How to crack Project Viva-Voce Examinations? – A student view

While we have already spent around more than two months working on our research projects, we are now close to getting the first degree of our lives in our hands! At the outset, the University of Mumbai has ordered the affiliated colleges to conduct the viva-voce examinations for our projects between January 7^th to January 12^th. Now is the time to win due justice to our efforts that we had taken to prepare our projects. Our project works count as much as our scores do, while we go to seek employment or higher education to any organisations or institutions.

While as it is very important to choose the ‘category’ of the project, it is also important to frame the ‘title’ of the project. The category of the project is the ‘area of research’ which we choose to make research in.

The main categories of the projects are:

1. Marketing
2. Finance
3. Human Resource Management
4. Operations / Production and,
5. General

While appearing for the viva-voce examinations, I, as a student will suggest my peers to consider the following essentials:

1. Please be dressed in complete formals, including shoes and neckties. (blazer coats are however optional)
2. It is very essential that we have a decent haircut and neatly set
3. We must carry a copy of our project along with us, if our college asks us to do so
4. Greet the jury panel of external professors with complete politeness and decency
5. Take the seat in front of the jury, only when they ask you to do so
6. Sit with complete erect back and establish a complete eye-contact with the jury
7. Be thorough to answer some general questions like ‘about yourself’, ‘about the title of the project’, ‘purpose of the study’, ‘mode of collection of the data’ etc.
8. We must know each and every topic of the project in depth
9. It is essential that we know the flow of contents of our project
10. We must also be aware of the background of the title of our project and some other related topics based on the same lines
11. Knowledge about recent happenings, current affairs and recent developments in our area of research is very crucial
12. It is very important to have confidence, even if we are not sure of any answer to the question put forth by the jury
13. It is very important to take a breather gap while we are answering questions
14. We must avoid usage of complex vocabulary, long statements, profanity, unnecessary connectors like- as in, like, you know and take pauses wherever necessary.
15. It is as important ‘how we answer’ as it is ‘what we answer’
16. While providing facts or figures, it is necessary to provide references which are used in the project
17. We should be able to tackle difficult questions with ease and diplomacy
18. It might happen that we might get blanked out or lose down on confidence immensely, in such cases, we must politely request the jury to conduct our viva round one more time after everyone gets over with theirs
19. Please get your queries and doubts cleared by your project guide well in advance
20. Last and very important! Remember! The jury panel members are appointed because they are experienced experts in their fields. Please do not take them for granted. Never try to provide any false information. This may drag you into trouble and your project may stand disqualified.

In the end I would wish all my fellow TY students, a very Best of Luck! May we all crack the project viva excellently and as a result our TYBMS too!

– Ojas Ajay Barve[Consulting Content Editor]