TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[gazdgazd11]

HSF rejection :/ so far only rejections losing hope again

 

[lawyersum]

In the work experience section, I have listed all my commercial law events, virtual experiences, and webinars attended in one entry. As my other legal work experiences are more pro bono, legal aid etc, I really want to use these events to explain what I did (Case studies, interactive workshops) and the skills I picked up so my motivation for commercial law comes across as strong. @Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam @Amma Usman I would appreciate any insights on how best to put these experiences in writing.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Just to clarify and wrap up, I'm interested in what is considered a stand-out score. As you mentioned, my application is considered holistically so even if I do get full marks, I can still have an average written app which pulls me down, especially if the application has a greater weighting on progression. Nonetheless, I'm interested in what is considered a stand-out score (beyond full marks).

With the emphasis on percentiles for some firms, I'm worried that getting say an 83% (roughly 33 marks) could be the 50th percentile, downplaying the strength of my performance. This is an outcome you might see regularly from applicants for firms like Linklaters, just to use as an example.

The firms I'm applying to that use this test/test style are Addleshaw, Hogan Lovells, Bates Wells and CMS. From what I have read, Hogan uses a benchmark, but I'm not sure about the others.

Maybe @Jessica Booker will be able to tell you more. However, when we were last discussing this topic on the forum it seemed like there wasn't any way of determining what is a stand-out score because it is simply too specific to each test. There were a number of reasons for this:

• Different assessment criteria: some firms use a pure mark-based benchmark, while others use a percentile-based benchmark.
• Different percentile-based benchmarks use different cohorts of test-takers to calculate relative percentiles.
• Different firms choose WG assessments with different levels of difficulty - some of them will only have a minority of questions forcing you to think very carefully, while others will have this effect at almost every question.
• Different firms use different test compositions: not all firms have the same total number of WG questions, and not all firms have the same proportionate distribution of questions for Inferences, Assumptions, Deductions, Arguments, and Interpretation.
• Different firms use have different weighing mechanisms for performance in the 5 sections of the test.

As I see it, a candidate who obtains a stand-out score in one test can achieve average results in another. This is also supported by my personal experience with the test: I obtained really high percentile scores in Clifford Chance's and Milbank's tests, but only achieved average scores in Mayer Brown's.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi Andrei, nice to meet you. I’m Hamzah.

Thank you so much for this in-depth analysis.

Can I please send you a DM to discuss further?

Hi Hamzah, it's great to meet you too ! TCLA's policy is to try to keep all discussions on the forum unless it is concerns very personal issues and circumstances. Firstly, this is so everyone else can get the benefit of reading our posts. Secondly, it is so that other people can get involved in the conversation as well, as a lot of useful insights and perspectives are shared as a result of that. Thus, I would encourage you to just write a response here to continue the discussion - I will be happy to respond to any questions.

 

[LawyerUpPal]

HSF rejection :/ so far only rejections losing hope again

Sorry to hear that. Don't lose hope, and don't get down. For one, it's early and two, it doesn't help. You know what you have to do. The more apps you do, the more the chances of getting even one increase. So crack on.

 

[hanz123]

Just completed HSF online assessment for the summer vac scheme, hoping for a positive outcome 🤞

 

[Tintin06]

The award for best vac scheme application question goes to this one: How do you rate your computer skills? Answer: I don't...

 

[erderlylars]

Any again still waiting on nrf post arctic shores?

 

[hanz123]

Has anyone previously applied to Fieldfisher's diversity access scheme, if so could you please message me

 

[RSK]

Hey,

Does anyone know if the WG for CMS is automatic? Is the test time limited?

Thanks!

 

[Kk288]

Hey,

Does anyone know if the WG for CMS is automatic? Is the test time limited?

Thanks!

Hey! I don’t think it’s automatic, but it is timed - you have 30 minutes to complete it

 

[RSK]

Hey! I don’t think it’s automatic, but it is timed - you have 30 minutes to complete it

Thank you - that's useful to know!

 

[THE GOAT]

Hi- do you have any tips for how you went about preparing for the interview. What are some key things that you prepared and were there any questions that threw you? Thanks so much

Feel free to DM - happy to discuss!

 

[billyonthespeeddial]

After one purely motivational question, Addleshaw Goddard has the additional question: "Use this space to tell us about any mitigating circumstances that you might have or any other information about you that might be relevant to your application.". Besides mitigating circumstances, is it common/does it make sense to use this section as a "Why me?" section, for example detailing skills and positions of responsibility? Or should I simply leave it blank if I don't have any mitigating circumstances? (If I had to guess, I would assume that it was intended to be only about information akin to mitigating circumstances, but I can't be sure.)

 

[yasmars]

After one purely motivational question, Addleshaw Goddard has the additional question: "Use this space to tell us about any mitigating circumstances that you might have or any other information about you that might be relevant to your application.". Besides mitigating circumstances, is it common/does it make sense to use this section as a "Why me?" section, for example detailing skills and positions of responsibility? Or should I simply leave it blank if I don't have any mitigating circumstances? (If I had to guess, I would assume that it was intended to be only about information akin to mitigating circumstances, but I can't be sure.)

Last year I used this section to mention some of my extracurriculars/ interests and I passed the app review stage. I also confirmed whether this was ok with GR and they agreed.

 

[cjwx]

Has anyone passed the VI for DLA Piper? Or does anyone know what they are looking for and what can make you fail.

 

[Andrei Radu]

In the work experience section, I have listed all my commercial law events, virtual experiences, and webinars attended in one entry. As my other legal work experiences are more pro bono, legal aid etc, I really want to use these events to explain what I did (Case studies, interactive workshops) and the skills I picked up so my motivation for commercial law comes across as strong. @Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam @Amma Usman I would appreciate any insights on how best to put these experiences in writing.

So for headings, I would just put the name of the event and that of the organizer as the 'Employer' and 'Attendee/Participant' as 'Job Title'. For the main bit, I think you should just employ the normal STAR structure, with some tweaks to try to show the experience in the best light:

• Situation: Explain in one or two sentences what was the context in which you did this workshop/case study/other event. You can consider discussing any steps in an application process, the reasons which prompted you to apply for it, how that fitted in your schedule with your other responsibilities etc.
• Tasks: here, I would just lay out the main activity you had to do (eg describe the scenario of teh case study) with a focus on what you had to do individually even if it was part of a team effort.
• Actions: here, you should explain what particular actions you undertook to make sure you did a good job. If you ever did anything different from what would have normally been the expectation, or went above and beyond your normal responsibilities, or showed initiative, you should focus on that.
• Results: Explain any type of positive impacts/consequences of your role. You could include examples of high scores, commendation and praise from organizers, praise from your teammates and overall increases success. Also, this is the point where you want to make any links with your skills/why commercial law/why the firm motivations.

 

[gazdgazd11]

HSF rejection :/ so far only rejections losing hope again

Add White & Case rejection just now 🤪

 

[fingersarecrossed]

has anyone received an email for DLA Piper's AC? How long did it take after submitting the VI

 

[LawyerUpPal]

In the work experience section, I have listed all my commercial law events, virtual experiences, and webinars attended in one entry. As my other legal work experiences are more pro bono, legal aid etc, I really want to use these events to explain what I did (Case studies, interactive workshops) and the skills I picked up so my motivation for commercial law comes across as strong. @Andrei Radu @Ram Sabaratnam @Amma Usman I would appreciate any insights on how best to put these experiences in writing.

After one purely motivational question, Addleshaw Goddard has the additional question: "Use this space to tell us about any mitigating circumstances that you might have or any other information about you that might be relevant to your application.". Besides mitigating circumstances, is it common/does it make sense to use this section as a "Why me?" section, for example detailing skills and positions of responsibility? Or should I simply leave it blank if I don't have any mitigating circumstances? (If I had to guess, I would assume that it was intended to be only about information akin to mitigating circumstances, but I can't be sure.)

I would definitely not use that as an opportunity to sell yourself. Among other things, it could demonstrate that you don't read and follow instructions. I also had no MC's, but I used this section to say that because my A'Levels are from Cambridge, A is the equivalent of A* in their grading system. I also noted that I did a 4-year degree with one year abroad at a US university. I included a link to the marks scored 1-5 and an explanation of the ranking. You can explain things in your application that might need clarifying, like those who went to secondary school in other countries and did other exams. For example, in the Caribbean, they don't do GCSC's; they do O'Levels or CSEC. Or if you did an access course vs A'Levels, etc.