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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

SamiyaJ

Legendary Member
Premium Member
Apr 16, 2024
361
1,003
The WBD SJT email says it takes 5 minutes to complete?? Does anyone have an insight on this?
I’m in a VS WhatsApp group and someone said this:

“If it’s like the neurosight I’ve done before it was like a sentence appears on screen like what’s most important to you/would you rather type quick Qs and there’s four answers to choose from, you hover on one of them and it submits straight away to next Q to try catch ur first instinct”
 
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Abbie Whitlock

Administrator
Staff member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 11, 2025
736
749
what kinds of questions can you prepare to ask at the end of an interview if you don't know who your interviewers will be until the actual thing?
Hi!

The main advice I was given in relation to this is to ask questions that you can't find from the firm's website or promotional materials - this could be topics such as:
  • Training and Development: how trainees are supported day-to-day, how feedback is given, or what tends to differentiate trainees who really excel at the firm
  • Firm Culture: collaboration between teams, the level of responsibility given to trainees, or how people are supported during busy periods
  • Forward-Looking: what challenges and opportunities the firm is anticipating in the next few years and how trainees might be exposed to those.

I also found it helps to ask a few more personal questions to the interviewers, even if you don't know who they will be before the actual interview. This could be things such as "What have you personally enjoyed most about working at the firm?" or "What draw you to the firm?".

I'd also remain flexible - if you prepare questions in advance but have questions come to mind during the actual interview, it's better to tailor them slightly to the interviewer. This will show genuine engagement with them, and show a real interest!

Best of luck! :)
 

Abbie Whitlock

Administrator
Staff member
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 11, 2025
736
749
anyone ever email grad recruitment about being unavailable for an AC date? Im currently enrolled in a course which is quite strict on tutorial attendance and the AC would clash with 2 classes.
Hello!

I was in a similar(ish) situation last cycle with my Reed Smith AC, as the only available dates I could see were during a vacation scheme I was on. I would definitely email the firm to explain that you are unavailable on that AC date, and politely ask if there are any other available dates - some firms release them in batches, so you may be able to wait to book an AC in a later batch :)
 
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Rosie_Kitten

Legendary Member
  • Dec 26, 2025
    141
    299
    Personally, I feel all tests except WGT are BS. Not like any applicant answers all questions with complete honesty😭
    I mean any sort of critical thinking, numerical reasoning, deductive reasoning, error checking tests etc are pretty objective.
    If I were running a recruitment process for example, I'd have an application form with 0 questions.
    Automatically allocated test (based on grade requirements) with WG+ deductive reasoning + numerical reasoning.
    Automatic timed long answer question test based on passing benchmark - I'd have 4 questions randomly allocated from a question bank of 40 questions (10 questions per type). I'd publish all questions online so that nobody would have an unfair advantage from communicating with people who took the test.
    Then AC.

    Of course, no process can be completely objective, but I still think SJTs are a non-evidence based way to thin out applicants. (Of course, you could argue that people who practice and research SJTs deserve to do better on average, and to an extent I agree)
     

    LH4

    Standard Member
    Dec 12, 2024
    7
    13

    DoNotRedeem

    Star Member
    Dec 19, 2025
    36
    94
    I mean any sort of critical thinking, numerical reasoning, deductive reasoning, error checking tests etc are pretty objective.
    If I were running a recruitment process for example, I'd have an application form with 0 questions.
    Automatically allocated test (based on grade requirements) with WG+ deductive reasoning + numerical reasoning.
    Automatic timed long answer question test based on passing benchmark - I'd have 4 questions randomly allocated from a question bank of 40 questions (10 questions per type). I'd publish all questions online so that nobody would have an unfair advantage from communicating with people who took the test.
    Then AC.

    Of course, no process can be completely objective, but I still think SJTs are a non-evidence based way to thin out applicants. (Of course, you could argue that people who practice and research SJTs deserve to do better on average, and to an extent I agree)
    WGT is ironically not a test of critical thinking lol. I actually think if you critically think too hard the answers become unclear but someone who thinks in a surface level manner will just select the right choice, although they admittedly are the winners here. On the job, I bet it becomes far less clear.
     

    Rosie_Kitten

    Legendary Member
  • Dec 26, 2025
    141
    299
    WGT is ironically not a test of critical thinking lol. I actually think if you critically think too hard the answers become unclear but someone who thinks in a surface level manner will just select the right choice, although they admittedly are the winners here. On the job, I bet it becomes far less clear.
    There are very clear strategies to different WG tests. I recently took a philosophy argument refresher course (I studied PPE at uni), with a lot of deep thinking etc, and now WG feels much clearer to me (and has at least improved in practice tests).

    I think if you've studied the nature of argument in philosophy, then you avoid many of the "over-thinking traps" and thinking critically helps. It's when you are thinking without strategy/understanding the specific logical process that WG is testing for that it becomes more difficult. If you haven't studied philosophy, or critical thinking at University, I would be happy to recommend a few books that helped me out. If not though, practice tests & random youtube tutorials tend to help a lot.
     

    DoNotRedeem

    Star Member
    Dec 19, 2025
    36
    94
    There are very clear strategies to different WG tests. I recently took a philosophy argument refresher course (I studied PPE at uni), with a lot of deep thinking etc, and now WG feels much clearer to me (and has at least improved in practice tests).

    I think if you've studied the nature of argument in philosophy, then you avoid many of the "over-thinking traps" and thinking critically helps. It's when you are thinking without strategy/understanding the specific logical process that WG is testing for that it becomes more difficult. If you haven't studied philosophy, or critical thinking at University, I would be happy to recommend a few books that helped me out. If not though, practice tests & random youtube tutorials tend to help a lot.
    I score above the 95th percentile every time I do it, it is antithetical to actual critical thinking to have a set of ridiculous rules that don't apply to real multifaceted issues. It is testing your ability to follow a process. I would also add to this that my final year project in a highly theoretical science subject was just recently published, not to brag but because I find the idea that taking a philosophy class and reading books will unlock some form of critical thinking truly present in a ridiculously (and scientifically) flawed test to be simply wrong.
     
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