Summary

The oral examination is a new type of communication event. It requires the highest standard of communication skills. Writing a thesis or dissertation requires students to pull their ideas together into a unified whole; oral examinations take it all apart again. Typical questions, and strategies for answering them, are provided in order to help participants prepare and practice. The book features: Real examples of questions and answers; Narratives of experiences; Planning tools; Preparation framework; Specific verbal strategies to use in the viva to do justice to the thesis; User-friendly writing style; Reading list. This is the first book to provide comprehensive coverage of the viva. It is an essential handbook for all involved in oral examinations: students, supervisors, tutors and examiners, including undergraduate, Masters and doctoral examinations.