pathfinder applicant here. I believe they sent out phone interview invites in 2 rounds a few weeks ago, don't know why they don't just update our profiles. might as well make it official that I was rejected no need to put me on hold.
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
Anyone heard back from Simmons bristol cycle? Someone i know got rejected after the SJT very early on meaning he must of not passed the benchmark, but they are taking very long to respond
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Am i screwed if i got mid verbal and mid numerical intellect for amberjack
Hey!
This is a great question, and you aren’t necessarily expected to have in-depth technical knowledge for these types of exercises.
In a case study, I would start by explaining the commercial rationale behind the deal. Why is the client doing this? Are they expanding into a new market, acquiring technology, increasing market share, or diversifying revenue? It is important to show that you understand the clients underlying business objective, as it shows you balanced the commercial factors that apply.
Then, I would identify a few logical risks or considerations that flow naturally from the situation you have been given. These could include regulatory approval, financing, integration challenges, or reputational issues. You don’t need niche legal points, I would focus on sensible and commercially grounded comments.
Lastly, and most importantly, briefly explain why those risks matter. For example, regulatory delays could increase costs or create uncertainty, and integration issues could reduce the expected value of the deal.
Commercial awareness at interview level is about linking the business aim to potential obstacles and then to commercial consequences. This is what the interviewers or assessors are usually looking for, rather than in-depth technical knowledge
Hey!
I’d say that a good starting point is to take a news article, e.g. from the FT or BBC News, and challenge yourself to summarise it in 150-200 words. This should focus on the key facts, any potential issues, and the wider implications. This is a great way of practising identifying what the assessors are looking for in an actual assessment.
The key skill isn’t necessarily shortening for the sake of it - it is all about prioritisation. Therefore, it might help to ask yourself: “If a busy partner only had 30 seconds, what would they need to know?”
I found that consistently practising this skill was the best way to become more familiar and confident in these tasks
Hey!
I remember that there were a few days between the phone call and the formal offer letter, so it isn’t necessarily the same day! It is likely that firms will have different processes that they follow - for example, they might wait until they have called all the successful candidates before they send out formal offers, or they might deal with it on an individual basis
That SH SJT was an absolute clusterf*** and I did sooooo badly lmaooooooooooooooOoOOooooOoOOoooOexcitedforthepfo
Genuinely worst thing ever. Thankfully everyone seems to think the same😭
Is it that bad? I’m mid way through the DTC app and now I’m having second thoughts. I’ve done one amberjack this cycle for Weil and felt that it was okay ish. Is this one harder than the Weil SJT?
I’m undecided between whether I should assume a PFO or believe I’m potentially in a ‘maybe’ pile.
Haven’t done Weil’s but there were numerical questions I hadn’t seen before, one of them took me like 15 minutes to work out😭 and despite spending much more time on this one, double-checking calculations etc, I scored worse than on other Amberjacks. Mid numerical and mid verbal - usually get high on both.Is it that bad? I’m mid way through the DTC app and now I’m having second thoughts. I’ve done one amberjack this cycle for Weil and felt that it was okay ish. Is this one harder than the Weil SJT?
My pillar scores made no sense either, got 6 on digital mindset when that’s the easiest pillar to score high on imo. For every tech question I chose the most tech-forward answer. Just don’t understand how it works hahah.
I’ve done at least 5 or 6 amberjacks this cycle so I recognise a lot of the questions every time but there seemed to be lots of new numerical and verbal reasoning questions.
The weil one was easier in my opinion its as if SH chose the hardest Qs possible and put them all in one. Or maybe im just bad at maths.. I also scored way lower on the pillars than usual as wellIs it that bad? I’m mid way through the DTC app and now I’m having second thoughts. I’ve done one amberjack this cycle for Weil and felt that it was okay ish. Is this one harder than the Weil SJT?
Same. I noticed that as well the other amberjacks were much more similar this one was quite different I recognised way less questions.
It was a lot harder but you should still try dont be put off at least we had unlimited time for VIsIs it that bad? I’m mid way through the DTC app and now I’m having second thoughts. I’ve done one amberjack this cycle for Weil and felt that it was okay ish. Is this one harder than the Weil SJT?
Yes I think its really good the VIs had unlimited prep time and makes it fairer for all candidates
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