TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Gday33]

Has anyone done the preliminary round of the AS commercial awareness competition? Any heads up? i did it last year and was blindsided

I have but I gather each test is unique - from doing it I don’t think I could have really ‘prepared’ as it was very general. Some things you may have covered at uni / in employment and otherwise be aware of from the news. I didn’t answer 2 questions as I ran out of time so just keep an eye on that. Best of luck!

 

[bangarangbass39]

It was very complex and super time-pressured. Its a shame because they changed it from a VI to a CRT out of the blue

I was told it’s very similar to WG but I’m afraid I’ve been misled…what type of questions were asked if you can remember? Also do you have record of the feedback from the test?

 

[natalieshiu]

Hi I was educated outside the UK and wasn't sure what to include in this section of multiple applications.

"Please list details of any other formal education before university in this space. If your education took place outside of the UK please describe it here. Please note that it is not necessary to provide information here if you were educated in the UK."

My current answer is brief, should I include more to use more words to come across as more comprehensive?
This is my current answer: I undertook 9 IGCSEs (the international equivalent of GCSEs) and the International Baccalaureate (IB).

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[laurenn42]

Is anybody going to the CMS in-person event on Monday the 14th?

 

[GV]

I was told it’s very similar to WG but I’m afraid I’ve been misled…what type of questions were asked if you can remember? Also do you have record of the feedback from the test?

Are you suppose to get feedback for your test?

 

[manifestingthetc]

If you could choose a career other than law, what would you choose? - I'm not really sure how to best answer this question. I'm not sure if it's best to think of something commercial or something genuinely outside of the commercial bubble? What is the best way to approach this question? it's thrown me off admittedly !

 

[bangarangbass39]

Are you suppose to get feedback for your test?

I’m not sure. Have you taken it recently? If so how lol. Haven’t heard back yet on when I’m supposed to take the test

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi I was educated outside the UK and wasn't sure what to include in this section of multiple applications.

"Please list details of any other formal education before university in this space. If your education took place outside of the UK please describe it here. Please note that it is not necessary to provide information here if you were educated in the UK."

My current answer is brief, should I include more to use more words to come across as more comprehensive?
This is my current answer: I undertook 9 IGCSEs (the international equivalent of GCSEs) and the International Baccalaureate (IB).

Any help would be much appreciated.

I was in the same situation as you last year and I was a bit confused as to what information I should or should not include. I ended up providing a more detailed answer than yours, but that was because my prior education was not in the form of international exams, but a unique set of examinations which only exist in my home country. As they used different marking systems and weighing mechanisms, I ended up writing a longer paragraph to properly explain the context and meaning of my results.

That said, in your case, provided you have included all the IB and IGCSE grades in other sections of the application form, I think the current answer is fine. International exams tend to be well known by recruiters and you are not generally expected to further explain them. Moreover, your writing throughout the application form is partly assessed on metrics of brevity and relevance. In other words, recruiters will notice if you are taking more space than necessary to convey information and will count that as a mark against you.

 

[Jessica Booker]

If a firm has not specified in the undergraduate degree module section that you should only include modules you have completed i.e. it says to include all modules you have studied in your course, should I include modules that I am currently studying but do not have a grade for?

yes you can do this as long as you can make it clear the module won’t conclude until sometime in this academic year and won’t have a grade until then.

 

[big hot man]

Hello, has anyone had experience with the Sidley Austin interview? Have gotten an invite and absolutely terrified O_0

 

[laurenn42]

For the languages section of an application, what language level (i.e. A2, B2) correlates to basic and intermediate?

 

[seaweed.bond]

Hi @Jessica Booker ,

If you mention a deal in your application, would you be expected to mention it again during an assessment center interview e.g. in a 'why this firm' question and expand on why it caught your attention?

I was also wondering if, in such an interview, you could mention a deal that you didn't mention in your application.

Thank you

 

[GV]

I’m not sure. Have you taken it recently? If so how lol. Haven’t heard back yet on when I’m supposed to take the test

I completed it a few days ago, I wasn’t sure of the deadline either so just completed it. It provides a scenario then asks you 3 questions. It’s broken down in the sections you’re assessed with the WG. You get 3 minutes for each. It’s 24 questions in total but broken into 8 parts (3 questions each) if that makes sense

 

[hanz123]

I completed it a few days ago, I wasn’t sure of the deadline either so just completed it. It provides a scenario then asks you 3 questions. It’s broken down in the sections you’re assessed with the WG. You get 3 minutes for each. It’s 24 questions in total but broken into 8 parts (3 questions each) if that makes sense

How were the questions like and did you get through it all?

 

[Andrei Radu]

If you could choose a career other than law, what would you choose? - I'm not really sure how to best answer this question. I'm not sure if it's best to think of something commercial or something genuinely outside of the commercial bubble? What is the best way to approach this question? it's thrown me off admittedly !

While there is no right or wrong answer to this question and while what you can discuss will depend significantly on your interests and experiences, it seems to me that it would be optimal if you can discuss a genuine interest in a job within the commercial sphere. Essentially, I believe the point of this question is to test whether your underlying motivations regarding your career options truly fit commercial law. If for instance you were to say you would have become an art painter if not a lawyer, the graduate recruitment department might be naturally suspicious as to whether your character and aspirations are truly a great fit for being a commercial solicitor. Whilst it is of course possible to have an interest in both fields simultaneously, it might in practice be difficult to write an answer which will not leave recruiters unpersuaded that your true passion lies outside of the work you would be doing for the firm.

For this reason, I think the best answer to this question is to focus on a career path which (i) you think you could actually have had an interest in; and (ii) involves a job experience which has as many similarities as possible to the experience of commercial solicitor. Here, consulting or investment banking seem to me to have lots of common features: you work closely with the same clients you would as a commercial lawyer, you are in an advisory position as well, you need to be very commercially aware, you work across many industries on cross-border transactions etc. Of course, there's many other roles you could choose to discuss besides these two - as long as there's still a substantial overlap between the characteristics of the job you discuss and the practice of a commercial solicitor.

 

[Andrei Radu]

If a firm has not specified in the undergraduate degree module section that you should only include modules you have completed i.e. it says to include all modules you have studied in your course, should I include modules that I am currently studying but do not have a grade for?

@Jessica Booker might be able to tell you more about this, but my general advice on such issues is to err on the side of caution and to include more rather than less information. Thus, I would include current modules as well and perhaps if possible flag that I have not received any grades yet.

 

[GV]

How were the questions like and did you get through it all?

They were okay from what I remember the layout was just new to me but I finished it all. The scenarios aren’t that long and neither are the questions so 3 minutes you’ll be okay

 

[GV]

It was very complex and super time-pressured. Its a shame because they changed it from a VI to a CRT out of the blue

Is there no longer a VI?

 

[Tsitsipas10S]

HSF AC!

 

[bangarangbass39]

I completed it a few days ago, I wasn’t sure of the deadline either so just completed it. It provides a scenario then asks you 3 questions. It’s broken down in the sections you’re assessed with the WG. You get 3 minutes for each. It’s 24 questions in total but broken into 8 parts (3 questions each) if that makes sense

How did you take the test? I haven’t received a link to take it. I was only told that after the 4th my app from last cycle would roll on to this one meaning I’m eligible to take the CRT.