-
Join Premium →Get Everything You Need to Secure a Training ContractNow half the price. Join TCLA Premium for £30/month and get step-by-step application support, daily commercial awareness practice, and 700+ successful examples of past applications and interview experiences. Plus so much more.
TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
i did it last week but i submitted my app like late sept - i've seen tht theyre still sending out invites tho
Hello!
I think it would be fine to discuss other experiences briefly in the context of the main experience (such as the insight day) - particularly if it is important to frame your overall motivations.
However, as the question asks you to focus on a specific personal experience, I would make any references very brief and simply name them, rather than going into much detail. The focus of your answer should be on how the specific experience chosen has shaped your motivation for law (and how it has influenced your ambitions)
Hello!
Congratulations on reaching the written exercise stage! I haven't previously completed a written exercise for Dechert specifically, but I have shared some general advice that I have given on written exercises in case it is helpful!
- Practice timed writing - pick a 30-45 minute slot, read a short business or news article, and summarise the key points in a structured 1-2 page memo with a clear conclusion summarising your findings.
- Work on prioritisation - pick an article with a lot of information, and practice picking out the 3-4 most important issues rather than trying to summarise and include everything.
- Use a clear structure - this was the main thing that I implemented that helped me score higher on written assessments! Follow a clear structure in your answer, and practice what this would be for each type of document. For example, you might be asked to write an email to a client, a letter, a memo, or a report. Have a look at what the structure of each of these should be, and have a go drafting a couple to get used to it in advance.
- Check clarity - after writing (potentially one of the above), ask yourself if someone with no context to the facts could follow along with the information and your reasoning.
- Proofread under pressure - I would get used to quickly checking grammar and flow, as this is really important in a written exercise! I sometimes struggled with this, as the pressure made me skip parts of my writing, but I found that literally following along with a pen or your finger can make sure you don't miss anything.
- Review sample case studies - I would have a look online and see if there are any free resources that you can have a go at. A true lifesaver during my last cycle was this forum post by Jacob Miller, and I would definitely give it a read!
I'd focus on condensing large chunks of information into clear, concise summaries, and then presenting these within a straightforward structure that flows logically and leads to a well-reasoned conclusion.
Most importantly, try not to panic! As long as you can get a good sense of what the information is telling you and share your views on it in a structured way, you should do well. Best of luck!
Thank you and was thinking of doing it that way. I sometimes overthink these things.Hi!
I think it’s probably best to say HSF Kramer in full. Whilst I’m sure it wouldn’t be an automatic rejection if you said HSF, it’s better to be on the safe side!
No worries! I totally get that (and I was the same when applying!), so always feel free to ask - that's what we are here for
Thank you appreciate it.No worries! I totally get that (and I was the same when applying!), so always feel free to ask - that's what we are here for
still no response, really odd on the wait time. As most have got AC or got the offer. Assuming PFO
I don't think this is true. I've seen about eight PFOs and only four or five ACs and one offer, which was to someone that the week before had posted they got an AC invite. They get 1,800 applications for their winter vacation scheme, 70% pass the assessment, which means they have 1,260 applications to read through. They invite 100 people to ACs for 30 spots on the vac scheme itself. Given that the deadline wasn't even three weeks ago and they don't screen on a rolling basis, I'm almost certain that this week's AC was the very first one. Additionally, they apparently have a habit of giving you only a week's notice for ACs because someone posted last year that they got an early November AC invite for a mid November AC.
So it's definitely way too early to assume anything.
Similar threads
- Sticky
