look at my services for postgraduates and PhDs and get in touch for a chat.
Best wishes,
John
Dr John Ankers is a specialist online tutor, coach and PhD mentor. He started Woolton Tutors shortly after leaving academia. He has a PhD in systems biology from The University of Liverpool.
John@wooltontutors.co.uk
Woolton Tutors
