Assessment and the Oral Examination

In this chapter we have discussed the issue of preparing for your viva and have made the point that this preparation begins at the start of the professional doctorate process, not at the end. The chapter provides practical advice for you to follow in terms of the structure of your submission, what to do while waiting to hear the date of your viva, putting together an oral presentation of your work, your behaviour in a viva. It attempts to demystify the viva by discussing some likely questions and describing the range of examination decisions which can be made and what they mean in practice.The next chapter includes some case studies from actual graduates of a professional doctorate programme and describes their personal experiences of their examination.