A viva voce is an oral examination of a thesis which allows a postgraduate student or candidate to defend the thesis and assists the examiners in determining its passing mark. After being asked by one of my doctoral classmates to share some tips to prepare for a viva voce session, I quickly shared what I could do in ten minutes. Then, during a recent conference, a presenter about to sit for a viva voce session asked for similar tips. I rewrote what I previously shared and rearranged them as below:

          Pre Viva Voce Session

1. Reread and reread the thesis, and be ready to highlight any errors or omissions. And be prepared with the answers if the examiners see those errors and ask for explanations. Keep in mind to assure them that you will make the corrections.
2. Prepare viva presentation slides, talking notes or scripts for a 20-minute duration so you can read them during the session and stay within the duration limit. You may not need to spend too much time preparing the slides since the examiners usually will not question the contents of the slides. Keep in mind that they have read the thesis beforehand. They will ask questions about what is in the thesis, chapter by chapter and page by page, from cover to cover.
3. Do a video recording of your presentation and playback the video if the voice is clear and the pronunciations are correct. Also, check that the duration of the presentation is below the limit.
   Like any other examination, thorough preparation for a viva voce is necessary, with deep knowledge of the thesis and a comfortable setting
4. Prepare a list of potential questions and prepare the answers. In my case, the examiners asked five questions I forecasted
5. The examiner’s names are often not revealed until the viva voce session starts. If, by chance, you know the examiner’s names before viva, do background checks on the examiners. Ask around who may know the examiners; how will they ask questions during viva? Are they easy to deal with? Are they flexible, challenging, etc.
6. Viva can take up to four hours to complete. So, you must have stamina, a relatively filled up or easy stomach and sufficient rest beforehand. Avoid or keep down distractions if doing an online viva at home.
7. Typically, before the viva, the examiners have already assigned the passing marks when they submit the Examiner’s Report to the faculty about two weeks before the viva session. The thesis supervisor knows the result, but they cannot tell you before your viva. Read the supervisor’s body language if you can. If they are happy, it can be good news. The supervisors will probably say anything that transpired during viva can turn around the previously assigned marks.
8. Do a mock-up viva presentation with your thesis supervisors and incorporate their comments accordingly. Redo the mock-up after the comment’s incorporation until they are satisfied.
9. Bookmark thesis pages, especially the start of all chapters and errors identified using different colour tabs. Flash out additional supporting materials and prepare to share the screen during online viva if the examiners ask questions about the supporting materials.
10. Charge a notebook (computer) fully or prepare a battery bank for the notebook in case of an electricity blackout. Preparing another backup notebook is also recommended. If the session is online, a stable internet connection is a must to ensure uninterrupted interactions and video recording.
    
    During Viva Voce Session
    
    
11. Stay calm throughout the session. Remain focused on the objective of achieving the passing mark at the end. For Muslims, before starting, recite doa2 to ease your talking, like phrases used by Nabi Musa (as) per Surah Ta-Ha, phrases 25-28.
12. If you read the previously prepared presentation scripts or notes, please maintain eye contact with the notebook camera to ensure engagement with the audience, especially the examiners.
13. Be humble with the examiners. Many have said, “Do not start a flight”. If you disagree with the examiners’ suggestions to revise the thesis, please be flexible and try to consider them because they will eventually sign off the thesis correction report indicating the final pass.
14. During viva, examiners are also the judges of the thesis. The chairman, minute-taker, thesis supervisor, and secretary present during the viva session will not have any say,
    so be mentally and physically prepared to defend the thesis by answering the examiner’s questions. Also, be ready to feel lonely (at least temporarily) at that point.
15. Prepare a glass of water next to you and ask permission as a courtesy, or turn off the camera momentarily if you want to sip. Otherwise, you may want to wait until the end of the session.
16. Take notes of the examiner’s comments, especially those that require revision to the thesis, by scribbling them on your thesis copy. The video recording of the session will help during the thesis correction stage.
17. Suppose you pass the viva, which the chairman will announce at the end of the session, be thankful and congratulate yourself since you have passed a hump in a doctoral journey. Before the session ends, be generous in thanking the examiners, thesis supervisors, and other attendees. Your success means another success for your supervisors, too.
    
    Post Viva Voce Session
    
    
18. Celebrate the passing mark with your loved ones (spouse or close family members) by having a good lunch or dinner or at least having a slice of cake with a favourite coffee or tea. The celebration is a reward for your accomplishment and an appreciation for their support while you are toiling the journey.
19. Please share the good news of your passing mark with your classmates or relatives working on their viva. Please take it as a sign of encouragement that they, too, can achieve a similar milestone as you. It is also a means to relieve a burden that you have been carrying on your shoulders all this while, i.e. to pass a viva voce.
20. Thereafter, be optimistic about making thesis corrections since almost all candidates will make the corrections. Major or minor corrections are relative and have different durations to complete the correction process.

Every examiner intends to see the students or candidates pass the viva voce session, and their line of questions is to do just that. Good luck and all the best.
This article is also accessible at the LinkedIn webpage via this link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/twenty-20-tips-viva-voce-dr-ir-maskan-md-hassan-dba-pepc-da2hc

Dr Ir Maskan Md Hassan completed his doctoral study at Arshad Ayub Graduate Business School, Universiti Teknologi MARA, in August 2024. He has been a Senior Mechanical Engineer with 30 years of professional experience in offshore oil and gas industries, specialising in executing various phases of facilities project developments. His career has spanned several international oil and gas companies: ExxonMobil, Talisman Energy, Repsol and Mubadala Energy. He is a registered Professional Engineer with a Practising Certificate from the Board of Engineers, Malaysia. He currently resides in Selangor, Malaysia.