The viva voce examination (pronounced with a long 'i', I'm afraid -- rhymes with jive-a), i.e. 'live voice', i.e. defense, more or less. All departments reserve the right to summon their students for a viva before awarding them a degree; normally D.Phil. students obviously always get called in for them, and in other departments not so much. But there's always a chance, and because by local convention the viva can only help and not hurt you, if you get summoned for one you know either a) you didn't do as well as they thought you could, and they're giving you a chance to make it better, or b) you did very well, but not necessarily well enough for a distinction, and they're giving you a chance to get there. If you don't get called you know that your result, whatever it was, was indisputable.
But in my department, they call everyone in and then either subject you to an examination or not. Last year nobody got viva'd, but they were all required to present themselves for viva anyway, which involves getting back into the sub-fusc and going and hanging around the exam schools until they call you in. And then being told on the spot how they'd done. So. And that's two weeks from now.
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But in my department, they call everyone in and then either subject you to an examination or not. Last year nobody got viva'd, but they were all required to present themselves for viva anyway, which involves getting back into the sub-fusc and going and hanging around the exam schools until they call you in. And then being told on the spot how they'd done. So. And that's two weeks from now.