Exams Process

LSE provides access to iThenticate, a text-matching tool that you can use to review written work before submission. You may find this useful when finalising your thesis. 

Some departments may also require you to use iThenticate at particular points in your programme. For example, this may form part of your upgrade process. You should check your department’s PhD handbook to confirm whether this applies to you. 

If you do not already have an account, you can request access through the PhD Academy.

Guidance and support

• Quick Start User Guide [PDF].

• iThenticate website guidance

The PhD Academy offers training and guidance which may help you prepare for the viva. You may also wish to speak to your supervisor or department about how best to prepare. Many departments will also arrange mock vivas for their students, though this will depend on whether they judge this is the right form of preparation for you, and on colleagues’ availability. 

You can find information about training offered by the School and other providers here. 

You should begin discussing examination entry with your supervisor around 12 months before your submission deadline. This should include discussion of your plan for completion and possible examiners. 

Your department should aim to submit your examination entry at least 40 working days, or eight working weeks, before your thesis deadline or your planned submission date, whichever is earlier. 

If you are considering submitting your thesis earlier than your expected submission deadline, you should discuss this with your supervisor as early as possible. 

All students are required to complete a period of at least two years of enrolment as a research student before they can become eligible for examination. (This means two years in total for MPhil/PhD students, and two years in the PhD phase for MRes/PhD students.) Accoridingly, if you have been enrolled with the School as a research student for less than two years, you cannot submit early. 

If you have completed the minimum period of enrolment, and have entered the final 12 month period before your original submission deadline, you can submit early without special permission. 

If you have completed the minimum period of enrolment, and have entered the final 12 months period before your original submission deadline, you will need special permission. You can secure request early submission permission through the examination entry process. For permission to be granted, your department will also need to confirm that it supports your proposed submission timeline, and the RDSC Chair will have to grant approval. 

As early submission can affect the timing of your examination entry, examiner appointment, viva arrangements and, in some cases, your student visa.  

You should not assume that an early submission can be accommodated at short notice. Your department should submit your examination entry at least 40 working days, or eight working weeks, before your planned submission date. 

If you hold a student visa, you should also seek advice from the Student Advice and Engagement Team before deciding to submit early. 

You will need to provide information about yourself and your thesis. 

Your lead supervisor and programme director will need to provide information about the examiners that the department would like to nominate. 

The examination entry form can be found here.

Your department is likely to discuss possible examiners with you. It is appropriate for you to have views on your preferred examination panel. It is also appropriate for you to express those views in discussion with your department. You can expect your department to listen to those views. 

However, it is your department’s role and responsibility to determine who to nominate. It is the Research Degrees Sub-Committee’s role to determine who should be appointed. 

You must not contact or communicate with prospective examiners directly about your examination. 

It is not students’ role or responsibility to make sure that examiner nominations are made in good time. You can expect your department to lead conversations about examiner nominations before your submission deadline. 

If you are concerned that examination entry has not been discussed in good time, you should speak to your lead supervisor, doctoral programme director or programme manager/administrator. You may also contact the PhD Academy for advice, or book a meeting with a member of the team to discuss this.

Examination entries are considered by members of the Research Degrees Sub-Committee. This is to ensure that the proposed examination panel meets the School’s requirements for examiner expertise and independence. 

Most nominations are approved without comment. However, RDSC members may request further information from departments about examiner nominees’ expertise, previous examination experience or connections that might affect their independence. 

RDSC members may also decline to appoint examiners if there are concerns about whether the proposed panel meets the School’s requirements

Once a satisfactory panel has been nominated, the PhD Academy invites the examiners to act. 

Examiners must be formally invited to act by the PhD Academy, and confirm in writing to the PhD Academy that they are willing to act before they are considered formally appointed. 

This process typically takes around two to four weeks in total. Timings can vary. 

Delays can happen if further information is needed, if nominations are not approved, or if examiners take time to confirm whether they can act. 

Your department will not normally be able to formally confirm viva arrangements until the appointment process has been completed in full. 

Nominated examiners must confirm their willingness to act before they can receive the thesis. Examiners will also need sufficient time to read the thesis before the viva.  

Departments are required to allow at least 20 working days after the thesis has been sent to examiners. 

Accordingly, if you have a particular viva date in mind, we strongly recommend that you ask your department to submit your examination entry early. 

If an examiner nomination is not approved, or if an appointed examiner can no longer act, your department will need to submit a replacement examiner nomination. 

The replacement examiner form can be found here. 

Arranging and managing vivas is a department responsibility. Students are not responsible for arranging or administering the viva. Your department will normally confirm the viva date to you and to the PhD Academy once arrangements have been agreed. 

Except during the viva itself, you must not communicate directly with your examiners until after your award has been confirmed unless the PhD Academy has confirmed otherwise. 

If you are asked to arrange or administer your viva, please contact the PhD Academy so that we can advise. 

The School works to ensure that the examination process is as inclusive as possible. Some students may need reasonable adjustments to account for disability. 

If you do not have a My Adjustments plan and think you may need one, you should contact the Disability and Mental Health Service as soon as possible. 

If you already have a My Adjustments plan, you should indicate this as part of the examination entry process. The PhD Academy will use this information when advising your department and examiners about the examination arrangements.

If you think that your My Adjustments plan may need to be adjusted, we recommend that you contact the Disability and Mental Health Service as soon as possible, ideally before you submit your exam entry. 

The School will always endeavour to implement reasonable adjustments, but late requests can be more difficult to implement. 

Changes to the research degree examination process can normally only be made on the basis of a My Adjustments plan. 

If you have a short-term condition and are not eligible for a My Adjustments plan, but would still like adjustments to be considered, you should note this on your Examination Entry form. 

No. You are not required to allow your supervisor to attend your viva. You should make the supervisor attendance decision that feels right for you. 

You should indicate your supervisor attendance preference as part of the examination entry process. 

If invited to attend, supervisors do not have the right to take part in the examination. 

They may contribute only if invited to do so by the examiners. 

At the end of the viva, your examiners may share their recommendation with you informally. This is not the official outcome. 

Examiners are asked to send their reports to the PhD Academy within two weeks of the viva. The PhD Academy will then process the reports and confirm your outcome to you. No official result can be confirmed and no award can be made until all of the required examination paperwork has been received and processed. 

You may be recommended for one of the following outcomes. 

• Award of PhD with no corrections. 
• Minor corrections, to be completed within 1-6 months.
• Revisions and re-examination, to be completed within 7-12 months.
• Award of MPhil, where appropriate.  
• No degree awarded. 

If corrections, amendments or revisions are required, you will be given a deadline and guidance on what needs to be completed. 

You must make the required changes and resubmit your corrected thesis by the deadline. 

Your examiners will review your corrections or revisions before confirming whether you have met the requirements. 

Depending on the outcome, examiners normally have one to three months to confirm whether your corrections or revisions meet the requirements. 

You need to re-enter for examination if your examiners require you to re-submit your thesis for examination. You will be told your re-submission deadline. 

You must complete the Examination Re-entry form and return it to the PhD Academy at least 40 working days, or eight working weeks, before you submit your revised thesis. 

You can find information on examination re-entry here. 

Yes. You must pay the re-entry fee when you submit the Examination Re-entry form. 

The current re-entry fee is £200 and can be paid through LSE eShop. 

You should send your revised thesis and your list of corrections to the PhD Academy by email. 

Your list of corrections should show how you have responded to the examiners’ requirements. A useful format is a table. You can list the required correction in one column and explain how you have addressed it in the second column. You should also indicate where the changes can be found in the revised thesis. 

Once the PhD Academy receives your revised thesis, it will be sent to your examiners. The examiners normally have three months to return their final decision by completing the examiners’ report form and producing a joint final report. 

A second viva may be required. The examiners may decide this at the first viva or after reading the revised thesis. 

They may also waive the requirement for a second viva if they previously asked for one. If a second viva is held, your department will arrange it. The examiners are normally asked to return the examination paperwork within two weeks of the viva. 

When the PhD Academy receives the examination paperwork, processing the outcome will normally take up to two weeks. This may take longer during busy periods. 

If the examiners confirm that an award can be made, you will need to submit a final electronic version of your thesis to the Library before the award can be confirmed

If you need viva adjustments, you should follow the process described above.  

Once you have completed your viva, completed any required corrections or revisions, and your examiners have provided all of the necessary paperwork, you must submit a final electronic copy of your thesis for deposit in LSE Research Online. 

This is a requirement for your degree to be awarded. LSE cannot make your award until your final thesis has been received. 

You can find information on LSE’s collection of theses here, and guidance on submitting your final thesis copy here. 

If you have further questions about how degree awards are made, you should contact the PhD Academy.