They don’t have a set pass mark. You’re ranked based on how well your cohort does. That’s why they advise scoring as high as you possibly can.
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Register on Zoom →How to Secure a Vacation Scheme (Ropes & Gray)1 Dec 2025 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm (UK) Zoom (registration required)In this interactive session, Maya Shah, Senior Early Careers Specialist at Ropes & Gray, will walk you through every stage of the firm's application process.
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
perfect, thank you so much !!Hey!
I'd recommend emailing them now rather than waiting. Firms will usually prefer the transparency, and it's much easier for them to move you into a different pool of candidates rather than trying to reorganise when they've given out offers (as at that point, they may need to ask people to swap to the other scheme if there are set numbers for each).
If you politely explain that you have have another WVS and would like to be considered for the spring scheme instead, they're normally understanding - I did this last cycle and asked to be considered for the spring scheme instead, and still ended up receiving an offer.
I would just send a polite and appreciative email, as I'm sure it is unlikely to be a problem
I don’t think the purpose of these tests (Cappfinity, Watson Glaser, etc) is to find the best candidates (regardless of what the marketing says). I think they’re purely meant to knock as many candidates out as possible to reduce the number of applications needing human review. Law firms can’t manually review thousands of applications, so an easy way to massively reduce that number is to introduce an online test they know will trip a lot of people up.
TW is the hardest normal WG style test I would say I’ve done. OC is hard bc of how weird it is - it’s like extreme logistics rather than verbal reasoning if that makes sense.
No and people won’t until after the deadline, they read applications before the deadline but no next steps until after!
Ah this is so specific and helpful, thank you so much Abbie!Hey!
I totally understand how you feel - whilst I've never been to an industry-specific event, I felt a similar way (and often still do!) before most networking events at firms so I can share what has helped me! People don't expect you to know everything - they just appreciate genuine interest in the area.
The easiest way to handle conversations is to focus on their experience, not on applications. I would start with something simple such as "I'm a student interested in this field, and I was wondering if you'd be happy to share what the work actually looks like day to day". This way, you give them some context on your background but it allows them to tell you about their career as well.
One of the key things to remember about networking events (both generally and industry-specific) is that the majority of people at them will genuinely enjoy their career, and will be more than happy to chat to you about it! Some starting points for conversations could be:
1. Ask what's changing in the industry and how it affects their clients
2. Ask what parts of the work they find most interesting or surprising
3. Ask how different teams work together on matters in that sector
4. Ask what they wish they'd known earlier about the practice area
These questions feel natural, don't put anyone on the spot, and give you a really good sense of the firm's culture and the type of work they do. Above all, have a think about what genuinely interests you about the industry and what you'd like to know more about - frame your questions around those things!
I would also try not to stress about being awkward (easier said than done, I know!). At these events, people are used to explaining what they do and they go to these events to talk to people who are interested in the area too - a bit of curiosity can go a long way!
I hope that helps, and best of luck with the event - I'm sure it'll go great!
I went to the open day - they said they don’t record you - you can switch the camera off. Yesterday I was looking for the button but couldn’t find it haha but then manually switched it off and was able to still complete it. They only record you to verify you and then for the interview at the end.
I went to the open day and spoke to the grad rec she wasn’t really fussed about what you wore and she said a t shirt is fine!
oh!! that’s embarrassing then why did they even have that if it wasn’t recording you ?
I actually just finished the Mishcon test and found it very enjoyable though long. It wasn't as bad as I was dreading. Does anyone know when we can expect to hear back?
Has anyone received Gibson PFO? I've seen few people progress to interview stage and offer, haven't been progressed but haven't received a PFO either, can they just put me out of my misery.
It is recording! They don’t access it as a firm but Bright Network have the recording and report anything weird to them according to the early Careers team. So like if someone was to switch their camera off, or the person changes who is taking the test halfway through or speaking to someone else kind of thing. But I think it’s still all very new so they haven’t fully figured it all out yet!
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