Viva Voce Preparation
Presentation review, a question bank built from your thesis, and a mock viva before the real one.
By the time your viva is scheduled, the hardest part of the PhD is behind you. The thesis has been submitted, the examiners have read it, and their reports were positive enough for the university to call you for the defence. Even so, the viva is where many scholars feel least prepared. It is a live, public conversation about years of work, often with a panel that includes an examiner you have never met.
This service prepares you for that conversation. We read your thesis the way an examiner would, build a bank of likely questions from its actual content, review your presentation, and run a mock viva with detailed feedback. Where your university shares the examiners’ reports or queries in advance, we work through those with you first.
A viva is an oral defence of your own work. We prepare you for it beforehand, and on the day, in person or online, you answer on your own. Our aim is that every part of your own thesis feels familiar when the questions come.
Scope
What’s included
Each stage can be taken on its own. Some scholars want only the mock viva; others want the full preparation from the examiner reports onward.
Examiner report walkthrough
If you have the examiners’ reports or queries, we go through each point with you: what is being asked, what your thesis already says about it, and how to answer clearly and without defensiveness.
Thesis-based question bank
A set of questions drawn from your own chapters (contribution, choice of method, limitations, conflicting results, and the questions your specific tables and figures invite), with notes on what a good answer covers.
Presentation review
Review of your viva slides for structure, timing, clarity of the contribution statement and figures that read well on a projector or a shared screen.
Mock viva with feedback
A recorded mock viva with a subject-matched reviewer acting as examiner, followed by written feedback on content, clarity and composure, and a second mock if you want one.
Method and analysis refresher
A focused session on the parts of your method or statistics you feel least sure of, so that you can explain your own choices in your own words.
Quality
How quality is verified
These are the checks every piece of work goes through before it reaches you.
Mock examiner from your field
The reviewer who questions you has research experience in your discipline and reads your whole thesis before the mock viva, not just the abstract.
Questions tied to your pages
Every question in the bank points to the chapter, table or figure that prompts it, so you can go back to your own text when preparing the answer.
Recording you can review
The mock viva is recorded, with your consent, so that you can watch it back. Scholars usually learn more from seeing their own answers than from notes.
Written, specific feedback
Feedback identifies which answers were clear, which were vague, and which went beyond what the thesis supports, with suggestions for each.
Mock rounds stated in scope
The number of mock sessions and review rounds is written into your scope before you pay, so you know exactly what preparation is included.
Time
Realistic timelines
Ideally, start two to four weeks before the viva date. Preparation squeezed into the last few days still helps, but leaves little room for a second mock.
| Stage | Typical time | What it depends on |
|---|---|---|
| Reviewer reads your thesis | 5–7 working days | Thesis length and complexity |
| Examiner report walkthrough | 1–2 sessions | Number and depth of examiner queries |
| Question bank | 3–5 working days after reading | Number of chapters and results |
| Presentation review | 2–3 working days per round | How far along your slides are |
| First mock viva and feedback | 1 session, feedback within 2 working days | Scheduling around your availability |
| Second mock viva (optional) | A few days after the first | Time left before the real viva |
The defence
What to expect at a PhD viva in India
The general shape comes from the UGC’s 2022 PhD regulations; the details (panel, format, duration) are set by each university.
How you get there
After submission, your thesis is sent to external examiners for evaluation. Under the 2022 regulations, the viva is held only if the evaluation reports are satisfactory. If an examiner asks for revisions, you may have to make and resubmit them before a viva date is fixed. Our PhD timeline guide shows where this sits among the other milestones.
The format
The viva is usually a public defence: faculty, other scholars and interested people can attend, and some may ask questions. The panel normally includes your supervisor and at least one of the external examiners. Most scholars give a presentation of around 30 to 45 minutes, followed by questions; the regulations also allow universities to hold the viva online. Check your university’s ordinance for the exact panel and procedure.
What examiners tend to ask
Questions usually fall into a few kinds: what your contribution is, stated in a sentence; why you chose this method over the alternatives; what your results mean in the light of the literature; what the limitations are and how they affect your conclusions; and what you would do next. Examiners also pick on specific tables, figures and claims, which is why a question bank built from your own thesis is more useful than a generic list.
Where scholars most often need extra preparation
The difficult moments commonly involve statistics or analysis the scholar did not run themselves, claims in the conclusion stronger than the results support, and published papers whose content differs from the thesis. If your analysis is the weak point, a focused statistics review before the viva can help you understand and explain your own results.
Pricing
How pricing works
Viva preparation is quoted once we’ve seen your thesis and, if you have them, the examiners’ reports. The work depends mostly on thesis length, the number of examiner queries, and how many mock sessions you want. You receive a fixed quote, agreed in writing before any work begins.
If your viva is only days away, tell us at the consultation. We’ll tell you clearly what can be done usefully in the time available, and quote only for that.
What the quote depends on
- Length and technical complexity of the thesis
- Number and depth of examiner queries, if shared
- Which stages you need, and how many mock sessions
- Subject area and how specialised the mock examiner needs to be
- Time remaining before your viva date
Every quote includes
- A written scope listing exactly what will be delivered
- A fixed price agreed before any payment
- Payment in stages, tied to delivery
- Revision rounds stated in the scope
Process
How it works
Free consultation
Tell us your viva date, what the examiners have said, and which parts of the defence worry you most.
Written scope and quote
A written scope listing the stages, mock sessions and timeline, with a fixed price agreed before anything is paid.
Reading and question bank
A subject-matched reviewer reads your thesis and builds the question bank, then reviews your presentation.
Mock viva and feedback
A recorded mock viva with written feedback, followed by a second session if your scope includes it.
Keep reading
Guides and related services
Common PhD viva questions
The questions examiners ask most often, grouped by theme, with how to prepare each answer.
PhD timeline and milestones in India
Coursework to viva under the UGC 2022 regulations, year by year, with the usual sticking points.
PhD Thesis Writing Support
Structured help turning your research into a thesis you can defend — chapter by chapter, at your pace.
Statistical Analysis (SPSS, R, AMOS, SmartPLS)
The right tests, assumptions checked, results interpreted — and syntax you can rerun and defend.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can someone from your team attend my viva or help me during it?
The viva is your oral defence of your own work, so all of our help comes beforehand. Outside help during it, whether in person, off-camera in an online viva or by message, would be misconduct. On the day, you answer on your own, fully prepared.
Will you tell me exactly what the examiners will ask?
Examiners bring their own interests, so the exact questions can’t be known in advance. We build a question bank from your thesis and from the examiners’ reports if you have them, and it usually covers much of what is asked. A good preparation also practises how to handle a question you didn’t expect.
Will my supervisor know I’ve had viva preparation?
That’s up to you. Many supervisors run mock vivas themselves and welcome extra practice. Preparing for an examination is ordinary academic practice.
Is this ethical?
Yes. Mock vivas and question practice are common in universities worldwide. The ethics question arises only if someone helps you during the viva or prepares you to defend work that isn’t yours; our work is preparation for defending your own thesis. Our ethics policy sets out the full boundary.
Can you guarantee I’ll pass the viva?
The result is decided by your examiners and your university. Most scholars who reach the viva stage have already had positive evaluation reports, and preparation helps you present your work well.
I got help with parts of my thesis and can’t explain them well. Can you help?
We can help you understand your own methods, analysis and results well enough to explain them accurately, which is often more achievable than scholars expect. Our preparation focuses on work you can understand and own, and we would encourage you to talk to your supervisor about any part of the thesis you can’t stand behind.
What if the mock viva shows weak points?
Then it has done its job, finding the weak points before the real one. The feedback tells you what to work on, and a second mock lets you check the improvement. That is why we recommend starting early enough to have both.
Is my thesis kept confidential?
Yes. Your thesis, examiner reports and any recording are seen only by your reviewer, used only for your project, and deleted on request after the viva. We’re happy to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Talk it through with a specialist for free
Send us where you are and what you need. We’ll reply within one working day with clear advice, a written scope and a fixed quote. No obligation.
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