potential phd viva questions

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Top 40 potential questions to be asked in a PhD viva or defense

June 20, 2024 Filed under Blog , Featured , Presentations , Resources , Writing

“Your thesis content” by errantscience.com

Students worry about their vivas. They wonder whether they need to do additional work or read textbooks and articles again. For most students, they don’t need to do all this. My advice has consistently been the following to prepare for your viva: Pick up dissertation a few days before the viva, and read through it to remind yourself of what you did and wrote. Do not fret about misspellings or other minor issues. They are inevitable, and the examiners will not be too taken aback by a few errors here and there. Then, spend time thinking.

What is important is that you think more broadly about the work that you have been doing, how it fits into your discipline, what you might have done differently in hindsight, and where you or the community could go next.

There used to be a blog called Research Essentials hosted by the Open University that had this list of 40 potential viva questions to help candidates prepare for their vivas or defenses. This list of questions is excellent preparation for your viva, and I have shared it with many of my students. This blog has since gone, but others have promoted this list of questions and not attributed it to the original author. Wanting to make this resource more widely available and ensuring the original author gets the credit, I am promoting it here. Please find this list below.

Thank you to the original author Rebecca Ferguson , then a research fellow at The Open University, now a professor.

1. Can you start by summarising your thesis? 2. Now, can you summarise it in one sentence? 3. What is the idea that binds your thesis together? 4. What motivated and inspired you to carry out this research? 5. What are the main issues and debates in this subject area? 6. Which of these does your research address? 7. Why is the problem you have tackled worth tackling? 8. Who has had the strongest influence in the development of your subject area in theory and practice? 9. Which are the three most important papers that relate to your thesis? 10. What published work is closest to yours? How is your work different? 11. What do you know about the history of [insert something relevant]? 12. How does your work relate to [insert something relevant]? 13. What are the most recent major developments in your area? 14. How did your research questions emerge? 15. What were the crucial research decisions you made? 16. Why did you use this research methodology? What did you gain from it? 17. What were the alternatives to this methodology? 18. What would you have gained by using another approach? 19. How did you deal with the ethical implications of your work? 20. How has your view of your research topic changed? 21. How have you evaluated your work? 22. How do you know that your findings are correct? 23. What are the strongest/weakest parts of your work? 24. What would have improved your work? 25. To what extent do your contributions generalise? 26. Who will be most interested in your work? 27. What is the relevance of your work to other researchers? 28. What is the relevance of your work to practitioners? 29. Which aspects of your work do you intend to publish – and where? 30. Summarise your key findings. 31. Which of these findings are the most interesting to you? Why? 32. How do your findings relate to literature in your field? 33. What are the contributions to knowledge of your thesis? 34. How long-term are these contributions? 35. What are the main achievements of your research? 36. What have you learned from the process of doing your PhD? 37. What advice would you give to a research student entering this area? 38. You propose future research. How would you start this? 39. What would be the difficulties? 40. And, finally… What have you done that merits a PhD?

You can find the full original blog post, as well as all the comments on it, on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20220718161632/https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/ResearchEssentials/?p=156

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Types of PhD Viva Questions

Preparing and practicing your responses to questions from these four fundamental categories will significantly help in your preparation efforts.

Frequently Asked Questions for PhD Vivas and How to Answer to Them

You should be ready to answer these common questions logically, despite the differences in each PhD viva.

1. Tell me about yourself

I’m someone who’s deeply passionate about research, particularly in areas where I can make a meaningful impact. My main areas of interest revolve around [specific fields or topics], where I believe there’s immense potential for innovation and discovery. I approach research with a positive mindset, always looking for new insights and solutions to complex problems.

Overall, I approach research with professionalism, enthusiasm, and a commitment to excellence, and I’m eager to continue exploring new avenues of inquiry and making meaningful contributions to the academic community.

2. Why did you choose this research question?

I chose this research question because it’s really important and can make a big difference in dealing with [specific issue or gap] in [field or discipline]. After looking at different research options, I found this question to be very interesting because it could add a lot to what we already know and help solve real problems. Also, it fits well with what I’ve studied before and what I’m interested in, so I can use my skills and knowledge to explore and solve problems in this area.

3. How did you come up with the idea for this research?

4. what is your research’s main area of focus.

Keep in mind that your response should not summarize your research but instead discuss the primary focus area of your research. Crucially, to showcase the viability of your research, it’s important to highlight some of the key questions it tackles.

5. What methods will you use to evaluate the effectiveness of your research?

I will use [specific methods, such as surveys, experiments, interviews, data analysis, etc.] to evaluate the effectiveness of my research. These methods are chosen based on their ability to gather relevant data, analyze findings, and draw meaningful conclusions that address the research objectives and hypotheses.

6. Did the research process proceed as planned, or did you encounter any unexpected circumstances?

7. what is the future of your research.

When addressing the future of your research area in your viva, it’s crucial to go beyond the current state and consider upcoming developments. Simply focusing on the present might suggest a limited understanding. Instead, provide a comprehensive response by discussing your vision for the research area’s future, its connection to the present, and its significance.

8. What are some limitations of your thesis?

9. is this work original, or have others done something similar before.

This work is original in [specific aspects or contributions], as it builds upon existing literature and presents novel findings or approaches. While others may have explored related topics or methodologies, the unique combination of [key elements or innovations] distinguishes this research from previous efforts.

10. What benefit does this research provide to society?

11. what are the limitations of your research design.

When discussing limitations in your research design during your viva, acknowledge that every design has its constraints. Be transparent about these limitations and explain how you mitigated or addressed them in your study. If your design was particularly good, highlight how it contributed to your results. Conversely, if aspects of your study didn’t go as planned, use this as evidence to analyze potential flaws in your hypothesis.

12. How might your research have been impacted if there were more data available on your topic?

If more data were available on my research topic, it would have significantly impacted the depth of my study. Firstly, a larger dataset would have allowed for more comprehensive analyses, such as subgroup analyses and advanced statistical modeling techniques. This could have led to more robust findings and a better understanding of the nuances within the data.

Overall, the availability of more data would have enhanced the quality, reliability, and generalizability of my research outcomes, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the topic.

13. Has your research challenged or changed how we think about the topic?

My research has challenged existing perceptions by uncovering previously unexplored facets of the topic. Specifically, I focused on [mention specific concept or theory] and conducted [briefly describe your study]. The results revealed [key findings or insights], which have prompted a reevaluation of [mention the paradigm or conventional understanding]. This shift in perspective has significant implications for [explain the broader impact on the field or applications of the research]. Overall, my research has contributed to a nuanced understanding of the topic and has initiated discussions on revising established frameworks in the academic discourse.

14. Do you think other researchers could replicate the results of your study?

15. could there be other explanations for the results of your research.

This question is a method for the viva examiners to assess your ability to critically evaluate your own research. Begin by conducting a thorough review of the existing literature to identify any alternative explanations for your research findings. If such alternative explanations exist, explain them in detail. On the other hand, if there are no alternative explanations or they are not relevant to your findings, clarify why this is the case. It’s crucial to demonstrate consideration for these alternative perspectives as they contribute to the overall understanding of why your findings are significant.

Overall, my research process involved a critical evaluation of potential alternative explanations, ensuring that the conclusions drawn are well-supported and contribute meaningfully to the existing body of knowledge on the topic.

16. Given your research findings, what would be an appropriate course of action for another researcher to pursue in this field?

17. summarize your thesis..

Familiarize yourself with the entire project, beginning with the rationale behind selecting your thesis topic and concluding with an optimal solution to the problem. Prepare for three types of responses: a 1-minute, 3-5 minutes, and 10-minute summary. Tailor your answer based on the audience’s expectations at the viva.

For the 3-5 minutes summary:

“The topic of my thesis was chosen based on its critical importance in [specific field]. The problem I sought to tackle is [provide a comprehensive overview of the problem, including its significance]. I was drawn to this topic because [explain your personal interest or motivation]. To address this problem effectively, I conducted extensive literature reviews, data collection, and analysis, focusing on key areas such as [list key areas]. The optimal solution I propose involves [describe the solution or approach in detail, including any innovative methodologies or findings]. This solution not only addresses the immediate problem but also has broader implications for [mention broader implications or potential applications].”

18. What are the research’s strengths and weaknesses?

On the other hand, a potential weakness of my research is [identify a weakness, such as sample size limitations, data availability, etc.]. However, this limitation has provided opportunities for future research to explore [potential areas of improvement or expansion].

Common PhD Viva Questions

It can be pretty difficult knowing how to prepare for your PhD viva. Having successfully defended my own STEM PhD remotely in the last year, I want to help you to prepare! What follows are some common PhD viva questions which your examiners may ask you. Plus some additional advice based off my own PhD viva experience.

For an intro to the PhD viva including the typical structure and potential outcomes please see my introductory post:

How to Defend a Thesis: An Introduction to the PhD Viva

How Much Do You Need to Prepare For A PhD Viva?

There is no hard and fast rule for how much you need to prepare. And unlike a written exam, there are of course no past-papers to practice on!

It may help ease your mind to think about what the purpose of a PhD viva is. Namely the purpose of the PhD viva (or defence) is to check that:

You did the work;
You understand the work;
The research is up to the standard for a PhD.

For more detail see my separate post here including Imperial’s PhD viva mark scheme.

In hindsight I probably didn’t spend as much time preparing for my viva as is normal. Though I did unexpectedly move house less than a week before !

Besides reading through my thesis once in the few days leading up to it, I didn’t spend much time thinking up answers to questions or “revising” certain topics which could come up. The viva went fine, but it wouldn’t have done me any harm to have been a little better prepared.

It certainly helped that I’d managed to schedule a viva which took place less than six weeks after I submitted the thesis so it was all very fresh in my mind. If you submitted your thesis months before your viva I’d suggest spending slightly more time refreshing your memory in preparation for questions you may get asked.

In summary, I think it’s useful for all PhD students to get an idea of some potential lines of questioning for their oral exam!

Update: Keen to get prepared for your viva? I’ve put together a set of viva preparation worksheets which are available in the resource library. Click the image below for free access!

Listed below are common PhD viva questions which I’ve roughly grouped together. We’ll start with some higher-level questions about your PhD which should be quite easy and friendly, then progress through to some more technical (and potentially unfriendly!) questions.

It is worth noting that many examiners will ask for a short presentation at the start of the viva and this could eliminate some potential questions. In this list I’ve left in the main questions I’d expect for this presentation to address, such as what future work you’d recommend.

Very few of the questions are ones you’re guaranteed to get asked, but I can assure you that you’ll get asked at least some of them!

General PhD Viva Questions – usually friendly!

These ones are simply inquisitive and you don’t really have to worry about getting caught out. The examiners are simply interested in the work and want an insight from someone who has spent the last few years working on it.

What is the most important finding from your PhD work?
What was the motivation behind this research?
Who is your research relevant to?
Which aspects of your work are you publishing? Follow on: and where?
What future work would you recommend?
What are the limitations of your research?
Which aspect of your work surprised you the most?
What are the potential applications of your PhD research?

Method-Specific Questions – mostly friendly!

These questions dive a little deeper but even so shouldn’t be too much of a cause for concern. They come down to your own judgement and as long as you justify your decicisions you’ll be fine in answering them.

Why did you do [things] a certain way?
What were the alternatives to [this certain method]?
Why did you test [that specific number] of samples?
What effect did you think changing [something in your method] would have?
What do you think you could have gained by using [another approach]?
Why did you not use [another technique]?
How did you deal with the ethical implications of your work?

Results & Analysis-Specific Questions – mostly friendly!

In a similar manner to the previous section about your methodology, you’ll often get some questions targeting your analysis and presentation of results.

What is this graphical figure illustrating?
Why was [this analytical technique] appropriate? Follow on: why did you use [this other technique]?
Which of your results do you find the most interesting?
How do you know that your findings are correct?

Literature Questions – may be less friendly!

This is where things may get tough if your examiners want to try and test your limits. Even so, they’ll still likely cut you some slack. If you have 100+ references it’s very possible that under the nerves of your exam you can’t remember specifics for each and every reference. Just don’t make things up. They’d rather you were honest than trying to deceive them.

Please explain the key findings of reference number [X]
Which papers would you say had the biggest impact on your work?
What do you think are the biggest differences between [these two previous studies]?
What have been the biggest advancements in the field over the last 10 years?
Why did you not reference [this other study]?
How does your work compliment the existing literature?
What do you think the next big advancements will be in the field?

Highly Technical Questions – potentially very unfriendly!

These are the ones I was a bit scared of getting, but it is a PhD viva after all. Of course it should be expected that you have a solid understanding of the principles that underpin your project. Even so it can be unnerving thinking of how large the range of potential questions like this can be!

Unlike at a conference or in other settings where you may be able to brush over things you’re not 100% comfortable with, there is no hiding when your examiners need to test your knowledge. Particularly when they have hours of time at their disposal to do so!

Explain how [a technique] works. This could be anything from sample preparation, equipment and analysis through to statistics. I’ve known people to get asked to explain things like a statistical t-test from first principles, with follow-on questions being asked with every answer to drill deeper.
Explain [some fundamental concept, phenomenon or principle]. Just like the last question but applied to basic-sciences. I’ve known students to get asked questions such as: explain energy (to a mechanical engineer) and explain toughness (to a materials scientist). I’m sure we can all explain these concepts to a certain level but my concern was whether or not I could explain them at a deep enough level to satisfy the examiner.

With both of these types of questions there ultimately comes a point where you (or the internal examiner ) can push back and say that answering that question was not the focus of your PhD!

What Questions I Got Asked at My Own PhD Viva

I was really surprised at my own viva how few questions I actually got in general.

The viva lasted a whopping five hours (excluding a quick break) and yet almost all of the time was spent discussing improvements to my viva to help with publishing papers.

Even so, I could have done with putting a bit more time into preparing for potential questions: which was my motivation to help you by putting together this post!

The few questions I had included:

If you were to do the project again would you do anything differently?
Clarification of what I meant by certain sentences in my thesis .

You may be wondering if I avoided getting asked deeper questions by the examiners because I already had a relationship with them so they were satisfied with my knowledge and capabilities. But I didn’t really know the examiners! I’d met my external examiner at a conference and he had seen me present but I’d never actually met my internal examiner before.

Instead, what I think did go a long way to helping was having already had something published in a respected journal.

Nevertheless, in a way I actually walked away a little unsatisfied by the lack of questioning at my PhD viva.

It was great to get so much feedback on my thesis which has already helped to get two more papers published since the viva, but I felt like it would have been nice to feel a bit more taxed and known that I could hold my own in the exam if it came down to it.

Now looking back on the viva 10 months later, I’m just happy to have the PhD done!

My Tips for Answering Common PhD Viva Questions

Keep calm and take your time before answering . There is no rush to answer questions. Having a sip of a drink may help provide a pause for thinking up an answer.
Tell the truth. If you don’t know something, just say so! It’s likely the examiners will quickly be able to tell that you don’t know what you’re talking about. Plus, there is the risk that they’ll ask deeper follow-on questions which could unravel any lies.
Try to enjoy the experience. Think of it as a discussion, rather than a police investigation. Your examiners are interested in the work and want to hear more about it!

If you’d like personalised help with preparing for your PhD viva I am now starting to offer a small number of one-to-one sessions. Please contact me to find out more or click here to book a call.

I hope these common PhD viva questions can help you to prepare for your own viva.

If there are other aspects of the examination you want covered, just let me know.

I have many more upcoming PhD (and beyond!) posts . I f you want to get notified about them you can subscribe here:

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Top 10 Ph.D. Viva Questions and How to Answer Them

Every doctoral candidate will complete the Ph.D. viva to defend a thesis and seek that coveted doctorate degree. You've worked hard throughout your academic career, and now you face this intimidating meeting! Before your viva, you might feel nervous, picturing yourself tap dancing as fast as you can in front of a firing squad. But your viva should feel more like a confident performance of your crowning research for an audience of adoring fans. Take a breath—you've done good work, and soon the committee will see that, too.

What is a Ph.D. viva? In this case, viva is short for viva voce, Latin for "living voice." The term refers to contexts in which responses to something are given out loud for people to hear, for example a real-time vote (all in favor, say "aye"!). In the academic context, the Ph.D. viva is a discussion between you (the Ph.D. candidate) and a panel of academic experts, during which you present your Ph.D. thesis. The panel of experts can include an internal and/or external examiner, your Ph.D. supervisor, and other people you can request to be in attendance, like your family members.

The examiner's main purpose is to determine that you've written your own thesis and ask you some probing questions about the work you've done. It's intended to be an open, frank conversation about your research, not an interrogation. Don't be afraid to challenge points your examiner makes if they don't align with what you've found in your study. Your expertise and passion about your work will demonstrate that you know your stuff and care deeply about it.

Of course, in order to think clearly and objectively about the subject you've been immersed in for months, you will need a healthy dose of confidence. To help you gain that confidence to make your viva a positive experience, preparation is key. Here are some prompts and questions you might be asked and how you can prepare beforehand to answer them.

1. Tell us about your study

Usually the first question is an opener and is asked with the goal of breaking the ice and getting you talking about your thesis. The items the panel presents to you will start broad and get more specific and involved as your viva progresses. Since you're here to talk about your project, give a good overview of who you are, your history in the field, and the process you followed in your study. You will have a lot of potential detail to provide, but since you won't know how much your panel is looking for, prepare synopses of different lengths: 1-minute, 3-minute, and 5-minute summaries.

2. What are your main research questions and why did you select them?

You'll very likely be prompted to talk about your research questions in detail, so be prepared to list the questions you set out to answer and the motivation behind selecting each one. Also, be prepared to discuss your aims, objectives, and hypotheses, just in case they ask about those as well.

3. What original contribution has your thesis made to this field of study?

Before you began your study, you probably looked at the gaps in the existing literature and decided on a research direction to fill those gaps. Now that you've finished your research, tell your panel what the world knows now as a result of your work. When future researchers delve into your subject matter, what will they cite you on?

4. Whose work has most influenced yours?

Because you went through the process of determining what your field of study still needs in terms of research and the kind of analysis that will contribute to it, you possess a pretty clear understanding of what has already been done. A lot of that knowledge comes from your academic journey leading up to the awarding of your doctorate, during which you've read a lot of papers and delved into the work that has been done before yours. Talk about the most influential works you've encountered. This can be a work that inspired you or papers that you felt were done poorly and motivated you to get it right. Bonus: The chair of the viva will be someone who knows a lot about your field, so take some time to get familiar with his or her work. Don't be a stalker, but be prepared to mention that you know what he or she has done. Not only will that demonstrate that you've prepared yourself for your presentation, but it will also show an interest in his or her life's work, which can't hurt. Don't spend too long on this, though—you're here primarily to talk about your work, not theirs.

5. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your thesis?

You certainly want to brag about your thesis and offer reasons why you and your work are great, so don't hold back about what went right. Start with the strengths; outline your main findings and give reasons why your study enabled you to uncover them. Then, while it might feel counterintuitive to point out the ways that your thesis isn't the greatest ever, a report about the weaknesses of your research shows a sense of self-awareness and humility that benefits your study in that it paves the way for future researchers and shows that you aren't blind to your own potential for growth. If you prepare your response to this question before your viva, you can craft your response to show that you have already thought about the ways you can address the weaknesses of your thesis.

6. What ethical considerations did you apply?

Most Ph.D. candidates encounter ethical issues during the course of their research, and the committee might want to know whether you took measures to ensure an ethical project. Did you follow any ethical protocols in gathering data? Did you provide informed consent to participants in your study? What are the ethical implications of your work?

7. Did your study go as expected? If you had to start the thesis again, what would you do differently?

Every researcher has at least some idea of what he or she might find upon performing a study. Many form research questions and perform the study to provide support for that expected outcome, but sometimes the research leads to a different result. Consider what your own expectations were before you began and the path your research process took, either in alignment with that expectation or not. Knowing what you know now, would you change anything about your research? Would you approach the process differently? Maybe you would forego a step or two knowing that it wasn't as consequential or helpful as you originally thought.

8. Now that you've completed your study, what did you enjoy about the process?

Ph.D. thesis examiners are looking for a candidate who is passionate about the work. Remember that they know exactly how stressful the process is, so avoid delving into the hardships you encountered. Instead, give a summary of the high points and the reasons you were excited to keep going. While you should keep the tone professional and avoid gushing, feel free to talk about your personal motivation for pursuing this study.

9. If funding was no object, how would you follow up on this project?

Every researcher faces limits regarding the scope of a study that prevent them from gathering as much data as they'd like. Time limits, budget caps, and lack of interest or willingness among study participants can all put a damper on the dreams a researcher has for an analysis. Money can solve most obstacles within an examination, so dream big—what could you make happen with an infinite budget? This is another question that reveals your passion for the subject.

10.What are your plans for the future?

Questions might not be limited to your thesis, so give some thought to where you will go from here. Describe your plans for your future research or professional pursuits; this gives the panel a sense of your passion for the work and sets you apart from a doctoral candidate who is just trying to check the boxes and get a diploma in hand.

The questions your panel asks you on the day of your viva will probably not be exactly the ones listed in this article, but these topics will almost certainly be covered during the discussion with your examiner. If you prepare responses to these questions and make sure you know your thesis inside and out, you will be much more ready to answer whatever the experts ask you. Equally important, planning out your responses will also help calm your nerves before this very important event, so give yourself the gift of preparation as you anticipate your Ph.D. viva. Good luck—you'll do great!

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What is the PhD Viva?

Written by Mark Bennett

The viva voce is the final assessment for a PhD. It is an oral examination where the student defends their research to two academic examiners. This involves answering questions about your work, typically related to the literature, methodology, your findings and the significance of your conclusions. In some countries (like the USA ) the viva is actually referred to as a 'PhD defence', because the candidate defends their thesis from these questions.

This guide explains exactly how the viva works, what to expect on the day, how to prepare and what happens afterwards.

An overview of the PhD viva

The PhD viva can seem like an intimidating process, but it actually serves a very simple purpose: proving that your research is original, that you understand its contribution to knowledge and – most importantly – that your work is your own. It's also very rare for students to fail.

Who attends a viva?

A PhD viva usually involves two examiners: one internal examiner (from your university) and one external examiner (from another university). Both should be familiar with your field and the external examiner in particular should be a recognised expert in your specific research area.

The internal examiner usually acts as the chairperson for the exam, making sure it follows your university's procedures.

Your supervisor doesn't normally attend the viva itself, but they will help you prepare for it and should be around to provide support on the day.

How long does a PhD viva take?

There is no set length for a viva voce exam, but most take between one and three hours .

A longer viva doesn't necessarily indicate any problems with your thesis: it may simply be that the examiners are enjoying the discussion. Equally, a shorter viva may just mean that your examiners are satisfied with the thesis and your responses to their questions.

Why is the viva necessary?

The most basic function of the viva is to prove that your work is original (i.e. not plagiarised). This is especially important because the criteria for a doctorate is to offer a significant new contribution to knowledge.

By discussing your work with you directly and confirming that you fully understand your thesis, examiners can be confident that this is your own research.

Do all PhD students have to have a viva?

Almost always. One exception is for PhDs by publication (as the work in these will already have been through academic peer review). Some countries such as Australia and New Zealand also take a slightly different approach as their location makes it harder to invite external examiners for a face-to-face defence.

The viva format

Universities set their own viva voce processes, but most will follow a fairly similar format.

Before the exam

Many supervisors let you choose an external examiner . They need to have expertise in the topics you have researched, but not someone you have collaborated closely with during your PhD or who you have a strong personal friendship with (as these might create a conflict of interest).

Your supervisor will normally discuss possible options and then submit the invitation on your behalf. This usually happens just before you complete your PhD.

The next step is to submit your thesis . Nowadays most universities only ask for a digital submission which is sent out to your examiners for you.

The gap between submission and viva is usually one to three months. This allows time for both examiners to thoroughly read and consider your thesis and for you to prepare.

Your supervisor/s should offer to conduct a mock viva with you shortly before the real exam. They'll ask the sort of questions an examiner might have about your thesis so that you can practice answering and discussing them.

Your supervisor will normally meet with you before the viva begins to help you relax and ease any last minute nerves.

The exam room will be somewhere on your university campus that has been booked for the occasion. It will be laid out very similarly to a job interview, with space for you and the examiners to sit with your notes. Drinking water is also normally provided.

Most vivas are recorded and will begin with the internal examiner explaining the rules and regulations as a formality. Either they or the external will then begin asking questions about your thesis.

The examiners will usually help you relax and settle in to the discussion by asking something quite general, such as what interested you in this PhD project or what the most enjoyable part of the research was. Subsequent questions will be more specific, often referring the arguments made at particular points in your thesis.

The examiners will end the viva once they have completed their questions and feel able to come to a judgement. You will then be asked to leave the room whilst they discuss your performance and decide on a result to recommend. This normally takes around fifteen minutes or so.

After the viva

The next steps depend on your viva result. The examiners will invite you back in to explain their recommendation and provide general feedback on your work. This may include advice on whether or not you should seek to publish any of your PhD thesis and what sort of edits or further work might be required to prepare it for that.

Hopefully you'll then be able to celebrate with your supervisor, but they should be on hand to offer their to support and advise you whatever the outcome.

The majority of students have some corrections (usually minor) to make before resubmitting a final version of the thesis to be checked by the internal examiner. Once the final copy of your thesis is approved, you will be awarded your PhD! It's time to look forward to using your new title (and wearing some exceptionally elaborate robes at your graduation).

Viva preperation tips

It may feel like you're at the end of a long PhD journey by the time the viva comes around (and you are) but the oral exam is an important part of your doctorate and you should prepare accordingly.

Whatever else you do or don't do, listen to the advice of your supervisors. They'll have experience of all sides of the process, from sitting their own viva voce to preparing previous students for theirs. Chances are they've also served as internal or external examiners too and will know exactly what sort of questions they'd ask about a thesis like yours.

Here are seven tips for effective viva preparation.

#1 Take a (short) break first

Chances are you've been working very hard on your PhD recently, getting it written up, responding to feedback from your supervisor, making edits, sorting the bibliography (which you still left to the last minute, right) and getting the whole thing printed in time for the final deadline.

Whatever happens next, you've just successfully submitted a PhD thesis and you deserve a break. So take one.

A week or two away from your PhD will be ideal (no, don't take a copy of your dissertation with you). You'll get some mental rest and be in a better place to take a fresh look at your thesis and think clearly about it.

There's no need to feel guilty: the time between submission and viva is partly intended to make this possible.

#2 Read through your thesis

You may feel pretty familiar with your thesis by now but, actually, you aren't. You're familiar with a series of chapters that may well have developed separately over several years. It was probably only recently that you wrote them up in their final form, added an introduction and conclusion and turned the whole thing into a dissertation setting out your entire PhD thesis.

You need to know that thesis inside out and be completely familiar with the structure of the dissertation that contains and communicates it: which page a key concept or topic appears on for the first time, where key stages of your argument occur, where you cite or critique particular scholarship, and so on.

At the very least, this means reading your full thesis through at least once. Really though, you should be re-reading each chapter a couple of times and. . .

#3 Annotate key points

The PhD viva isn't a closed-book exam and you're expected to take a copy of your thesis with you. It's perfectly fine to consult it in response to questions, so make that process easy by annotating the most important stages of your argument.

There are lots of ways to do this, but, really, there's no substitute for sticking markers through your dissertation and scribbling in the margins.

If the copy of the thesis you take into the exam room looks like it's survived an explosion in a post-it note factory and then spent several years being read by rough-fingered undergraduate students in the library, well, you're on the right track.

#4 Note down potential questions (and answers)

You'll never be able to guess all of the questions that will come up at your viva, but you should be able to anticipate a few of them. Sketching out some bullet-point answers in advance will help you think critically about your thesis and boost your confidence going into the exam.

Spend extra time on any questions you're concerned about. If there's a point where your argument gets a bit strained or where you think your conclusions might be easy to challenge, have a think about how you'd defend them. Remember that your thesis doesn't have to be perfect, but you do need to be able to make a case for it – so practice doing that.

Incidentally, no one has been able to completely test the hypothesis that preparing for a viva question ensures it doesn't actually come up, but, well, the anecdotal evidence is strong. Prepare anyway.

#5 (Re)familiarise yourself with your examiners' work

The viva is about your thesis, but your examiners will have been selected due to the relevance of their own research and their perspectives will be at least partly informed by it.

It makes sense to consider how their work might inform their attitudes towards yours (this should also help you antitipate some questions, as above).

#6 Definitely take up the offer of a mock viva

Your supervisor/s should offer to arrange a mock viva with you shortly before the actual exam (once you've had time to prepare). This is a really helpful process.

The mock viva won't be anything like as long as the real thing and it won't cover every question your examiners will ask (or necessarily predict any of them). But it doesn't need to.

The most valuable feature of a mock viva is to get feedback on how you answer questions. Your supervisors will be able to spot whether you're coming across as too hesitant or too confident, or whether your answers are sufficiently clear.

#7 Try to enjoy it

Chances are you'll be sick of hearing this advice by the time your exam comes around, but it's true. A PhD viva voce really can be fun.

This is your chance to sit down with two experts in your academic field who have read and carefully considered your thesis and whose attention, for the duration of the exam, is entirely on your research. That's a privilege and it's one you've earned by getting to this stage.

Prepare effectively and give the viva voce the respect it deserves. But, once you get into that exam room, be confident, own your ideas and enjoy the chance to let them take centre stage in a serious academic discussion.

Viva results

The vast majority of PhD students pass their viva. By the time you're ready to submit your PhD you will be an expert in your subject area, more than capable of discussing and debating it. You'll also have done so many times before: at conferences, in conversations with your supervisor, and in your own writing.

Your supervisor will also ensure your thesis is ready for examination before they recommend you proceed to this stage. The only exceptions to this will be if you submit against the advice of your supervisor (never a good idea) or if you've over-run the time period for your PhD and have to hand in a thesis that isn't ready (you're unlikely to get to this point unless your PhD has been going badly for some time).

PhD viva outcomes

It's rare to fail a viva, but it's also rare to pass outright. Instead, most students are asked to make some corrections to their thesis.

Here are the possible outcomes of a PhD viva voce:

Pass with no corrections – (uncommon) – Your viva has revealed no significant issues with your thesis and the dissertation itself is error-free. Congratulations, you are eligible to receive your PhD now!
Pass with minor corrections – (very common) – Your thesis is essentially sound, but there are some minor issues with your dissertation (such as typographical errors, or missing references). You will normally have three months to submit a corrected thesis.
Pass with major corrections – (fairly uncommon) – There are some parts of your argument that need to be clarified, expanded or otherwise rewritten. You will normally have six months to submit a revised thesis, but won't need a second viva.
Revise and resubmit – (fairly rare) – Your thesis is potentially good enough for a PhD, but it needs some significant work, usually including some substantial additional research. You will have around a year to re-submit an improved and updated version of your dissertation for a second viva voce exam.
Be recommended for MPhil – (rare) – Your thesis isn't good enough for a PhD, but it is sufficient for an MPhil (a research Masters that doesn't require a substantial original contribution to knowledge). You may receive the MPhil outright, or after some edits and corrections.
Fail – (exceptionally rare) – Your thesis does not meet the required standard for a PhD (perhaps due to fundamental flaws in your data and analysis, or due to evidence of plagiarism) and it cannot be converted into an MPhil. You have failed your doctorate and cannot resubmit your thesis.

Those last couple of results may appear scary but, in practice, it's only a few % of candidates each year who don't pass with corrections. The only way a PhD is likely to fail outright is if you have run down the clock on your registration period, submitted a poorly written thesis based on insufficient data and probably done so against the advice of your supervisor/s. The entire PhD process is designed to prevent this happening.

So relax. The likelihood is that your PhD will pass with minor corrections (or better) and that your next challenge will be deciding what to use your new 'Dr' title on first.

Can you appeal a viva result?

If you think your viva outcome was incorrect or unfair, then you may be able to appeal it with your university. The first thing to do is check their guidelines and appeal process. Your students' union may also be able to support and advise you.

Note that you can't normally appeal on academic grounds . Your examiners' judgement is generally final. It is also difficult to appeal a PhD result if you submitted without the support of your supervisor/s or have otherwise ignored their advice at other points in your project.

You may have grounds for appeal if you can demonstrate that you have been poorly advised or supervised (you will need evidence of this and of the specific impact it has had) or if there was an irregularity in the conduct of your viva (such as interruptions, an unsuitable venue, or a lack of consideration for relevant disabilities or health conditions that may have impacted your performance).

Common viva questions

The questions your examiners ask will obviously be very specific to your thesis and anticipating them is a big part of your specific viva preparation . There are a few things that are likely to crop up more often than not, though.

Here are some example viva questions , along with some tips for answering them well.

"Why did you choose this PhD project?" / "What interested you most about this topic?"

This is a classic icebreaker: it's an invitation to speak generally and positively about your work. As well as being a fairly easy question to answer (after all, there must be at least something you enjoyed about your PhD) this should also help you channel your passion and enthusiasm for your research as the viva gets going.

"What was the most challenging part of the project?"

This probably won't be the first question you're asked, but it might also come up early in the viva as the examiners ease you into talking about your project. It doesn't mean that they think your PhD is flawed. All research involves overcoming obstacles. This is an invitation to talk about how you did that and reflect on the practicalities of your project.

"What is the original contribution to knowledge made by this thesis?"

This question is highly likely to come up at some point in the viva and it's one you absolutely must have a clear answer for. You should be able to explain in one or two sentences what your contribution is, how it's original and why it matters.

Some examiners might not be so explicit or direct in asking this, so be on the lookout for questions like "why is this PhD important?", "why was this project worth completing?", "what were your main findings?" or "why does this research matter?". If you hear any of those, it's time to deploy the original contribution answer.

"Why did you include / exclude X?"

All doctoral projects need to be selective about what they can and can't include, and successful PhD students need to set boundaries for their research. At some point your examiners will probably want to see the logic behind yours.

Be confident and own your decisions. If there was a particular topic or approach you didn't include, then give your reasons for that.

Remember that there are lots of reasons why something might not make the cut for a PhD and the examiners aren't trying to catch you out. They don't even need to agree 100% with your decisions, but they do need to hear that you had credible reasons for making them.

It may be that there wasn't space to cover everything (in which case you should justify prioritising the material you did include). Or perhaps you felt that there was already sufficient scholarship related to a particular source or concept and your aim was to take the field in a different direction (this is a very good answer, if you can make it convincingly).

"If you were to repeat this project, what would you do differently?"

This question (or one like it) may come towards the end of the viva as you reflect on the project as a whole.

Again, the aim isn't to try and undermine your thesis, but rather to see whether you can constructively critique your own work and approaches. Or, to put it another way, have you learned anything from the experience of doing a PhD? You should have. After all, a doctorate is partly about learning to become an effective researcher and mistakes are a great thing to learn from.

In any case, this shouldn't be too hard to answer. There are likely to be all sorts of things you would do differently in future: from adopting different approaches or directions sooner, to heading off blind alleys or methodological mistakes.

"What do you think the next steps might be for this research?"

Relax, your examiners aren't expecting you to dive straight into another PhD. But they may want to hear where you would take this research next, or what you think other scholars could do to build on your findings. After all, part of the value in a new contribution to your field should lie in what it makes possible, as well as what it is .

It's best to be modest and realistic here, rather than making sweeping claims for how your findings will allow other researchers to reinvent the wheel (unless you have actually come up with a new technique for designing wheels, in which case, go ahead).

"Do you have any questions or comments for us?"

Your examiners will probably end the viva by asking if you'd like to ask them any questions, or say anything else about your thesis. This might seem a bit odd, but it's actually a helpful way for you to revisit or clarify any of your earlier answers.

For example, you might like to acknowledge a specific critique and reiterate your reasons for believing the thesis to be valid in spite of it. Or you might want to confirm that the examiners understood what you meant at a particular point in the previous discussion.

It's not a good idea to try and rehash large chunks of the viva here, but it's fine to pick out one or two things and be assertive. This demonstrates your confidence and commitment.

Equally, you can take the opportunity to ask the examiner's opinions on areas of the thesis that haven't come up, if you wish. This is fine, provided you're confident in those sections and comfortable discussing them.

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PhD Viva Voces – A Complete Guide
Doing a PhD
A PhD viva involves defending your thesis in an oral examination with at least two examiners.
The aim of a PhD viva is to confirm that the work is your own , that you have a deep understanding of your project and, overall, that you are a competent researcher .
There are no standard durations, but they usually range from one to three hours, with most lasting approximately two hours .
There are six outcomes of a PhD viva: (1) pass without corrections (2) pass subject to minor corrections, (3) pass subject to major corrections, (4) downgrade to MPhil with no amendments, (5) downgrade to MPhil subject to amendments, (6) immediate fail.
Almost all students who sit their viva pass it, with the most common outcome being ‘(2) – pass subject to minor corrections’.

What Is a PhD Viva?

A viva voce , more commonly referred to as ‘viva’, is an oral examination conducted at the end of your PhD and is essentially the final hurdle on the path to a doctorate. It is the period in which a student’s knowledge and work are evaluated by independent examiners.

In order to assess the student and their work around their research question, a viva sets out to determine:

you understand the ideas and theories that you have put forward,
you can answer questions about elements of your work that the examiners have questions about,
you understand the broader research in your field and how your work contributes to this,
you are aware of the limitations of your work and understand how it can be developed further,
your work makes an original contribution, is your own and has not been plagiarised.

Note: A viva is a compulsory procedure for all PhD students, with the only exception being when a PhD is obtained through publication as opposed to the conventional route of study.

Who Will Attend a Viva?

In the UK, at least two examiners must take part in all vivas. Although you could have more than two examiners, most will not in an attempt to facilitate a smoother questioning process.

One of the two examiners will be internal, i.e. from your university, and the other will be external, i.e. from another university. Regardless, both will be knowledgeable in your research field and have read your thesis beforehand.

In addition to your two examiners, two other people may be present. The first is a chairperson. This is an individual who will be responsible for monitoring the interview and for ensuring proper conduct is followed at all times. The need for an external chairperson will vary between universities, as one of the examiners can also take on this role. The second is your supervisor, whose attendance is decided upon by you in agreement with your examiners. If your supervisor attends, they are prohibited from asking questions or from influencing the outcome of the viva.

To avoid any misunderstandings, we have summarised the above in a table:


Examiners	Mandatory and minimum of 2	Your supervisor	Yes
Chairperson	Optional	Your university	No
Your Supervisor	Optional	You, in agreement of both examiners	No

Note: In some countries, such as in the United States, a viva is known as a ‘PhD defense’ and is performed publicly in front of a panel or board of examiners and an open audience. In these situations, the student presents their work in the form of a lecture and then faces questions from the examiners and audience which almost acts as a critical appraisal.

How Long Does a Viva Last?

Since all universities have different guidelines , and since all PhDs are unique, there are no standard durations. Typically, however, the duration ranges from one to three hours, with most lasting approximately two hours.

Your examiners will also influence the duration of your viva as some will favour a lengthy discussion, while others may not. Usually, your university will consult your examiners in advance and notify you of the likely duration closer to the day of your viva.

What Happens During a Viva?

Regardless of the subject area, all PhD vivas follow the same examination process format as below.

Introductions

You will introduce yourselves to each other, with the internal examiner normally introducing the external examiner. If an external chairperson is present, they too are introduced; otherwise, this role will be assumed by one of the examiners.

Procedure Explained

After the introductions, the appointed chair will explain the viva process. Although it should already be known to everyone, it will be repeated to ensure the viva remains on track during the forthcoming discussion.

Warm-Up Questions

The examiners will then begin the questioning process. This usually starts with a few simple opening questions, such as asking you to summarise your PhD thesis and what motivated you to carry out the research project.

In-Depth Questions

The viva questions will then naturally increase in difficulty as the examiners go further into the details of your thesis. These may include questions such as “What was the most critical decision you made when determining your research methodology ?”, “Do your findings agree with the current published work?” and “How do your findings impact existing theories or literature? ”. In addition to asking open-ended questions, they will also ask specific questions about the methodology, results and analysis on which your thesis is based.

Closing the Viva

Once the examiners are satisfied that they have thoroughly evaluated your knowledge and thesis, they will invite you to ask any questions you may have, and then bring the oral examination to a close.

What Happens After the Viva?

Once your viva has officially ended, your examiners will ask you to leave the room so that they can discuss your performance. Once a mutual agreement has been reached, which can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, you will be invited back inside and informed of your outcome.

PhD Viva Outcomes

There are six possible outcomes to a viva:

Immediate award of degree: A rare recommendation – congratulations, you are one of the few people who completely satisfied your examiners the first time around. You do not have to do anything further at this point.
Minor amendments required: The most common recommendation – you obtain a pass on the condition that you make a number of minor amendments to your thesis, such as clarifying certain points and correcting grammatical errors. The time you have to make these changes depends on the number of them, but is usually one to six months.
Major amendments required: A somewhat uncommon recommendation – you are requested to make major amendments to your thesis, ranging from further research to collecting more data or rewriting entire sections. Again, the time you have to complete this will depend on the number of changes required, but will usually be six months to one year. You will be awarded your degree once your amended thesis has been reviewed and accepted.
Immediate award of MPhil: An uncommon recommendation – your examiners believe your thesis does not meet the standard for a doctoral degree but meets the standard for an MPhil (Master of Philosophy), a lower Master’s degree.
Amendments required for MPhil: A rare recommendation – your examiners believe your thesis does not meet the standard for a doctoral degree, but with several amendments will meet the standard for an MPhil.
Immediate fail: A very rare recommendation – you are given an immediate fail without the ability to resubmit and without entitlement to an MPhil.

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What Is the Pass Rate for Vivas?

Based on an analysis of 26,076 PhD students who took their viva exam between 2006 and 2017, the PhD viva pass rate in the UK is 96%; of those who passed, about 80% were required to make minor amendments to their thesis. The reason for this high pass rate is that supervisors will only put their students forward for a viva once they confidently believe they are ready for it. As a result, most candidates who sit a viva are already well-versed in their PhD topic before they even start preparing for the exam.

How Do I Arrange a Viva?

Your viva will be arranged either by the examiners or by the chairperson. The viva will be arranged at least one to two months after you have submitted your thesis and will arrange a viva date and venue that is suitable for all participants.

Can I Choose My Examiners?

At most universities, you and your supervisor will choose the internal and external examiners yourselves. This is because the examiners must have extensive knowledge of the thesis topic in order to be able to examine you and, as the author of the thesis in question, who else could better determine who they might be than you and your supervisor. The internal examiner is usually quite easy to find given they will be from your institution, but the external examiner may end up being your second or third preference depending on availability.

Can I Take Notes Into a Viva?

A viva is about testing your competence, not your memory. As such, you are allowed to take notes and other supporting material in with you. However, keep in mind that your examiners will not be overly impressed if you constantly have to refer to your notes to answer each question. Because of this, many students prefer to take an annotated copy of their thesis, with important points already highlighted and key chapters marked with post-it notes.

In addition to an annotated copy of a thesis, some students also take:

a list of questions they would like to ask the examiners,
notes that were created during their preparation,
a list of minor corrections they have already identified from their viva prep work.

How Do I Prepare for a PhD Viva?

There are several ways to prepare for a PhD viva, one of the most effective being a mock viva voce examination . This allows you to familiarise yourself with the type of viva questions you will be asked and identify any weak areas you need to improve. They also give you the opportunity to practise without the pressure, giving you more time to think about your answers which will help to make sure that you know your thesis inside out. However, a mock viva exam is just one of many methods available to you – some of the other viva preparation methods can be found on our “ How to Prepare for a PhD Viva ” page.

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Top 40 potential viva questions, no comments:.

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Prepare for your viva. One question at a time.

Prepare answers to the most common phd viva questions with this interactive template. it’s free to download and it’s yours to keep forever. , the easiest way to prepare for your viva.

Our free PhD Viva Questions template lets you familiarise yourself with the most common questions. It’s been designed in collaboration with Professor Peter Smith, author of Palgrave’s The PhD Viva.

The template is interactive and editable, meaning you can fully prepare model answers in advance of the big day.

Enter your email address and we’ll deliver it straight to your inbox. For free. We’ll also send you tips and advice on how best to prepare for your viva and any corrections you may get.

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How to Excel in Your Doctoral Viva

© 2022
Stacey Bedwell 0 ,
Isabelle Butcher 1

Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Explains what the viva is, how the process works, and what the purpose of the viva is
Explores the course of preparing for a viva examination, focusing on organisation through to dealing with viva concerns
Features contributions from over 25 academics for a unique insight into the experiences of PhD candidates and examiners

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About this book

Why Tourette syndrome research needs philosophical phenomenology

Enactments in Transference: Embodiment, Trauma and Depression. What Have Psychoanalysis and the Neurosciences to Offer to Each Other

The Madness of Interpretation and Meaning in Psychoanalytic Treatment and Literature: Reading Patrick Casement’s ‘A Retrospective Overview’

life sciences
social sciences
research degree

Table of contents (11 chapters)

Front matter, introduction.

Stacey Bedwell, Isabelle Butcher

What Is the Viva?

Isabelle Butcher

Urban Myths about the PhD Viva

Stacey Bedwell

Real Viva Experiences

Making the most of and enjoying your viva, after the viva, practice questions, being confident in your thesis, the viva preparation timeline, participating in a mock viva, viva concerns, back matter.

— Sarah Lloyd , final year PhD candidate

— Gemini Katwa , PhD candidate

Authors and Affiliations

About the authors.

Dr. Isabelle Butcher was awarded her PhD in Psychology in 2021 from the University of Manchester, UK, for her work on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and traumatic life events. Isabelle’s current research interests are in the area of adolescent mental health and the impact of traumatic life events. Isabelle also has a keen interest in the ethics of research and is currently chair of an NHS ethics research committee.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title : How to Excel in Your Doctoral Viva

Authors : Stacey Bedwell, Isabelle Butcher

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10172-4

Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan Cham

eBook Packages : Education , Education (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-031-10171-7 Published: 16 September 2022

eBook ISBN : 978-3-031-10172-4 Published: 15 September 2022

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XIII, 183

Number of Illustrations : 69 b/w illustrations

Topics : Science Education , Higher Education , Psychology, general

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What questions will I be asked at my PhD viva?

Here are 36 questions that are typically asked at PhD vivas to help you with your preparation. PhD viva questions are unpredictable but this list should help you prepare.

Part 1. Overview Viva Questions

Summarise your thesis in a single sentence
Does the title represent the content?
Describe your thesis in brief.
How did you decide to order your thesis?
What is your overall argument?
Why did you choose this topic?
Why is this topic important, and to whom is it relevant?
What are your key findings?
What is original in the thesis? What are your contributions to knowledge?

Part 2. Literature Viva Questions

Where did you draw the line on what you included in your literature review? (how did you decide what to include and what not to include)
How did the literature inform your choice of topic and the thesis overall?
Where does your work fit into the literature?
Who are the key names (authors) in this area?

Part 3: Research Design and Methodology PhD Viva Questions

Summarise your research design. What is your methodology?
What are the limitations of your methodology?
Is there anything novel in your method?
What problems did you have?
How did you develop your research questions?
Did the research questions change over the course of the project?
Where are YOU in this study? How has your background (and your identity) influenced your research?
What is the theoretical framework in this study?

Part 4. Analysis

What problems did you have in the analysis?
Briefly summarise the findings as they relate to each of the research questions?

Part 5. Review

What are the strengths and weaknesses of your thesis?
What are the implications of your findings?
How has the context changed since you conducted your research?
How do you see this area developing over the next 5-10 years?
What, if any, of your findings are generalisable? [Could your findings apply to other geographies]
How could you follow this project up with further research?

Part 6. Reflection

How did the project change as you went through?
How have your views changed as you have progressed through your research?
How did your thinking change over the course of the project?
What are you proudest of in the thesis?
What were the most difficult areas?
What surprised you the most?
If you started this study again, what would you do differently?

I hope these questions are useful to you as you prepare for your viva. If you need any assistance preparing for the viva or getting your thesis ready for submission then just drop me an email and we can discuss how I can help.

25 Potential PhD Viva Questions – to help you prepare for yours

After burning the midnight oil for many months it is now time to submit your PhD thesis. But before you submit have you thought of what you might be asked on your PhD Viva?

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What is a PhD viva? A viva voce, which is Latin for “with the living voice,” is an oral examination. You will have the chance to present your PhD thesis and then defend it in front of a panel of academic authorities during this concentrated discussion. Many refer to PhD viva voce as defending you PhD thesis.

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Are you planning to present your PhD thesis? Or you still studying your PhD but you know at some point you will go through a PhD viva process. If so, this article is for you. It will give you guidance with some general questions that you ca expect from the panel.

Depending on the PhD focus area, a PhD viva voce session will consists of questions grouped in General Questions, Research Context and Methods, Analysis and Findings and Discussions and Conclusion/Implications as groups.

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Go through the questions and get prepared for your PhD viva voce. Don’t forget to share this article with that your friend you know might benefit from this.

Let’s Get Started with PhD Viva Questions

Below are the potential questions for a PhD Viva.

Tell us about yourself? Usual opening question to get you prepared for further questions.
Can you summarize you thesis? or alternatively as: Can you tell us about your thesis in 2 minutes? or What is the key focus of your research?
What is the problem that your PhD thesis is solving or has solved?
What led you to this thesis? or alternatively as: What motivated you to carry out this research? or What was your reason for selecting this research topic?
How did you come up with your research questions?
Did the research procedure go according to plan, or did you encounter any unforeseen problems?
If you look at your whole thesis which part of the process did you enjoy the most and why?
What is the strength and weakness of your research? What are the strongest or weakest parts of your PhD work?
What area(s) did you change for your work and why did you change it?
What are the alternatives to your methodology?
How did you use quantitative and qualitative research methods in your work?
What are the limitations of your research?
What makes your thesis work original?
What method have you used to evaluate your work?
What is the idea that binds your thesis together?
What changes have you seen since you started your doctorate in this field? How have these changes affected the context of your research?
What effect did you think changing [something in your method] would have?
Give us 3 research papers that are most related to your thesis
Why did you test [that specific number] of samples?
Elaborate on your main findings and how do they relate to literature in your field? or alternatively as: Summarize your key findings. Or alternatively as How confident are you in your findings?
How would you link your research to future research in this area?
Which of your results do you find the most interesting and why?
How can your research help other candidates working in the same field?
How would you propose future research as a follow-up to this project?
What have you learned from your PhD work and process?

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Teaching Matters blog

Promoting, discussing and celebrating teaching at the university of edinburgh, vive-ing la viva: how to answer viva questions.

Dr Jenny Scoles from the Institute of Academic Development provides some helpful tips in how to prepare for your PhD viva by being aware of how you answer the examiners’ questions. This post is part of the Learning and Teaching Enhancement theme: Showcasing the Doctoral College .

Just enjoy the viva, they say…. ha!

‘Enjoyment’ was not at the top of my list of adjectives when thinking about my viva. But I knew it was my only chance at speaking to people who had actually read my thesis and, unlike my long-suffering family and friends, were genuinely curious about why I didn’t use NVivo and why I hadn’t referenced the original citation on page 243. So, when it came to prepping for my PhD viva a few years ago (I submitted in a September and my viva wasn’t until the January so I had a decent amount of time to prepare/find multiple spelling mistakes), I made sure I was as ready as I could be.

I found a lot of online viva resources and blog posts that provided helpful lists of likely and possible questions you may be asked, so you can prepare your answers. However, what I found most helpful were the tips from my supervisors during my mock viva (tip 1: have a mock viva with your supervisors). Specifically, they talked about HOW I should answer the examiners’ questions, not necessarily WHAT to answer. Here are some examples:

Sign post your answers: You will undoubtedly be asked, in so many words, ‘What is your original contribution to knowledge?’. As with all replies, keep your answer clear; don’t make things too complicated. Structure the points you want so you can signpost the examiner to your main thesis contributions, just as you would have in your written conclusion. For example, I said ‘My thesis makes three original contributes to knowledge: firstly, a theoretical contribution… secondly a methodological contribution… and thirdly, a pedagogical/practical contribution….’, and kept it to a few sentences for each of the three points.

It’s a stamina game: It is easy at the beginning of the viva to want to just keep talking, through nerves, or a worry that you want to show off everything at once. My viva was only an hour and a half, but I’ve heard of some lasting over five hours – it just depends on the examiners, and what emerges on the day. Have faith that, when answering the first few questions, you don’t have to reel off your whole thesis there and then. Take your time; it is a tiring and exhaustive few hours. I hit the wall after an hour as I’d begun to relax into it, and my adrenaline dropped (I remember doing a few over-loud sighs without realising). So, pace yourself. If you are worried that you have not answered their question, you can politely ask if they would like you to expand any more.

Although it’s a defence of your thesis, don’t come across as defensive: This is a hugely useful distinction that I was made aware of. The examiners are there to critically pick apart your thesis, probing why you did certain things and not others. Yet this thesis is your baby, and no one but you can say your baby isn’t perfect. So your hackles rise, and perhaps, without realising it, the tone or manner in which you reply could come across as too defensive and it could make the examiners feel defensive too; they’re only human, after all. You can still defend your reasons politely but firmly… ‘That’s a really interesting way of looking at it, but I found, for my study, it was more helpful to look at it this way….’, or similar.

Don’t know the answer? Sometimes they may ask you something that you have not even thought about, let alone prepared for. At this point, have a few stock phrases up your sleeve to give yourself some time to mull it over:

Well, now that I think about it like that… I’m only starting to see this now… That’s a very good point, I’d like to look at this issue in more detail.

Practice speaking your answers aloud to get used to your voice: The best prep I did was with a colleague who had her viva at a similar time to me. We scheduled weekly Skype sessions in the weeks before and practised asking each other unseen questions. This helped me get used to hearing my own voice, and let me play with how I could verbalise concepts and ideas that I had only, up until then, put into writing and lived in my head.

Prepare your own questions: Like an interview scenario, it looks professional if you have a few prepared questions for the examiners for the ‘any questions?’ part, at the end. For example, you could ask their thoughts on where you could publish future journal articles from your PhD. Or, how a particular concept you developed fits with their own work (brownie points for having read the examiners’ latest papers).

And, finally, two tips from me after having survived:

Simplify the notes you take in with you: I was allowed to take in as many notes, thesis drafts, books, lucky mascots as I wanted. However, if you are relying too much on your answers coming from reading your notes, the flow of conversation will falter, and you may end up getting into a bit of a sweat. As part of the revision process, I made colourful mind maps that summarised the main points I wanted to make for each potential question. I took these in to the viva and lay them out in front of me, which meant I could flick my eyes to them if I had a mind-blank:

Enjoy it… or just get through it: It’s easy to say ‘just enjoy your viva!’ once you’re through the other side. So, if you enjoy it, bonus! If not, well-bloody-done for having got to the viva in the first place, and whatever happens, reward yourself big-style at the end:

This post was originally published on theofficedog blog .

Jenny Scoles

Dr Jenny Scoles is the editor of Teaching Matters. She is an Academic Developer (Learning and Teaching Enhancement), and a Senior Fellow HEA, in the Institute for Academic Development, and provides pedagogical support for University course and programme design. Her interests include student engagement, professional learning and sociomaterial methodologies.

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Research, Digital, UX and a PhD.

13 steps I took to prepare for my PhD viva

Published May 29, 2017 by Salma Patel

I submitted my thesis in Dec 2016. It took much longer than I had anticipated for the examiners and the chair to be approved due to administrative delays. Two months later (in late Feb) I received confirmation that my exam would be at the end of April.

In terms of the arrangements of the day of the viva, I must say the graduate office in my department were great and said they would organise the day, and I should only worry about preparing for the exam. I booked advance tickets so I could get to the University early and not have to pay a peak time train fare. I have a written about my viva experience here .

From Jan-March I was working with the public health team at Hackney City Council. I also had Open University marking to do in March. So I started preparing for my thesis approximately a month before my viva, and this is how:

Step 1: The first thing I did was read this really useful three part blogpost by Fiona Noble. I decided I was going to tackle the preparation in a similar fashion.

Step 2: I knew I had to read the thesis cover to cover , but I was dreading it. I was overcome by fear that I may open the first page and spot mistakes. Or I may start reading it and realise it is a complete rubbish. So I procrastinated for two days, looking for any excuse not to open the thesis, which is so unlike me. On the third day, I was forced to work in a cafe and lo and behold, I managed to read almost half the thesis. Whilst reading the thesis, I placed post it notes where I thought I may be asked a question, where I thought something may not be clear and also the references that were not fresh in my head. Because it had been three months since I had last read the thesis, it really felt like a fresh read, and when I completed reading it, thankfully I said to myself ‘it isn’t bad at all’ (which means it is good!).

Step 3: I then sat at my desk with my computer, and started to go through all the post it notes . Where it was in relation to a reference, I re-read the abstract of the paper, just to refresh my memory, and placed a short summary of the paper or the paper title on a larger post it note and stuck it inside the thesis, next to where it was mentioned. I also went through all the other post it notes, answered the questions, and left small post it notes inside the thesis, in case I would be questioned in my viva and I’d forget the answer.

Step 4: I prepared questions that could come up in the thesis in a Q&A document . I looked online, and found many questions, and I had also bought PhD viva cards a year or so ago. I also went through the archive of the PhD Viva website which I had set up in 2012 (but very sadly hacked and and deleted). So I sat with about 5 different long lists of questions and the cards in an attempt to amalgamate them, so that I would end up with a very thorough list of questions. I did that, and towards the the end I realised that the list of questions from this list published online was actually very comprehensive, and pretty much covered everything that was on other lists (I have copied the list of questions from that resource at the end of this post in case the online resource goes haywire). I sat and typed up the answers to these questions in note form in a Word document. I realised quickly that the answer to most of these questions was narrated in my thesis, so there was much copy pasting too. Rowen Murray’s book ‘How to Survive Your Viva’ is a book I dipped into regularly, during this stage and other stages too. It isn’t an essential read, but it is really detailed, and if you are not feeling confident about answering the questions, it suggests really good ways to approach the answers.

(NB: After I completed this step I found this resource: list of 40 viva questions , which is shorter but looks almost as good too (and in hindsight post-viva, I think it is a better set of questions).

Step 5: I then received an email from my main supervisor asking me to prepare a 10 min presentation for the mock viva, an answer to the question ‘Tell me about your research’ , as this is always the first question. She suggested that I should structure it as follows:

about you – what disciplinary perspective are you approaching this from? Your motivation for doing the research topic.
research problem, aims, research questions
methodology
conclusions and contributions

I was a bit taken aback to be honest at this point as I wasn’t expecting this type of open-ended question, and I hadn’t really come across it in the notes or books I had read, but once I had a think about it, it made sense that the first question is likely to be quite open-ended, and as she advised, it made sense to prepare for the first question thoroughly, as it gives you a good strong start. So I created a Powerpoint using a similar structure to the above (motivations for research, originality of the research, research question, findings, key contributions to knowledge, and key contributions to practice). I had already prepared this in note format in Step 4 so it didn’t take long to put this presentation together. However, I did spend some time vocalizing the presentation and practicing it in front of my husband. At this stage I was not sure whether I would use the Powerpoint in the viva, or just use the slides as a way to guide the answer to this question. My supervisor suggested I should go with whichever I prefer, and I left that decision for closer to the time.

Step 6: I placed bookmarks using post it notes in my thesis , across the top went Chapter numbers and across the side were key areas of my thesis, that I was pretty certain I may need to look at during my thesis (pages that had limitations of study for example, or why I had chosen one mode of survey over another for example).

Step 7: I had been compiling a list of new papers published since I had submitted that I thought I may be asked to comment about. I printed off the abstracts and read through them. I also went back to the document prepared in Step 4, and read through it again critically and added more notes to it, and made some of the notes briefer. I also added a few notes to the thesis itself.

Step 8: I re-read the entire thesis for the second time before the mock viva (I suspect this probably wouldn’t be required if you do not have such a huge gap between submission and viva). I also practiced the presentation and took all my notes along to the mock viva

Step 9: The mock viva ended up being more of a chat than a mock viva. I received some good feedback on the presentation for the viva, and we discussed a few questions that may come up. One of the questions I hadn’t thought of was: Would your findings have implications on any other fields outside of healthcare? My supervisor also advised me that if both examiners asked me to make a change, or argued a point strongly, I should accept their advice and say “I’d be happy to make that change” rather than arguing with them.

Step 10: I updated the PPT based on feedback from my supervisor, and I went through the Q&A document, and highlighted the key questions that I needed to take as notes in the interview. I copied those questions and placed them on to 2 pages. I also placed some of the question and answers inside the thesis, and referenced it with page numbers on this 1 page (double page) notes document that I decided I would take into the thesis (parts of this double page notes document can be seen in the image at the top of this post).

Step 11: I re-read the entire thesis (for the third time) two weeks before the viva and typed up any typos/errors I found. I also updated the Double page notes document during this time.

Step 12 : In the final week, I practiced the presentation , practiced answering viva questions using the viva cards by myself and got my husband to ask me the questions too. I also read the thesis again (but this time missing some chapters). I printed off the PPT two days before and got all the things ready for the viva using my last-minute checklist (see below). The day before I went through the Thesis Defence Checklist and ensured it was all ticked off.

Step 13: On the day of the viva I got myself to the venue, had the viva and I passed with very few small minor corrections (8 to be precise). I have written about my viva experience in detail here .

Reflection post-viva:

In hindsight, I probably over prepared slightly, and the majority of the questions I had prepared for never came up. But the preparation gave me a huge amount of confidence, and it meant that I knew my thesis inside out, so during the viva I easily navigated to certain pages. If I had to go back I would probably use the 40 questions listed below to prep rather than the longer list of questions. I would definitely not skip the two mock vivas, and the PPT presentation I prepared, because presenting the PPT at very start of the viva meant that I started off very strong and was very well prepared for their initial few questions. (BTW I used printouts of the PPT to talk over the slides (I gave the examiners a copy too), rather than formally presenting the PPT visually using a digital screen).

———————————————————————————————–

Possible viva questions, a long list compiled by ddubdrahcir

Summarise your thesis in a sentence.
Does the title represent the content?
Describe your thesis in brief.
How did you decide to order your thesis?
What is your overall argument?
Summarise the context.
Why did you choose this topic?
Why is this topic important, and to whom is it relevant?
What are the key findings?
What is original here; what are your contributions to knowledge?
What justifies this thesis as a doctorate?
Where did you draw the line on what you included in your literature review?
Where did you draw the line on what you included in the theoretical literature?
How did the literature inform your choice of topic and the thesis overall?
What three publications would you say have been most influential in your work?
Where does your work fit into the literature?
Who are the key names in this area?
Who are the project’s key influences?
How does your work differ from theirs?
Do the findings confirm, extend, or challenge any of the literature?
How does your work connect to that of your reviewers?

Research Design and Methodology

Summarise your research design.
Did you think about applying a different design?
What are the limitations of this kind of study?
Is there anything novel in your method?
What problems did you have?
How did you develop your research questions?
Did the research questions change over the course of the project?
How did you translate the research questions into a data collection method?
What are the philosophical assumptions in your work?
Where are YOU in this study?
Describe your sample.
How did you recruit your sample?
What boundaries did you set on your sample?
What are the weaknesses of your sample?
What boundaries did you set on your data collection?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of your data?
What other data would you like (or have liked) to collect?
What is the theoretical framework in this study?
Why did you choose this conceptual framework?
Did you think about using any other theories, and if so, why did you reject them?
What ethical procedures did you follow?
What ethical issues arose in the course of your study and how did you address them?
Describe your frame of analysis.
How did you construct this framework?
What didn’t you include in the framework?
What problems did you have in the analysis?
Did you combine induction and deduction in your analysis? Can you share some examples?
Describe the findings in more detail.
Briefly summarise the findings as they relate to each of the research questions.
How do you think the theoretical framing was helpful? Can you share some examples?
What other data could you have included, and what might it have contributed?
Could the findings have been interpreted differently?
What are the strengths and weakness of your study?
What sense do you have of research being a somewhat untidy, or iterative and constantly shifting process?
How confident are you in your findings and conclusions?
What the implications of your findings?
How has the context changed since you conducted your research?
Where do your findings sit in the field in general?
How do you see this area developing over the next 5-10 years?
Where does your work fit within this?
To whom is your work relevant?
What haven’t you looked at, and why not?
What, if any, of your findings are generalisable?
How would you like to follow this project up with further research?
What would you publish from this research, and in which journals?
How did the project change as you went through?
How has your view of the area changed as you have progressed through your research?
How did your thinking change over the course of the project?
How have you changed as a result of undertaking this project?
What did you enjoy about your project?
What are you proudest of in the thesis?
What were the most difficult areas?
What surprised you the most?
If you started this study again, what would you do differently?

40 viva questions (a shorter list), compiled by Rebecca at OU Blog

Last minute checklist for the viva day:

Place on table:

Blank paper and working Pen
Presentation slides printed
List of corrections
Double sided notes
Detailed Question notes (just incase?)

Keep in bag:

List of recent papers published
All my published papers
Spare pen and notebook
Tissue pack
Chewing gum
Phone/charger?

Last minute generic advice:

Can you rephrase the question?/Is that what you are asking?
I am aware …. However …
That’s an interesting point, but the way I was thinking about it was …
Is that answering your question?
I am happy to correct that.

My PhD Viva experience
Planning and keeping track of thesis write up:…
My Academic Diary
10 tips towards PhD thesis submission
Holidays for PhD students – how does it work?

Published in Featured PhD Life Research Research Methods

[…] preparing for the viva. I have written about the 13 steps I took to prepare for the viva in detail here, so I will not go into that […]

Thank you very much for this post. I am preparing for my viva voce which will be on 20 Jan. When i re-read my thesis i felt overwhelmed by some parts of my thesis. But i will do my best and be prepared, so thank you for sharing this

it was useful

Thank you Salma for sharing your experiences in Viva Land. Much appreciated

Dear Dr.salma

Thank you for sharing your valuable viva experience , I will use your post as reference for preparing for my Viva next month , i have one question do think the 40 questions list is enough for viva preparation ( general questions)? Thank you !

Hi Munannad,

Personally I think the 40 questions as preparation is most likely sufficient as it covers most areas, and there’s only so much you can prepare anyways, as some questions will come that you did not anticipate. Do have a mock viva if you can. But don’t worry, you know your thesis inside out and can look into it too to find references or read passages.

All the best with your viva!

Best wishes, Salma

Thank you Dr Salma,

Reading through your viva experience has given so much confidence and structure. I will be having my viva voce PhD assessment in Mach 2020 and I am vigorously preparing for it with all my might. I have also just published an article based on my thesis. So, I thank you very much for sharing you experience, especially the 40 questions Best Wishes

Thank you. This is very useful post. Very thoughtful of you to have penned this so others find it helpful

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100 Machine Learning PhD viva Questions

100 machine learning phd viva questions: a comprehensive guide for defending your thesis.

Are you preparing for your Machine Learning PhD viva and feeling overwhelmed by the thought of the questions you might be asked? You’re not alone. The viva, or oral examination, is a crucial part of the PhD process, and it can be challenging to know how to prepare for it.

Fortunately, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of 100 Machine Learning PhD viva questions that are likely to come up during your examination. By reviewing these questions and preparing thoughtful answers, you can boost your confidence and improve your chances of success.

What is your research topic, and what motivated you to pursue it?
What are the key research questions you aimed to answer in your PhD project?
What is the main contribution of your research to the field of Machine Learning?
Can you explain the technical approach you used to tackle your research problem?
What are the limitations of your research, and how did you address them?
What are the potential applications of your research in industry or academia?
How does your work fit into the broader context of the Machine Learning field?
What were the key challenges you faced during your research, and how did you overcome them?
Can you explain the methodology you used to collect and analyze your data?
What are the key insights you gained from your research , and how do they contribute to the field?
What are the main strengths and weaknesses of the Machine Learning methods you used in your research?
Can you explain the differences between supervised and unsupervised learning, and when to use each method?
What are the key steps in building a successful Machine Learning model?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using deep learning models?
How do you handle overfitting in your models, and what techniques do you use to prevent it?
What is regularization, and how does it help prevent overfitting?
How do you handle missing data in your Machine Learning models?
What is cross-validation, and how does it help evaluate the performance of your models?
Can you explain the difference between precision and recall, and why they are important metrics in Machine Learning?
What is the curse of dimensionality, and how does it affect the performance of Machine Learning models?
Can you explain the difference between a generative and a discriminative model?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using decision trees for Machine Learning?
Can you explain the difference between gradient descent and stochastic gradient descent?
What is backpropagation, and how does it work in training neural networks?
What are convolutional neural networks, and how are they used in computer vision?
Can you explain the difference between a convolutional layer and a pooling layer in a CNN?
What are recurrent neural networks, and how are they used in natural language processing?
Can you explain the difference between a LSTM and a GRU?
What are autoencoders, and how are they used in unsupervised learning?
What is transfer learning, and how can it be used to improve the performance of Machine Learning models?
What are adversarial attacks, and how do they affect the robustness of Machine Learning models?
What is reinforcement learning, and how does it differ from supervised and unsupervised learning?
Can you explain the difference between on-policy and off-policy learning in reinforcement learning?
What is Q-learning, and how does it work in reinforcement learning?
What are the challenges in scaling Machine Learning models, and how can they be addressed?
How do you evaluate the performance of a Machine Learning model, and what metrics do you use?
Can you explain the difference between accuracy and F1 score, and when to use each metric?
How do you interpret the results of a confusion matrix, and what insights can you gain from it?
What are the different techniques for feature selection, and how do you decide which one to use?
Can you explain the difference between feature extraction and feature selection, and when to use each technique?
What are the different types of clustering algorithms, and how do they differ from each other?
Can you explain the difference between K-means clustering and hierarchical clustering?
What are the challenges in clustering high-dimensional data, and how can they be addressed?
What are the different types of classification algorithms, and how do they differ from each other?
Can you explain the difference between logistic regression and support vector machines?
What are the different types of ensemble learning methods, and how do they work?
Can you explain the difference between bagging and boosting?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using random forests for classification tasks?
What are the different types of time-series forecasting models, and how do they differ from each other?
Can you explain the difference between ARIMA and exponential smoothing models?
What are the different types of anomaly detection algorithms, and how do they work?
Can you explain the difference between unsupervised and semi-supervised anomaly detection?
What are the different types of deep learning architectures, and how do they differ from each other?
Can you explain the difference between a feedforward neural network and a convolutional neural network?
What are the different types of optimization algorithms, and how do they differ from each other?
Can you explain the difference between batch gradient descent and mini-batch gradient descent?
What are the different regularization techniques, and how do they prevent overfitting?
Can you explain the difference between L1 and L2 regularization?
What are the different types of data augmentation techniques, and how do they improve the performance of Machine Learning models?
Can you explain the difference between data augmentation and transfer learning?
What are the different types of hyperparameter tuning techniques, and how do they help optimize Machine Learning models?
Can you explain the difference between grid search and random search?
What are the different types of model interpretability techniques, and how do they help understand the inner workings of Machine Learning models?
Can you explain the difference between LIME and SHAP?
What are the ethical considerations in Machine Learning, and how do you ensure that your research is ethically sound?
Can you explain the difference between bias and variance in Machine Learning, and how do you balance them?
What are the challenges in building Machine Learning models for real-world applications, and how do you address them?
Can you explain the difference between batch learning and online learning, and when to use each method?
What are the different types of data preprocessing techniques, and how do they prepare data for Machine Learning?
Can you explain the difference between normalization and standardization?
What are the different types of distance metrics, and how do they measure similarity between data points?
What are the different types of optimization problems in Machine Learning, and how do you solve them?
Can you explain the difference between convex and non-convex optimization problems?
What are the different types of regularization techniques, and how do they prevent overfitting?
Can you explain the difference between dropout and weight decay regularization?
What are the different types of learning rate schedules, and how do they impact the training of Machine Learning models?
Can you explain the difference between a fixed learning rate and an adaptive learning rate?
What are the different types of data imbalance, and how do you handle them in Machine Learning?
Can you explain the difference between oversampling and undersampling?
What are the different types of neural network architectures for sequence modeling, and how do they differ from each other?
Can you explain the difference between a Recurrent Neural Network and a Transformer?
What are the different types of attention mechanisms, and how do they improve the performance of Machine Learning models?
What are the challenges in building Machine Learning models for natural language processing, and how do you address them?
Can you explain the difference between word embeddings and character embeddings?
What are the different types of text classification algorithms, and how do they differ from each other?
What are the different types of named entity recognition algorithms, and how do they work?
What are the different types of sentiment analysis algorithms, and how do they determine the sentiment of a piece of text?
What are the different types of topic modeling algorithms, and how do they discover topics in a corpus of text?
What are the different types of Machine Learning models for image classification, and how do they differ from each other?
Can you explain the difference between a Convolutional Neural Network and a Residual Neural Network?
What are the different types of object detection algorithms, and how do they detect objects in an image?
What are the different types of image segmentation algorithms, and how do they segment an image into regions?
What are the different types of generative models, and how do they generate new data samples?
Can you explain the difference between a Generative Adversarial Network and a Variational Autoencoder?
What are the different types of Machine Learning models for speech recognition, and how do they differ from each other?
Can you explain the difference between a Hidden Markov Model and a Deep Neural Network for speech recognition?
What are the different types of Machine Learning models for time-series forecasting, and how do they differ from each other?
Can you explain the difference between a recurrent neural network and a convolutional neural network for time-series forecasting?
What are the different types of Machine Learning models for recommender systems, and how do they recommend items to users?
Can you explain the difference between collaborative filtering and content-based filtering for recommender systems?

These 100 Machine Learning PhD viva questions cover a wide range of topics and concepts in Machine Learning, from basic concepts such as linear regression and decision trees, to more advanced topics such as deep learning, natural language processing, and image recognition.

By preparing for these questions, you will be well-equipped to defend your thesis and demonstrate your knowledge and expertise in the field of Machine Learning. Remember to keep practicing and honing your skills, as the field of Machine Learning is constantly evolving and there is always something new to learn. Good luck with your viva!

Also Read: Top 50 Possible PhD Viva Questions

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Viva Questions

Updated on
Jan 18, 2024

What are viva questions? A viva simply means a university examination during which students answer questions in speech and these questions are commonly based on a particular project or discipline. Viva questions are an important part of an academic program and often take place at the conclusion of a semester/year. Although viva questions can vary, they commonly focus on four aspects: “What the project is about?”, “What were the key findings or observations?”, “What was the process?” and “Why do the observations matter?”. However, in some cases, these questions can be more diverse. If you want to know how to tackle these PhD viva questions properly, then this blog is a must-read for you!

This Blog Includes:

1. summarize your project/thesis/research in 3 minutes, 2. what is the strength and weakness of your research, 3. what makes your thesis work original, 4. elaborate on how your findings relate to literature in your field, 5. tell me about yourself, 6. summarise your key findings, 7. highlight the strong and weak areas of your research, 8. what were the major motivations behind this research, 9. elucidate the process of evaluation, 10. what is the key focus of this research, 50 common viva questions, 25 phd viva questions , viva questions on research methodologies, analysis and research findings: viva questions, viva questions for physics, viva questions for chemistry, viva questions for biology, viva questions for higher education, tips and tricks to ace the viva, 10 most important viva questions with answers.

Whether you are a PhD or a school student, viva exams are equally tough for everyone. But don’t worry, we have a solution to calm you down! Here are 5 commonly asked questions with answers:

To answer this question correctly, you need to be well-versed in the entire project. Start with an answer by explaining why did you select the topic of your project/thesis/research and close your explanation by providing an optimum solution to the problem.

Carefully analyze the strength and weaknesses of your research and while answering, make sure you talk about your weaknesses also and not only your strengths.

While answering, keep in mind what was known before and what you have added as part of being awarded your PhD is to contribute novel knowledge.

Explain how your findings connect with the literature review of your project and what its contributions are in terms of the field of your research. Does it further expand the literature? Does it highlight some new observations? Does it add to the literature in this field? Answer these main questions.

Talk about yourself and your areas of interest. Focus on the areas you are extremely positive about. Talk about your past achievements and what brings you to this position. Keep it professional.

Must Read: How to Ace “Tell Me About Yourself” in College Interview?

For this common viva question, focus on what you observed and found through your research project, how it connects with your hypothesis as well as what concluded through this research.

Mention the strengths first and elaborate on how they connect with the key findings. Then, you can underline the weak areas and the factors that could have been transformed into strengths.

Focus on what inspired you to carry out this research, and cite certain instances which helped you select this topic as well as the field for your project.

Elaborate on how you evaluated the key findings in your research, the key factors involved, whether the evaluation process faced some obstacles, how it could have been better and what was the reason you choose a particular process of evaluation.

While answering this, keep a summarised version of your research in your mind and then talk about the area of the primary focus of research. In order to demonstrate that your research is viable, it is essential to identify some of the key questions that it addresses.

Mostly research-based viva questions are asked in the case of a doctoral thesis wherein the key aspect of the process is to identify the thought behind the development of the specific paper. It is done to determine the knowledge and originality of the researcher and to assess their further interest in the field.

Below are some of the most common viva questions.

Tell me about yourself .
Summarise your research/thesis in 3 minutes.
Tell us how your research contributes to knowledge discourse.
What are the practical applications of your research?
What is the strength and weakness of your research?
How does your research help solve the underlying problems?
Can you explain your thesis in a sentence?
How did you come up with the subject of your research/thesis?
What was the source of inspiration behind this thesis/research?
What is the key idea that is unexpendable to your thesis?
What contributions are you looking forward to making in this area of study?
What is the key focus of this research?
Where can we locate the originality in your paper?
What are the core areas of debate in this paper?
What research methodology have you applied to address this issue?
What were the alternative methods you could have used to address the subject matter of concern?
Why did you feel it necessary to spend your resources in this area of study?
What aids did you use to support your research?
Which pertinent research papers did you use in your research?
Can you name 3 remarkable research papers in this stream?
Explain the recent developments in this field.
How did you come up with these questions you have discussed in your paper?
Describe the necessary decisions taken in your process.
Elucidate the process of evaluation.
Ponder over the strong and weak aspects of your research.
What is the relevance of your research in the current scenario?
Where do you think your research can be practically applied?
Which aspects of your research are you looking forward to being published?
Give us some insights into the references in your thesis.
What have you achieved in the process of this PhD?
Elaborate on how your findings relate to literature in your field.
Highlight the strong and weak areas of your research.
What were the major motivations behind this research?
How would you propose future research as a follow-up to this project?
Who will be more interested in this research project?
How is your research project relevant to your fellow researchers?
What was the process behind the research questions you selected?
Name some alternatives to your chosen research methodology.
Which of your research observations are you most interested in/curious about?
Name some prominent achievements of your research.

A PhD viva is a final examination in which a candidate answers questions from an academic panel on their work and understanding of their chosen subject area. This is often used to determine whether the candidate has effectively proved that they have learned enough about their specialised study topic to produce original work.

During a PhD viva, the questions are frequently based on the original study proposal and any other written material that has already been provided. Read the top 25 PhD viva questions below:

What is the area in which you wish to be examined?
What have you done that merits a PhD?
Summarise your key findings.
What’s original about your work?
Which topics overlap with your area?
Where do current technologies fail such that you (could) make a contribution?
Who are your closest competitors?
Can you summarise your project in 2 lines?
How can this research help other students working in the same field?
Which of your findings is your personal favourite?
Is your research inspired by some incident in your life?
Why did you choose this method to conduct this research?
What motivated you to conduct this research?
What was the biggest challenge that came your way?
What were the alternatives to this methodology?
How would you evaluate your work?
Were you short of any resources while conducting this research?
Can you tell me about the strongest point of your research?
What is the weakest point of your research?
. How did you deal with the ethical implications of your work?
What original contribution has your thesis made to this field of study?
Whose work has most influenced yours?
What ethical considerations did you apply?
Did your study go as expected? If you had to start the thesis again, what would you do differently?
Now that you’ve completed your study, what did you enjoy about the process?

Preparing for an interview for the Statistician or Survey Specialist role? Then worry not! Here are the most important viva questions on research methodologies:

Under which circumstances are quantitative as well as qualitative research methods fruitful?
Could you distinguish between case-based and observational-based research methods in a few words?
What is a scientific study and what are its essential features?
You must have faced some ethical issues while conducting research. How did you handle it?
What method did you use to collect data?
Was there any other way in which you could have assimilated the data? If yes, then how?
What are the main achievements of your research?
What advice would you give to a research student entering this area?
What is the relevance of your work to other researchers?
How did your research questions emerge?

Subjective Questions for School

Be it for Chemistry or Biology practicals , from 10th standard onwards, students have to appear for vivas. The concerned viva questions pertain to the subject that the students have studied in the course of the entire year. The viva that one appears for at the senior secondary level is based on the experiments that the students perform to test their understanding of the research. Apart from those experiments, the students are also asked several questions to estimate their practical understanding of the key areas of study.

Viva questions for Physics are mainly based on concepts and topics from Physics textbooks. Here are the most common viva questions for Physics Class 11 and Class 12:

Viva Questions for Class 12 Physics

What is Ohm’s Law?
What do you mean by ‘interference’?
Define tangent law.
Name the type of motion shown by the Torsional pendulum.
What happens with resonance in the LCR circuit?
What do you understand by the order of the spectrum?
How is Wedge Film Experiment useful?
Define parallax and how it is removed.
How does the emission of light is carried out by LED?

Also Read: Physics Project for Class 12: Top 50 Ideas & Experiments

Viva Questions for Class 11 Physics

Name the units of the vernier scale.
What do you understand by Zero Error (Z.E)?
What are the two parts of the Screw Gauge?
Name one mechanical advantage of a Screw Gauge.
What is Focal Length?
What are the factors that impact surface tension?
Define the time period of a bar.
What is Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)?

Viva questions for Chemistry are mainly based on concepts and topics from Chemistry textbooks. Here are the most common viva questions for Chemistry Class 11 and Class 12:

Viva Questions for Class 12 Chemistry

What is Valency?
What is the value of Avogadro’s number?
What is the monomer of Polyethylene?
What are polymers?
What is the IUPAC Name?
Differentiate between addition and condensation polymer
What is the oxidation and reduction reaction in the electrolytic process?
What is Titration?

Also Read: Chemistry Project for Class 12: Topics & Sample Projects

Viva Questions for Class 11 Chemistry

Define the term ‘crystallisation’
What is solubility?
Why is crystallization done?
What is Kipp’s waste?
What is a Saturated Solution?

PhD viva questions for Biology are mainly based on concepts and topics from Biology textbooks. Here are the most common viva questions for Biology Class 11 and Class 12:

Viva Questions for Class 12 Biology

What is litter?
What is the shape of a pollen grain
What is tectum?
What are pollutants
What is hummus
Define Mitosis
Why is Mitosis called Somatic Cell Division

Also Read: How to Ace Class 12th Biology Practical?

Viva Questions for Class 11 Biology

How many types of proteins are there
What are enzymes
What is nucleic acid?
Examples of high-protein food
Full form of DNA
Full form of RNA
What are Mendelian Laws
What is placentation?
What are monadelphous and diadelphous stamens?
What is the flower’s importance to the plant?
To which family china rose belongs?

Admission tutors at the postgraduate level conduct viva or interviews to establish whether graduates are committed to and prepared for studying the master’s or PhD level courses. These are less formal than a job interview , but you still need to take them seriously – your aspirations to pursue overseas education could depend on your performance.

Let’s say you come from a Mass Communication background and you’ve made a documentary on “ underprivileged sections of society” . Then you might be asked about the process of the development of the movie, how long did it take to gauge the key aspects of the film or the perspective behind the direction process.

Though the research you do in your PhD is a massive achievement, you need to be prepared for the exhaustive viva session with the experts. The PhD viva questions are a chance for students to discuss their work with professionals. Its formal purpose is to ensure that the student understands and can explain their thesis. It involves lots of stinging questions and conceptually complex debates. How can PhD scholars best prepare themselves? Let us take a look at the different tips for getting through your viva questions:

Calm down and breathe
Believe in yourself
Do something fun
Go in with a good attitude
Look presentable
Read your thesis
Know the rules
Make a list of your own corrections
Make plans to celebrate
Try to enjoy it

Must Read: How to Crack an Interview [20 Scientifically Proven Tips]

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Thank you for this helpful information… Its really good and givea confident to me …

Hi, Venkatesh! Thanks for your comment. We are referring you few blogs to explore: Profit and Loss Formula Questions Types of Reasoning Questions in Competitive Exams Interview Questions and Answers

Most useful information for a researcher. Thanks a lot for guiding several research students.

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PhD Viva Questions [Interactive Template]
(DOC) Top 40 Potential Viva Questions
Top 12 Potential PhD Viva Questions and How to Answer Them
Preparing for PhD Viva: Presentation and Common Questions
Top 50 Possible PhD Viva Questions
Top 38 Possible PhD Viva Questions

COMMENTS

Top 40 potential questions to be asked in a PhD viva or defense
Top 40 potential questions to be asked in a PhD viva or defense. June 20, 2024 Filed under Blog, Featured, Presentations, Resources, Writing ... There used to be a blog called Research Essentials hosted by the Open University that had this list of 40 potential viva questions to help candidates prepare for their vivas or defenses. This list of ...
Top 12 Potential PhD Viva Questions and How to Answer Them
Below are some popular PhD viva questions to prepare: 1. Tell me about yourself. Introduce yourself and talk about your areas of interest related to research. More importantly, focus on the areas you are extremely positive about. Briefly speak about your past achievements without overwhelming the examiners and sounding boastful.
A guide to answering PhD viva questions (with examples)
The PhD viva is an oral examination conducted by a panel that takes place as part of the PhD defence. The panel asks a PhD student questions about their research project and thesis, which requires the candidate to demonstrate knowledge in the subject area and understanding of how it applies to their project's topic.
Top 18 PhD Viva Questions
This article explores the PhD viva questions, provides 18 sample questions, and offers advice on responding to them effectively. ... While focusing on addressing frequently asked questions may seem straightforward, it's crucial to prepare for potential follow-up questions. Nervousness can sometimes cause digressions, leading to unexpected ...
Common PhD Viva Questions
What follows are some common PhD viva questions which your examiners may ask you. Plus some additional advice based off my own PhD viva experience. For an intro to the PhD viva including the typical structure and potential outcomes please see my introductory post: How to Defend a Thesis: An Introduction to the PhD Viva
Common PhD Viva Questions (To Help You Prepare For Yours)
The examiners will quite often start a viva with an opening question; perhaps something like this: "Spend five or ten minutes telling us about your work, what you have done, and what the contribution is" or "Summarise your work for us, in a single sentence.". A question like this gives you an opportunity to explain your work up front ...
Top 12 Potential PhD Viva Questions and How to Answer Them
Types of PhD Viva Questions Generally, examiners prepare a series of questions for you to answer at the PhD viva voce examination. These questions are primarily based on your thesis. However, the questions asked in PhD viva examinations can be broadly grouped under four basic headings: 1. General Questions 2. Research Context and Methods ...
Top 10 Ph.D. Viva Questions and How to Answer Them
Here are some prompts and questions you might be asked and how you can prepare beforehand to answer them. 1. Tell us about your study. Usually the first question is an opener and is asked with the goal of breaking the ice and getting you talking about your thesis.
PDF A Guide for Viva Preparation
the format a viva can take. A mock viva can be a good opportunity to practice answering the questions and engaging in discussion rather than just preparing on paper. Practise with others You can also ask other colleagues (staff or PhD students) you may know or have worked with to read your thesis (or parts of it). If this is the first time they ...
PhD Viva Exam
The viva voce is the final assessment for a PhD. It is an oral examination where the student defends their research to two academic examiners. This involves answering questions about your work, typically related to the literature, methodology, your findings and the significance of your conclusions. In some countries (like the USA) the viva is ...
Most Asked PhD Viva-Voce Questions and Answers
Mosed Asked PhD Thesis Defense Viva-Voce Questions and Answers. These are all the 50 Common Dissertation PhD Viva Questions and Sample Answers you can prepare to answer during the defense. Thesis Title: "Understanding the Impact of Social Media Engagement on Consumer Behavior: A Mixed-Methods Approach". 1.
PhD Viva Voces
A viva voce, more commonly referred to as 'viva', is an oral examination conducted at the end of your PhD and is essentially the final hurdle on the path to a doctorate. It is the period in which a student's knowledge and work are evaluated by independent examiners. In order to assess the student and their work around their research ...
Sam Rany, Ph.D. : Top 40 Potential Viva Questions
What do you know about the history of [insert something relevant]? 12. How does your work relate to [insert something relevant]? 13. What are the most recent major developments in your area? 14. How did your research questions emerge? 15. What were the crucial research decisions you made?
PhD Viva Questions [Interactive Template]
The easiest way to prepare for your viva. Our free PhD Viva Questions template lets you familiarise yourself with the most common questions. It's been designed in collaboration with Professor Peter Smith, author of Palgrave's The PhD Viva. The template is interactive and editable, meaning you can fully prepare model answers in advance of ...
How to Excel in Your Doctoral Viva
This book is invaluable to anyone undertaking a PhD." —Sarah Lloyd, final year PhD candidate "An in-depth and valuable insightful guide of experiences from PhD candidates and examiners providing an account of the viva preparation, tips on how to answer potential questions, what to expect and how to tackle what is mostly the unknown!
What questions will I be asked at my PhD viva?
Here are 36 questions that are typically asked at PhD vivas to help you with your preparation. PhD viva questions are unpredictable but this list should help you prepare. Part 1. Overview Viva Questions. Summarise your thesis in a single sentence. Does the title represent the content?
25 Potential PhD Viva Questions
Depending on the PhD focus area, a PhD viva voce session will consists of questions grouped in General Questions, Research Context and Methods, Analysis and Findings and Discussions and Conclusion/Implications as groups. How to start a new job the right way - 11 Tips. Go through the questions and get prepared for your PhD viva voce.
PDF PhD Viva Guide
utcomesThe outcomes range from award, as is to reject, with no recommendation for resub. ission. "Outright failure is uncommon, but not unknown" (Delamont et al., 2004, . 158). Such a scenario normally reflects a major weakness or problem that is known to the supervisors and the candidate prior to submission of the.
Vive-ing La Viva: How to answer viva questions
Credit: unsplash, CC0, @brandsandpeople. Dr Jenny Scoles from the Institute of Academic Development provides some helpful tips in how to prepare for your PhD viva by being aware of how you answer the examiners' questions. This post is part of the Learning and Teaching Enhancement theme: Showcasing the Doctoral College.
(PDF) The Doctoral Viva: Questions for, with and to
The viva voce, known commonly simply as the 'viva' or the. PhD 'defence', is a landmark occasion to evaluate a doctor-. al candidate's written thesis (or dissertation) and their com ...
13 steps I took to prepare for my PhD viva
Step 4: I prepared questions that could come up in the thesis in a Q&A document. I looked online, and found many questions, and I had also bought PhD viva cards a year or so ago. I also went through the archive of the PhD Viva website which I had set up in 2012 (but very sadly hacked and and deleted).
100 Machine Learning PhD viva Questions
These 100 Machine Learning PhD viva questions cover a wide range of topics and concepts in Machine Learning, from basic concepts such as linear regression and decision trees, to more advanced topics such as deep learning, natural language processing, and image recognition. By preparing for these questions, you will be well-equipped to defend ...
140+ Viva Questions & How to Prepare for Viva?
The examiners will frequently begin a viva with an introductory question, such as "Spend five or ten minutes telling us about your work, what you have done, and what contribution you have made" or "Summarise your work for us in a single sentence.". These are some of the first PhD viva questions that you can encounter.

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Top 18 PhD Viva Questions | Examples

Types of PhD Viva Questions

Frequently Asked Questions for PhD Vivas and How to Answer to Them

1. Tell me about yourself

2. Why did you choose this research question?

3. How did you come up with the idea for this research?

5. What methods will you use to evaluate the effectiveness of your research?

6. Did the research process proceed as planned, or did you encounter any unexpected circumstances?

8. What are some limitations of your thesis?

10. What benefit does this research provide to society?

12. How might your research have been impacted if there were more data available on your topic?

13. Has your research challenged or changed how we think about the topic?

14. Do you think other researchers could replicate the results of your study?

16. Given your research findings, what would be an appropriate course of action for another researcher to pursue in this field?

18. What are the research’s strengths and weaknesses?

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Common PhD Viva Questions

How Much Do You Need to Prepare For A PhD Viva?

General PhD Viva Questions – usually friendly!

Method-Specific Questions – mostly friendly!

Results & Analysis-Specific Questions – mostly friendly!

Literature Questions – may be less friendly!

Highly Technical Questions – potentially very unfriendly!

What Questions I Got Asked at My Own PhD Viva

My Tips for Answering Common PhD Viva Questions

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Top 10 Ph.D. Viva Questions and How to Answer Them

1. Tell us about your study

2. What are your main research questions and why did you select them?

3. What original contribution has your thesis made to this field of study?

4. Whose work has most influenced yours?

5. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your thesis?

6. What ethical considerations did you apply?

7. Did your study go as expected? If you had to start the thesis again, what would you do differently?

8. Now that you've completed your study, what did you enjoy about the process?

9. If funding was no object, how would you follow up on this project?

10.What are your plans for the future?

An overview of the PhD viva

Who attends a viva?

How long does a PhD viva take?

Why is the viva necessary?

Do all PhD students have to have a viva?

The viva format

Before the exam

After the viva

Viva preperation tips

#1 Take a (short) break first

#2 Read through your thesis

#3 Annotate key points

#4 Note down potential questions (and answers)

#5 (Re)familiarise yourself with your examiners' work

#6 Definitely take up the offer of a mock viva

#7 Try to enjoy it

Viva results

PhD viva outcomes

Can you appeal a viva result?

Common viva questions

"Why did you choose this PhD project?" / "What interested you most about this topic?"

"What was the most challenging part of the project?"

"What is the original contribution to knowledge made by this thesis?"

"Why did you include / exclude X?"

"If you were to repeat this project, what would you do differently?"

"What do you think the next steps might be for this research?"

"Do you have any questions or comments for us?"

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What Is a PhD Viva?