Slaughter and May grades Q

[lt481]

Hi,

I have an interview upcoming with Slaughter and May, and I know they tend to quiz you on why certain grades were lower than others. My second year grades were lower than my first year grades, but still were not bad. Is it worth mentioning that the cohort as a whole scored poorly because of a changed exam format and I stil ranked comfortably in the top 20% of students, if so how would I do this without seeming like I am not accepting responsibiltiy for getting lower grades?

Thanks

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Hi,

I have an interview upcoming with Slaughter and May, and I know they tend to quiz you on why certain grades were lower than others. My second year grades were lower than my first year grades, but still were not bad. Is it worth mentioning that the cohort as a whole scored poorly because of a changed exam format and I stil ranked comfortably in the top 20% of students, if so how would I do this without seeming like I am not accepting responsibiltiy for getting lower grades?

Thanks

Hiya @luket

Amazing job getting to the Slaughter and May interview! You'll be great!

I think it’s absolutely fine to mention the context behind your second-year grades, especially since you still performed well relative to your peers. Overall, I'd recommend just trying to present your answer as factually and avoid sounding like you’re deflecting responsibility. For example, you might say something along the lines of:

“My grades in second year were slightly lower than in my first year, because the exam format changed that year, which impacted the cohort as a whole. Given the change in assessment style, I made adjustments to my revision strategy which allowed me to maintain a strong position academically and rank comfortably within the top 20% of my cohort.”

This way, you acknowledge the circumstances that affected your grades, and framing your response around your achievements. Good luck!

 

[lt481]

Hiya @luket

Amazing job getting to the Slaughter and May interview! You'll be great!

I think it’s absolutely fine to mention the context behind your second-year grades, especially since you still performed well relative to your peers. Overall, I'd recommend just trying to present your answer as factually and avoid sounding like you’re deflecting responsibility. For example, you might say something along the lines of:

“My grades in second year were slightly lower than in my first year, because the exam format changed that year, which impacted the cohort as a whole. Given the change in assessment style, I made adjustments to my revision strategy which allowed me to maintain a strong position academically and rank comfortably within the top 20% of my cohort.”

This way, you acknowledge the circumstances that affected your grades, and framing your response around your achievements. Good luck!

Excellent, thank you so much for your help! I sincerely appreciate it!