TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

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teddyowen34

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Dec 15, 2021
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got invited to simmons & simmons verbal and logical reasoning and VI test. Is the verbal and logical reasoning test like a WG test? Any tips? All help will be greatly appreciated as this is my first call-back on my vac scheme applications.
 
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avaelle42

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Dec 15, 2021
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simmons & simmons verbal and logical reasoning and VI test. Is the verbal and logical reasoning test like a WG test? Any tips? All help will be greatly appreciated as this is my first call-back on my vac scheme applications.
the logical reasoning is visual/shape-based and not like the WG. Hard to explain but the practice tests are pretty explanatory. The verbal reasoning is more akin to WG but still slightly different. Good luck!
 

WN20

Star Member
Nov 30, 2021
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This might be a silly question - if the deadline for a VI is the 3rd Jan (GMT+00:00), does this mean that I won’t have the entire 3rd Jan to complete it and rather will have to complete it by the end of 2nd Jan. Hope that made sense :)
 

Rob93

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Dec 29, 2020
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This might be a silly question - if the deadline for a VI is the 3rd Jan (GMT+00:00), does this mean that I won’t have the entire 3rd Jan to complete it and rather will have to complete it by the end of 2nd Jan. Hope that made sense :)
I've been wondering exactly the same thing and my assumption is that the deadline is Sunday 2 Jan.
 

Jessica Booker

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Aug 1, 2019
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This might be a silly question - if the deadline for a VI is the 3rd Jan (GMT+00:00), does this mean that I won’t have the entire 3rd Jan to complete it and rather will have to complete it by the end of 2nd Jan. Hope that made sense :)
What platform is the interview on?
 

mads_g

Star Member
Premium Member
Nov 20, 2021
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I've been wondering exactly the same thing and my assumption is that the deadline is Sunday 2 Jan.
This might be a silly question - if the deadline for a VI is the 3rd Jan (GMT+00:00), does this mean that I won’t have the entire 3rd Jan to complete it and rather will have to complete it by the end of 2nd Jan. Hope that made sense :)
If this is for CMS it means 11:59pm on 3 Jan. Mine is the same and I checked with graduate recruitment today. I was sent the invite on 29 December and you have five days 😊

If it’s another firm probably best to check with them!
 

Jessica Booker

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CV Mail always crashes on days where there is a peak of application deadlines. It’s one of the reasons to avoid applying on deadline day!
 
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Jessica Booker

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What deadlines are today on cvmail?
Can be lots of non-legal roles too. CVmail is a platform used by many types of orgaisations.

I might also just be down and because it is NYE, there is little support to fix it. It might also purposely be out as they do maintenance work to the platform.
 

pfoapplicant

Esteemed Member
Dec 7, 2020
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It is not an issue if it is blank and it will be fairly common for it to be so.

It really is any opportunity to provide any further information that doesn't naturally fit into other questions (and not just because you ran out of word count). That could include grade clarifications, explanations for gaps in education or employment, if you are limited to the number of work experience entries you can provide, providing a summary of your other experiences (even if it is just job titles and dates of employment), Any particular circumstances you think make you stand out (e.g. specific skills like languages/coding abilities etc if you haven't been able to include them elsewhere), clarity on your work status (e.g. if you need a visa etc).
Thanks so much for your reply - I apologise in advance for how dense this sounds on my part, but when you say "not just because you ran out of word count", do you mean that running out of word count is a valid reason (albeit not the only reason) for putting information in the "additional info" question, or, alternatively, that it isn't a valid reason (and that we should only include info that other questions didn't give candidates a chance to answer elsewhere on the form)?
 

hellovacschemes

Standard Member
Dec 18, 2020
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Hi, I'm currently applying to Freshfields, and I'm a little confused by the application system. I studied in a sixth form college outside of the UK, but while Freshfields has a form that allows you to input A-level/IB grades if you state that you studied in a sixth form college inside of the UK, it does not for a sixth form college outside of the UK (the subject boxes just literally do not show up). I could try to put it in another section – "education" – but that section seems to be formatted for university grades rather than for A-levels/IB. What should I do?
 
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WN20

Star Member
Nov 30, 2021
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If this is for CMS it means 11:59pm on 3 Jan. Mine is the same and I checked with graduate recruitment today. I was sent the invite on 29 December and you have five days 😊

If it’s another firm probably best to check with them!
Yes this is for the CMS VI - thanks for letting me know, just to confirm did they explicitly say that you have until 11:59pm on 3 Jan or just that you have five days to complete it.
 

mads_g

Star Member
Premium Member
Nov 20, 2021
26
60
Yes this is for the CMS VI - thanks for letting me know, just to confirm did they explicitly say that you have until 11:59pm on 3 Jan or just that you have five days to complete it.
Yes, here is the wording of their email: Thanks for getting in touch, I can confirm that the deadline is 5 days from receipt of the link, so as you were sent the link on 29/12/2021, the deadline is 03/01/2022 at 23:59.
 

TCApp2021

Legendary Member
Dec 21, 2021
163
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@Jessica Booker

Happy New Year everyone!

Please could someone help me with TI prep:

Why commercial law

1)Is it better to answer this by going through a journey of why you're interested in commercial law- e.g. "At age, x sparked my initial interest in commercial law... At university, y expanded my area in this interest.. etc" or should we approach it in the following way- "I am interested in commercial law because of the following three reasons... Reason 1 was experienced through x... Reason 2 was experienced through y"
i.e. should we lead/structure a response with our experiences or what we gained from each experience?

2)When answering this, should the focus be more on trainee role or a career in commercial law in general?

Why this firm

1)Is it okay to use the same reasons/structure as used in cover letter/written application stage? How much are we expected to expand on our written app answers?

Thanks,
 
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