TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2026-27

[e.jy336]

anyone got insight into sidley austin online assessment?

is this for WVS?

 

[username10341034]

Does Ashurst Perkins Coie have a VI as part of their online test? Or is it just SJT + WG?

no VI, cappfinity SJT and WG

 

[amitonalfo]

anyone got insights into sidley Online assessment? Willing to swap for macfarlanes, A&O, Latham

is this for vacation scheme? are they sending out tests already

 

[user55998384]

what did ppl get as strengths and weakenesses for freshfields - r there any certain ones that should be a strength to pass?

 

[tldrba]

what did ppl get as strengths and weakenesses for freshfields - r there any certain ones that should be a strength to pass?

These are not necessarily weaknesses. Cappfinity's report does not show you how you scored for each skill (like Amberjack does), but rather gives everyone 2-3 strengths and 1-2 'less developed' skills, i.e. the ones you scored lower than the others. It explicitly says that the latter are not necessarily weaknesses, since you may have nevertheless scored well above the benchmark, but since you have scored even better for other skills, they are in your 'strengths'.

 

[user55998384]

hey for anyone who has done a PW insight day before cna u pls pm me

 

[Antoni Trochimowicz]

Hi @Antoni Trochimowicz hope you are well!

As the application cycle kicked offand more and more m law firms pivot toward immersive assessments like the Cappfinity, Amberjack and Suited platforms I'm finding it a bit tricky to know how to approach them.

I'd love to get your perspective on a few things if you have a moment:

• What are they actually testing? Since they both blend situational judgment, math, and behavioral questions into a simulated workspace, what core traits or strengths are firms really looking out for?
• How can we best prepare? Unlike the Watson Glaser where you can practice raw logic, these feel a lot harder to study for. Are there specific frameworks, mindsets, or resources you recommend using to tackle them?

Any advice or tips you could share would be incredibly helpful.

Thanks!

I think the main thing with these assessments is not to overthink them. They can feel quite different from a Watson Glaser, but you can still prepare for them. I can't really speak from experience as I didn't apply to many firms that had it. Whenever I did have to do them, I just thought about what the firm's values are and tried to answer the best I could based on that. However, from a bit of research:

What are they testing?

It varies by firm, but generally you're looking at a combination of:

• Reasoning: numerical, verbal, pattern recognition etc.
• Situational judgement: how you would deal with common workplace scenarios.
• Behavioural/strengths questions: how you tend to work, communicate, deal with pressure, collaborate etc.

The easiest way to think about it is: Can you think clearly, make sensible decisions and work effectively?

How to prepare

I'd split preparation into a few things:

1. Get used to the format.
This is probably the biggest one. Do practice questions so that you're not figuring out the interface/timing on the day. Cappfinity has its own practice materials, and there are plenty of practice numerical/verbal/SJT questions online.

2. For SJTs, think like a trainee.
I'd generally look for the response that is professional, proportionate and proactive. Think about client impact, deadlines, teamwork, accuracy and when you should ask for help/escalate something.

I'd also spend 20-30 minutes before the assessment looking at the firm's values and the sort of work trainees actually do. That gives you useful context for the SJT questions without needing to memorise any answers.

One final point: practice the specific components you're weakest at. If you're comfortable with SJTs but slow at numerical questions, make sure you balance out prep.

These assessments definitely get easier once you've done a few, mainly because you stop being surprised by the format.

Hope this helps !

 

[Lissa06]

what did ppl get as strengths and weakenesses for freshfields - r there any certain ones that should be a strength to pass?

I got championing clients, embracing transformation and thriving under pressure as strengths and challenging myself/delivering extraordinary outcomes - wbu?
But I 100% agree with the previous comment that you might have still gotten very high grades in your less developed skills, so not to worry. I would guess the system doesn't 'weigh' certain skills more than others but rather calculates your aggregate across them.