The oral examination (viva) | Cambridge students

The Oral Examination (viva) for PhD, BusD, EdD, MD, VetMD, MSc, MLitt, and MPhil by Thesis degrees

What is a viva?

The viva (short for viva voce) is an oral examination which gives the opportunity for:

you to defend your thesis and clarify any matters raised by your examiners
the examiners to probe your knowledge in the field
the examiners to assure themselves that the work presented is your own and to clarify matters of any collaboration
the examiners to come to a definite conclusion about the outcome of the examination

Your examiners will determine if you meet the requirements for award of the research degree for which you are a candidate. The oral examination for the Doctor of Medicine degree is called the Act.

Preparation

Talk to your supervisor and/or Academic Adviser for guidance on how to prepare for your viva.

The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has produced a series of videos to help postgraduate research students prepare for their viva. Note that the procedures for examination at the University of Cambridge may be different to those referred to by other Higher Education Institutions featured in the videos.

Timing

You will have been told the identity of your examiners. This will normally be one examiner internal to the University of Cambridge and one external examiner, but you may have two external examiners. The Degree Committee may also appoint an Independent Chair to be present during your viva and/or additional examiner(s), and for the Doctor of Medicine a Chair will be appointed for the Act. Your examiners will be in touch to make arrangements for your viva. If you have not been advised of the date for your viva within six weeks of submitting your thesis, you should contact your Degree Committee.

Location of the viva

The viva is by default set to take place in-person in Cambridge, or you may choose to be examined remotely by video conference or a hybrid arrangement. You should inform your Degree Committee of your preference when you notify them of your intention to submit/apply for appointment of examiners. Please also make your supervisor aware of your preference as it may affect the choice of available examiners.

Hybrid options are available to support student preference and are also aligned with the University Guidelines for Sustainable Business Travel. Hybrid arrangements can be arranged, provided all parties agree, to include:

where you and one examiner are co-located in Cambridge, with the second examiner participating by video conference
where both examiners are co-located and you participate by video conference
where you and the examiners are all in separate locations, are permissible provided all parties agree.

In-person oral examination: In-person examinations may be delayed depending on the availability of the examiners as travel time will need to be factored in. Students who are overseas and returning to Cambridge for their viva should contact the International Student Office for visa advice if their Student visa has expired or will be expiring soon.

Video conference oral examination: Read the policy on the conduct of a viva by video conference.

The choice of in-person or video conference viva does not constitute procedural irregularity grounds for complaint should you fail the examination.

Adjustments to the oral examination on the grounds of disability

If you wish to notify examiners of a disability or request access arrangements for your viva (either your first-year assessment or final examination), you can do this via your Degree Committee. Find out more about examination access arrangements, including a voluntary disclosure form which you can use to share information with your Degree Committee. If you already have a Student Support Document (SSD) that includes recommendations for adjustments to the viva, and you have given permission for this to be shared with the Degree Committee, you do not have to complete the voluntary disclosure form but may do so if you wish.

It is recommended you do this at least four weeks before your expected date of examination to allow time for appropriate recommendations and adjustments to be made. The information provided on the voluntary disclosure form will not be used for any purpose other than making examination access arrangements.

Dress code

There is no specific dress code. You can wear whatever you feel comfortable in.

What can I take in to my viva?

You may take the following into your viva:

An unannotated printed copy of your thesis (the same version as the one you submitted)
plain paper or blank notebook and a pen/pencil for taking notes or sketching ideas
water
a presentation in the form specified by your Examiners – your Examiners will advise you in advance if a presentation is required
any other provision that is agreed in advance with the Degree Committee as a reasonable adjustment for disability

What happens at the viva?

It is carried out between yourself and the two examiners and is conducted in English
An Independent Chairperson may attend if the Degree Committee requires this
There is no set duration, but a viva will normally last between 90 minutes and three hours
You may be required to do a presentation - please check with your Department whether this is the case. If you are required to give a presentation, you should be informed at least two weeks in advance of the viva
The viva cannot be recorded
Your supervisor cannot attend the viva

Your Department should advise on any department-specific conventions or procedures.

Possible outcomes of the examination

Your examiners will recommend one of the following outcomes:

Approval without correction (but for doctoral degrees subject to submission of submission of hardbound and electronic copies of the thesis)
Conditional approval subject to satisfactory completion of minor or major corrections
Revision and resubmission of the thesis for further examination
[Doctoral examination only] Revision and resubmission of the thesis for a further examination or the option to accept the MSc or MLitt degree without further examination (which may be conditional, subject to satisfactory completion of corrections)
[Doctoral examination only] Not to be allowed to revise the thesis, but approve for award of the MSc or MLitt degree (which may be conditional, subject to satisfactory completion of corrections)
[Doctoral examination only] Revision and resubmission of the thesis for examination for the MSc or MLitt degree
Outright failure

Your examiners are asked not to give any direct indication of the likely outcome of the examination to you. The official result of examination can only be confirmed to you by the Postgraduate Committee or by the Student Registry acting on its behalf. For the MPhil by Thesis the Degree Committee will officially confirm the outcome and notify you of this.