Since you have already looked at the usual websites and online advice, hopefully a few generic thoughts might supplement what you have found:

1. Having a reasonable PhD exam starts with the selection of the examiners or committee. As academics, we are trained to take apart arguments and research (which also means taking apart people). Any piece of work can be trashed and criticised--but not everything can be trashed reasonably or should be criticised beyond its scope. The people doing the exam must be intelligent, tough, and critical--but also must be reasonable. Without reasonable people who understand what a PhD is and the point of the exam, the experience can be a-waste-of-time-easy or why-are-you-trying-to-wreck-me.

2. Part of being reasonable is indeed understanding what a PhD is in two ways:

(i) The PhD process is very much meant to be about learning how to do research. It is, in large part (although certainly not entirely), a training exercise.

(ii) A PhD, by definition, has a limited timeframe, limited resources, and a limited word count. Any PhD must have been project-managed within these constraints and must be examined understanding these constraints. It is just a PhD, not your life's work.

3. Reasonable examiners should ask questions to determine (i) is it your own work?, (ii) why is it a PhD?, and (iii) what is the original, substantive contribution to knowledge that you offer, in terms of theory, empirics, and their connection? (Noting that not all PhDs have or need to have both theory and empirics, so the third question will be adjusted. Additionally, PhDs by publication have different framings and different constraints).

The exam should include detailed, technical questions, quizzing you on past work, the specifics and generalities of your field, the specifics of your work, thoughts on your data (if you have data), and your analyses. Other legitimate questions include:

-Why is it a PhD? What is the independent, new, substantive contribution to knowledge (original, worthwhile, advancing knowledge)? What gaps remain? Why did you not fill those gaps?

-Why did you choose this topic and approach? What is the motivation?

-What sort of implicit biases do you have? Have you presupposed answers or biased your methods and data towards expected answers? What is your positionality?

-How would you summarise or map out your work?

-Did you write the dissertation? Did you do the work? What help did you have?

-Do you know what you did and why? What did you not do and why not?

-What is the relevance to the wider body of knowledge/literature beyond the dissertation?

-What is the point of this dissertation? How does it help knowledge? How does it help society? Where do you go next? Why did you do a PhD? How does the PhD help you?

-What mistakes did you make? How did you overcome these mistakes? What would do differently if you started over?

Hope this helps a bit and best for it!

You know how to tell a story 😀 well, my PhD was a nightmare (and I wasn't pregnant...) but my defence went so smoothly I could not believe myself. For tips regarding stress reduction, you may read my article on a very easy neuroscientifically based tecnique. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341240552_A_mind-body_intervention_for_stress_reduction_as_an_adjunct_to_an_information_session_on_stress_management_in_university_students

Hope you'll enjoy it. Good luck for your PhD defence

A PhD oral exam is not only academic, and not only concerned with thesis argument, coherence etc. All PhDs are a rite of passage that evaluates the total andragogic event, including thesis, examinee, examiner and entire exam context. Having served as an external examiner for viva oral exams for PhD, it needs saying, how much all internal and external examiners usually appreciate the holistic nature of this event, having gone through similar occasions themselves. Being a human adult implies many factors, including ubuntu, quality dialogue, responsibility, care etc. It may help to keep this total context in mind, which should bring harmony and at least help in transforming any distress into eustress, ultimately allowing enjoyment of the full moment, and finding meaning in hopefully many more moments.

PS. In many ways, completing a Ph.D. is like having a baby, joy after suffering for all involved. Promoters will typically have experienced both as well as their similarities, with one becoming a metaphor for the other

Ilan Kelman Deborah R. Vivo Stephen David Edwards Thank you so much for taking up so much of your time to share these tips and questions with me. I really appreciate it and I will keep you all posted! :)

I may not have tip for defense preparation, but just want to remind you that you just have your baby. He or she can be the tremendous source of motivation to ace your defense and surely gives you strength to go through the process. I know lot of academicians who are also moms, they do well in both. You should be able too...

PhD is a journey of many ‘days and nights’ which we devote from our life alone. But, its finalised on “one single day” by a group of people together. Naturally, a scholar fears of what will happen on the day. Even sometimes, the supervisor holds back on seminar day. Thus, scholar prepares to the best to present and please the committee. I would say, PhD defense is not a exam of the research output produced or the quality papers generated. The external already does it studying the thesis. It’s a exam of scholar’s ability to answer and tackle the questions. The examiner’s question may be sometimes out of the research subject. But, here comes the role of scholar to mold the question to many ‘days and nights’ which he/ she gave on the topic and answer back politely with confidence. It may happen that a very tough question is thrown to the scholar in rare case where scholar has no idea. Here, the scholar may relate or link the works or papers of few professors and try to create the answer. This will definitely fetch good remarks.

Most importantly, on the defense day, there is only one person who is in support with the scholar. And, he is none other than the scholar himself or herself. So, just have belief on your thesis, focus on few questions and have honesty.

Wishes,

Chandan.

Sometimes, a doctoral thesis student may have better information than his professors in the field of childhood observation, so trust your little information.

Senior lecturer

Nuha hamid taher

Clinical Psychology

Imam Ja'afar Al-Sadiq University