Herbert Smith Freehills online test

[Zemfira]

Hi everyone ! any tips where I could practice for HSF’s online test please? Thank you !

 

[J Wu]

https://careers.herbertsmithfreehills.com/uk/grads/apply - If you go down to the 'Step two online test' section, they have provided a practice test. If you take their 'what we look for' quiz, it will also tell you what competencies/qualities they are looking for in the personality/SJT.

https://www.assessmentday.co.uk/aptitudetests_verbal.htm - Assessment day has some free tests that will help with the verbal reasoning part of the test.

 

[Zemfira]

thank you!
also, it says it isn’t timed. has anyone taken it? if so, how much time did you choose to spend on it? I have a tendency to rush through things so some guidance would be useful.

 

[J Wu]

I'm unsure regarding the practice test, but if you mean the proper test, the email you received should say, "Whilst there is no time limit, you will need to allow approximately 25-30 minutes to complete the assessment and it should be completed in one session. The time taken to complete the assessment will be recorded and reviewed as part of the scoring for the assessment"

 

[Zemfira]

Yes that’s what I meant ! I’m guessing they won’t be impressed if I take longer than 30min

 

[0603]

Hi guys! Has anyone who has applied to HSF for the spring vacation scheme heard back from the firm post submission and passing the online test? Thanks in advance!

 

[bob]

how many questions were there for each subsection of the online test? the practice one had two for each, but i dont know if its the same for the real one

 

[Eva]

how many questions were there for each subsection of the online test? the practice one had two for each, but i dont know if its the same for the real one

Hi there. I can't remember the exact number of questions for each subsection, but I'm pretty sure it's about 10 questions per subsection - those who have taken the test recently, do correct me if I'm wrong. It's definitely more than two.

 

[J Wu]

There’s around 12 for the verbal reasoning section and one of the others I think

 

[0603]

One of the sections has 26 if I remember correctly

 

[aditik]

how many questions were there for each subsection of the online test? the practice one had two for each, but i dont know if its the same for the real one

12 for verbal reasoning and situational judgement and 26 for the personality questionnaire

 

[bob]

thanks! out of curiosity, how similar were they to the sample test they provided? were they harder/longer or basically the same?

 

[aditik]

thanks! out of curiosity, how similar were they to the sample test they provided? were they harder/longer or basically the same?

Hey so the real test was definitely longer than the practice. I think verbal reasoning was quite straightforward, and you can definitely get the hang of it by doing some online practice tests.

With the SJT, I am really not sure, but I think one way of prepping is to make a list of qualities they look for (from the practice test + quiz + their brochure) and try to apply them to the scenarios you get in the test. Most of the SJT was problem-solving, so try breaking down the scenario into issues, match them to specific desired qualities, and then rank each of the options accordingly? (I don't know if I am making sense, but this was roughly my approach)

With the personality questionnaire, I really have no idea, as I suppose there is no right/wrong answer? I guess being honest works well in this section; don't act like someone you are not!

 

[bob]

thanks!
and yes, it makes sense, i took the same approach!

 

[bob]

last question ...was i correct in understanding they give you results of your assessment? if so, how long did it take them to do this?

 

[Daniel Boden]

last question ...was i correct in understanding they give you results of your assessment? if so, how long did it take them to do this?

No they just tell you if you have passed the test or not. I found out the following morning after doing the test the night before.

 

[S30]

No they just tell you if you have passed the test or not. I found out the following morning after doing the test the night before.

What was the outcome, as I’ve recently completed the test and haven’t heard a response back yet!

 

[Daniel Boden]

What was the outcome, as I’ve recently completed the test and haven’t heard a response back yet!

As in did I pass the test? I did but was then rejected at the application review stage. After I submitted my application, I realised that one of my answers was missing a word and so was annoyed that they may have rejected me purely on that basis but there we go... just got to be more careful in future!

 

[S30]

As in did I pass the test? I did but was then rejected at the application review stage. After submitted my application, I realised that one of my answers was missing a word and so was annoyed that they may have rejected me purely on that basis but there we go... just got to be more careful in future!

Thank you! Ah that must be so annoying! Best of luck with your other applications

 

[pfoapplicant]

Do you have to take your test before the application deadline?