Achieving a doctorate presents candidates with certain challenges--undertaking the research, writing the thesis and defending both at their viva. Throughout that doctoral journey, candidates are expected to display doctorateness in their thesis via the characteristics of high-quality scholarly research. The blockages that occur and prevent candidates progressing in their learning are portrayed as "portals" whose threshold has to be passed over for real development to take place. Vignettes from candidates, supervisors and examiners provide insights on the notions of doctorateness and threshold concepts both in theory and in practice. Evidence shows that candidates who do not know what is expected of them may not have had the implications and technicalities of doctoral study adequately explained to them. (Contains 1 figure.)