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Vera
Verbal Flashcards

Defend the decisions, not the document.

Practice the questions your examiners will actually ask.

You know the thesis. The viva asks why you made each choice.

What Vera actually is

A phone call with someone who is not there. You say the thing out loud, they answer the way a real person would, and you get to do it again — as many times as it takes, with nobody listening.

1She calls youA real phone call, about ten seconds after you tap. Lock screen, headphones, car — wherever you take calls.
2She plays the other personNot a coach reading tips. Thesis Defense & Viva Practice, with someone on the other end who answers back.
3She pushes when you are vagueFollow-up questions, interruptions when you ramble, and a straight read at the end on what landed.
Practice Your Viva

15 minutes free · no card needed

Practice Your Viva

15 minutes free · no card needed

“What if I am bad at it?”Everyone is, on the first one. That is the entire reason it happens here and not there.
“What if I do not know what to say?”She asks first and follows up on whatever you answer. You never start from a blank page.
“What if it is awkward?”It is, for about twenty seconds. Then it is a conversation, and nobody heard the twenty seconds.

Not practising doesn’t save you anything.

The ticket, the evening, the weeks of applying — all of it is spent before anyone says a word. The practice is the only cheap part, and the only part that changes how the rest goes.

Practice Your Viva

15 minutes free · no card needed

What she'll actually ask

She asks these the way a real person would, then follows up on whatever you say.

  1. Why this method rather than the obvious alternative?
  2. What is the main limitation of your work?
  3. What would you do differently if you started again?
  4. How does this contribute to the field, specifically?
  5. Your sample seems small. Defend it.
More about this one

A viva examines your decisions rather than your document — why this method, why this sample, what you would do differently, and what the limitations are. Candidates who know their thesis thoroughly still stumble because they have never articulated the reasoning aloud to someone pushing back. Vera plays an examiner, asks the uncomfortable methodological questions, and follows up rather than accepting the first answer.

What she listens for

DefensivenessTreating a question as an attack rather than an invitation to explain.
Volunteering limitationsNaming them first reads as command of the work.
Contribution clarityThe contribution should be stateable in two sentences.
  • thesis defense
  • viva voce
  • methodology justification
  • limitations
  • contribution to knowledge
  • examiner questions
  • PhD defense
  • dissertation defense
“The question I could not answer on the practice call was the second one they asked. I had a week to fix it.”
Sasha B., PhD candidate

Related practice

Clinical Viva & OSCE PracticeStructured answers and history-taking rehearsed under time pressure.A-Level Chemistry ReviewThe exact wording that mark schemes require.GMAT Verbal PracticeCritical reasoning and sentence correction drilled aloud.AP US History ReviewThematic drilling for a exam that rewards argument over recall.

Common questions

Does it need to read my thesis?

No — describe your work and it will question the decisions. That constraint mirrors an examiner who has read it once.

How many practice sessions?

Two or three. The first usually finds the weak defense; the rest are for polish.

Can it play a hostile examiner?

Yes. Ask for one — it is more useful than a friendly rehearsal.

What if I am bad at it?

Everyone is, on the first one. That is the entire reason it happens here and not there.

What if I do not know what to say?

She asks the first question and follows up on whatever you answer. You never start from a blank page.

What if it is awkward?

It is, for about twenty seconds. Then it is a conversation, and nobody heard the twenty seconds.

Ready to try it?

Your first 15 minutes are free. No card required.

Practice Your Viva