posted about 7 years ago
Hi Jenni! Like you, I wish I had stumbled upon this forum much earlier in my program. I was able to find a lot of great tips just by searching "viva."
My viva is scheduled in February, and I talked with my boss about it. He graduated from the same university, and has been an examiner. His advice was to demonstrate that you addressed the purpose of the research. He said his first questions are "What was the purpose?" and "Did you reach the purpose?" He also said that most humanities students don't spend enough time on the conclusions, usually because they write this chapter last, and don't give themselves enough time. The third interesting point that he made was that he has only had one failed viva, and this was because the student became "overly defensive" and didn't listen to the questions. He explained that by "overly defensive" he meant that although students should defend their work, the purpose of the viva is to demonstrate what one has learned. His view is that acknowledging weaknesses (preferably before the examiners do) demonstrates more understanding than rejecting every critique offhand. In this particular case, the student just became angry.
Some of the pointers I picked up from other people on this forum is to look into your examiners' current interests and recent publications. This makes sense, because profs do have a tendency to want to talk about what's of interest to them. Also, check what has most recently been published about your topic. I found this great advice, because a lot can happen during those months you're immersed in writing, and it demonstrates good scholarship. (I don't remember who said this on the forum, but thank you!!!)
I'm not sure how to answer you question about exactly how long it takes to prepare. My sup told me to prepare a ten minute introduction. Perhaps others will have a better sense of how much time is required. I'm interested to hear what others have to say...
You've come a long way - congratulations and good luck!!!