TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[lawaspirant!]

Is anyone else still waiting for HSF post assessment for summer vs? I have seen some ACs go out and wonder if that means a PFO...

 

[Jessica Booker]

Just curious, does anyone know what the typical percentile for passing the WG is? does it vary by each firm? I scored in the 60s for CC this year and still passed the benchmark, I'm curious if it varies significantly across firms

It will vary between firms - I have seen everything from the 17th percentile to the 65th for the WG.

The issue is they although the Watson Glaser is a standard set of questions (WG is effectively a copyrighted brand), how the answers are assessed can be very different between firms, so you could do exactly the same test with the same answers and get the 20th percentile with one firm and the 60th in the other, and pass the one where you got the 20th percentile and fail the one where you got the 60th percentile.

 

[JamesCCM]

Has anyone else heard back from Milbank post-AC?

Was this for spring or summer?

 

[futuretrainee!]

It will vary between firms - I have seen everything from the 17th percentile to the 65th for the WG.

The issue is they although the Watson Glaser is a standard set of questions (WG is effectively a copyrighted brand), how the answers are assessed can be very different between firms, so you could do exactly the same test with the same answers and get the 20th percentile with one firm and the 60th in the other, and pass the one where you got the 20th percentile and fail the one where you got the 60th percentile.

Ah this makes so much sense! Often times the assumption questions catch me out but when I run the answer key through different AIs to check the rationale, they all come up with different answers. Makes me feel better but also broadens the scope for subjectivity of how law firms grade these. Many thanks Jessica

 

[jta227]

Ah this makes so much sense! Often times the assumption questions catch me out but when I run the answer key through different AIs to check the rationale, they all come up with different answers. Makes me feel better but also broadens the scope for subjectivity of how law firms grade these. Many thanks Jessica

Jessica can correct me if I'm wrong but I think what she meant is not that there are different answers for different firms, but that firms apply their own weighting to each section and each question is not worth the same to every firm. For example Linklaters might value the Assumptions questions 2x as much as the other sections whereas CC might weight the Deduction part the highest, so even if all 40 questions were the same you could put the same answers for both and do better in CC's test if you got more of the Deduction ones right, leading to different percentiles.

 

[Andrei Radu]

HL PFO this morning. this marks the last PFO of this application cycle! if we're talking stats, i got rejected from 100% of the firms i applied to. this is my second application cycle. i thought i'd feel extremely sad, but i guess i've built resilience over time (or it just hasn't hit me yet). i am actually looking forward to the unknown, exploring life after graduation and trying different things... i hope everyone is well, don't get discouraged by rejections, life is so much more than applying for VSs / TCs!

Hey @studenttolawyer I definitely empathize with the disappointment and frustration you must be feeling right now. Few times have I felt as bad as when I got my final rejection (and all the rejections were at the first stage as well) in the cycle before last, especially as I was seeing so many other people succeed. It made me think I did not have what it took to make it in this field, and for a while I seriously considered looking for another career path. However, as time passed I realised that I wanted to keep going and to try harder than ever before - if anything, just to prove to myself that I had the resilience and will power to keep moving forward. I knew that if I did that and gave it my absolute best shot another time, I would be able to be proud of myself regardless of the result. Thus, I started another application cycle.

What I found was that despite my results, the time I had spend applying before had not been wasted. I had learnt a lot about commercial law and the City, about firms and how to research them, and what makes for a well-written application. I had also managed to built many valuable skills in the previous cycle. Now, I was more organized, meticulous, determined, and consistent with my efforts, and I ended up writing significantly more and significantly better applications. At the end of the cycle, all the work paid off.

I know how disheartening experiencing constant rejection can be, and you should definitely take a while to disconnect from applications and focus on the many things in life that are much more important than this. This is also a great moment for reflection as to what you want in your career and whether this is right for you. The one thing I would nonetheless advise you not to do is to conclude you are not "good enough" for succeeding in this field. The one thing I think my story illustrates above all else is that the world is not split between those that have what it takes and those that do not, as I was once tempted to believe. Not everyone has the same story or path, and it may be that exactly what you perceive currently to be your "failures" is what will enable you to achieve so much more than you could before. If you keep at it, know that you can move from never-ending rejection to better results than you could have ever hoped for.

 

[lawyersum]

Is anyone else starting to get resentful? I feel like I have made so many sacrifices for the TC cycle and so far there's been no good news. I know people always say 'if you want it badly enough just keep going', but how badly does one ever want employment? 😭 I want to work as a lawyer and I want a job. That's all. This is beginning to feel like a waste of my time. Like paralegals get exploited and paid so little and everyone keeps doing these roles until they land a TC...I feel like I would be progressing more if I was doing something else. Negative dump post, sorry guys.

Totally in the same shoes right now. I can’t even sleep at night thinking about what to do with my life as a recent graduate. I’ve experienced every type of law from legal aid to commercial, and I genuinely want to be in this career for the long term. It’s a really scary, demoralising time and please keep yourself safe guys. I had to recently take a mental health break as I was in a very very bad place. You’re not in the same boat and I don’t want to sound cliche by saying ‘hold on, it’ll come to you’, but it seems like us graduates will be taking the long, hard route to a TC, so stay as confident as you can and take each day as it comes xxx

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thats quite annoying, I wish firms would be more transparent about WG percentiles bc its not like its hurting them to do so anyways

They are generally not transparent about this as it actually means very little without explaining everything about the test, which is pretty complicated - I had to take a 4 day course and an exam to be able to understand how to administer these tests!

In many ways it is just easier to not explain the percentile ranking as the ranking could easily be unique to that firm and therefore not transferable to others.

 

[Miss Chocolate]

Totally in the same shoes right now. I can’t even sleep at night thinking about what to do with my life as a recent graduate. I’ve experienced every type of law from legal aid to commercial, and I genuinely want to be in this career for the long term. It’s a really scary, demoralising time and please keep yourself safe guys. I had to recently take a mental health break as I was in a very very bad place. You’re not in the same boat and I don’t want to sound cliche by saying ‘hold on, it’ll come to you’, but it seems like us graduates will be taking the long, hard route to a TC, so stay as confident as you can and take each day as it comes xxx

I am glad you took a break for your mental health, your health is the most important thing here. And I appreciate your support, same goes to you. <33

 

[Jessica Booker]

Ah this makes so much sense! Often times the assumption questions catch me out but when I run the answer key through different AIs to check the rationale, they all come up with different answers. Makes me feel better but also broadens the scope for subjectivity of how law firms grade these. Many thanks Jessica

It gets even more complicated as one firm may assess something like assumptions questions more heavily, and another firm may not even have assumption questions, or if they do put less weighting on them! But you never know this detail so it’s impossible to know whether you might be better or worse from one assessment to the next.

 

[👩🎓]

Hi @Jessica Booker do you have any advice when answering this question: "In the legal field, it is widely recognised that artificial intelligence (AI) will play an increasingly important role in boosting efficiency. Client relationships will continue to be essential. What approach do you think law firms should adopt to strike a balance between the two?" or what sought of things are firms looking for in the answer? Thank you

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

Did you find any trainees that didn't list their grades and just had their university name and degree title?

Not future trainees nope, some of the current trainees had 2:1s… guess it’s to be expected when the application is just grades and one commercial awareness question

 

[Jessica Booker]

Not future trainees nope, some of the current trainees had 2:1s… guess it’s to be expected when the application is just grades and one commercial awareness question

If current trainees got 2.1s, you clearly don’t need a first!

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

They called me this morning before 12pm!

They called you!! Wow I never expect calls, when did you apply?

 

[Amjaya]

V&E VI!

How are you preparing for this? Thanks

 

[Rus]

HOLY SHIT LATHAM AC INVITE

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

HOLY SHIT LATHAM AC INVITE

Congrats! Reassuring to hear they’re still going out too

 

[Amakaa]

Since it is raining PFO’s today, I'm happy to announce my W&C Post app PFO🥺

 

[Legallywhatever]

Hi, has anyone received an OC rejection? I see that people have started getting ACs but I haven't heard anything yet so unsure what to think!

 

[l789]

I’d be interested to know… does having a first or consistent firsts from a RG uni (non-RG doesn’t apply to me in this instance) have any advantage anymore given that people with stellar academic records are still being rejected.

I’m still clueless as to work experience as I have the typcial probono, retail and few consulting projects, and law firm open days. Which I’m sure just as many applicants have- if not better.

It’s hard to figure out how to make myself a better candidate and in regards to which aspect.