Currently on a gap year with deferred entry to UCL, non law subject.
A*BBB in A Levels, with A* in maths achieved one year early (2024) and BBB achieved in 2025.
I am worried this will limit my future prospects in securing training contracts at magic circle firms / pupillages.
I would like to retake, do firms mind retakes?
What should I do in the meantime to strengthen my applications in the future?
Hi
@ML07 I do not think you should be worried about the A-level grades regarding your chances to secure a TC at a top firm. Firms have always cared a lot less about A-level grades than about university performance, simply because what you do in the more mature and difficult university setting is more relevant to assessing your potential from an employment perspective. They do not expect you to have always have a flawless academic record, and, should you end up getting good grades in university, being able to show you have had struggles but managed to overcome them and then excel is certainly an attractive trait. Also, the trend of firms not placing much weigh on A-levels has accelerated recently, with many firms significantly lowering or dropping GCSE/A-levels requirements completely. Even those that have kept them in practice tend to treat them more as a 'soft expectations' than a mandatory field, as there are many examples of forum members who did not meet the A-level requirements of Magic Circle/US firms, but chose to still apply and ended up getting TCs.
As for pupillage at top commercial sets, while I do not know much about the topic, the general view is that getting such offers is substantially more competitive even than getting a TC at an MC or US firm, and that they also place a lot of emphasis on academics. That said, if you get a strong first in university, have strong mooting and advocacy credentials, and potentially do a masters at Oxbridge/a top RG uni, I certainly do not think you would be out of the game for that just because of your A-level results.
