TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

[MONA23]

SAME after ti💔

Sorry to hear that, If you don’t mind sharing, were there any particular aspects of the interview or preparation you’d recommend focusing on for next time? Any tips would be really helpful.

 

[jojo23]

It's 8am Saturday and I'm watching videos and practicing how to pronounce a law firm name correctly for the video interview...

Some names sound so different from how it's written and confuses my non-Englih brain 😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️😶‍🌫️

I cant even spell mischon de raya properly let alone pronounce it
Is it miss + scone (s cone)😭

 

[lawyersum]

I cant even spell mischon de raya properly let alone pronounce it
Is it miss + scone (s cone)😭

MISH + CON if it helps

 

[elle woods]

I cant even spell mischon de raya properly let alone pronounce it
Is it miss + scone (s cone)😭

mishcon - mish + con
The german in me kept spelling it as mischon, but I realised after a while that it is shcon lol
Mishcon de Reya

 

[Sharkfin]

Interesting for my OD application, I got self-motivation & effective communication as strengths, but personal responsibility as my development and didn't get invited to the VI - the irony being the roles I have at work are all about taking personal responsibility.

I'm always in 2 minds about these type of assessments. l like them because they offer people (like me) with a low 2:1 a chance to prove themselves beyond academics, but at the same time there have been so many times where the "areas of weakness / development" just do not make objective sense considering past experiences.

 

[Wompycapy]

Any insights on Hogan Lovells online test?

 

[flower1]

Hello @Andrei Radu @Abbie Whitlock
When researching about a firm for an AC, what's the sort of things we should cover? I feel like making a long list of random facts isn't helpful, but at the same time, I don't want to miss covering anything important. Is there a criteria we can follow when researching firms for AC?

Thank you

 

[lwehl]

does anyone know what time of day tomorrow the latham VC application deadline closes? is it 23.59 on the 7th?

 

[elle woods]

does anyone know what time of day tomorrow the latham VC application deadline closes? is it 23.59 on the 7th?

Yes, I think someone else earlier on the thread said it was 23.59, so I would assume so.

 

[johnsmith]

I'm always in 2 minds about these type of assessments. l like them because they offer people (like me) with a low 2:1 a chance to prove themselves beyond academics, but at the same time there have been so many times where the "areas of weakness / development" just do not make objective sense considering past experiences.

Interested to understand, how do you feel an SJT allows you to prove yourself? Also in the low 2:1 camp.

To me, they just feel like you either get the right values or you don't, and really don't represent me as a person much at all.

 

[lwehl]

Yes, I think someone else earlier on the thread said it was 23.59, so I would assume so.

Thanks. Does anyone know is it only 1 question for the VI section?

 

[Sharkfin]

Interested to understand, how do you feel an SJT allows you to prove yourself? Also in the low 2:1 camp.

To me, they just feel like you either get the right values or you don't, and really don't represent me as a person much at all.

In the sense that, on paper, my application may seem weaker than another candidate purely off of grades (assuming similar past experiences / written answers). An SJT, while far from perfect, offers the chance to potentially position myself on the same level / maybe even ahead of that candidate based off my perfomance - an opportunity to keep myself from being screened out, rather than a way to screen me in, is kinda how I see them. Again I do think alot of SJTs are DEEPLY flawed and verge on being downright silly, but without them I strongly believe I would have recieved alot more rejections at the intial app review stage (at least alot more than I already have). A necessary evil of sorts 😅😅

 

[Dannie]

anyone who took hsfk today have you heard back...

 

[lolololol]

For those who progressed to the VI portion of Latham's application, what were your top strengths and your professional development points?

is the VI stage 2 test?

 

[aspiringlawyer2028]

anyone done the Clyde and Co VI?

 

[johnsmith]

In the sense that, on paper, my application may seem weaker than another candidate purely off of grades (assuming similar past experiences / written answers). An SJT, while far from perfect, offers the chance to potentially position myself on the same level / maybe even ahead of that candidate based off my perfomance - an opportunity to keep myself from being screened out, rather than a way to screen me in, is kinda how I see them. Again I do think alot of SJTs are DEEPLY flawed and verge on being downright silly, but without them I strongly believe I would have recieved alot more rejections at the intial app review stage (at least alot more than I already have). A necessary evil of sorts 😅😅

I hear you! I actually think the VI is the real opportunity for this, how you deliver and represent yourself and demonstrate your research verbally feels so important.

 

[johnsmith]

is the VI stage 2 test?

Think so!

 

[johnsmith]

anyone done the Clyde and Co VI?

Need to do it tomorrow! Nobody seems to have responded to multiple people asking it so I’m guessing nobody has taken it yet.

 

[DavidJC]

How do you know the provider is Amberjack?

By observing the forum threads where people have explicitly mentioned that it's Amberjack (e.g. the pillars), and by inferring based on traits common to Amberjack's tests (scoring system, wording of questions, numerical questions). I've done a lot of different online assessments in the last 15 months both law and non-law and every provider is quite noticeably different, so it's pretty obvious who a test provider is based on certain information.

The only "novel" one I've come across is HSF Kramer's (Sova), but the rest have all been pretty standard Cappfinity/Amberjack/Arctic Shores, and from the sounds of it as I haven't done it myself, Milbank uses SHL. There's still Aon, Neurosight, HireVue which I've done but haven't seen in law (HireVue might be somewhere) and probably plenty of other publishers whose tests I haven't done before.

 

[DavidJC]

Need to do it tomorrow! Nobody seems to have responded to multiple people asking it so I’m guessing nobody has taken it yet.

I got to AC stage for their Paralegal Academy back in May so take this with a pinch of salt as it's been awhile and the programme is different so the questions may be different too, but it was a mixture of motivational questions, future-facing questions, and firm-specific scenario/strengths-based (look at their values), if I remember correctly. I think I answered at least 4 questions, might've been 6 (excluding the prep/warm-up questions), hopefully helps a little!