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I was always tempted to say 'this application process' when asked for an example of when we have demonstrated resilience! Nothing will test your determination and positivity like this process will.

I can completely empathise, with each rejection I lost a little more confidence and hope for the next one. Some things that helped picked me up was:

1. remembering there is a huge element of luck involved. I have felt unlucky at times with who was interviewing me and I have also failed tests with a better score than previously, when I actually passed it that first time (still makes no sense to me how that is possible);
2. it is a matter of 'when' and not 'if'. You have the experience and competence. Root the confidence in that in objective ways eg I was the committee of X so I am undoubtedly competent at Y; and
3. celebrating the small wins along the way. A TC is the ultimate objective of course, but the process is so lacking in rewards along the way. I learned to celebrate the small wins. I got excited each time I passed an application stage and even more so for the tests. They became signs of my progress and growth. Previous failures stopped bothering me as much once I started focusing on present growth.

Some practical notes that helped me improve:

• Front load research as if I'm going to interview with a partner instead of just writing an app. Frankly I also tried to avoid firms needing an online test but that's just personal preference.
• Really thinking through and creating a narrative with my experiences for what exactly led me to commercial law, and what led me to the firm.
• Following a few (about 7/8) commercial stories in close detail analysing why it was happening, what it meant for businesses and firms, and what it meant for the wider industry, and then general commercial reading but not necessarily in the same amount of detail.

Keep going!! It will be so so worth it when you get there.