Post VS rejection at 10pm is crazy. I’d say you dodged a bullet not much empathy on their end.
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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
Hey,
Maybe consider emailing them?
I asked for adjustments as well and they did get back to me in a day but I know sometimes they miss the email. I hope emailing would mean you get to atleast have a fair shot. If not, you know it wasn't the right firm for you and you can focus your energy elsewhere.
Glad to hear it!!
Unfortunately, I'm not too sure on what the conversion rate typically is for the VS! I would try not to get caught up on conversion rates - ultimately, if you do your best and make the most of the scheme, you have every chance of being offered a TC
In terms of tips to impress on the scheme, I would always encourage you to be personable and genuinely engaged, as this does go a long way! As the process of making it to the VS has shown that you are more than capable of doing the role itself, a lot of the scheme is focused on your fit at the firm and whether you're someone that they would enjoy working alongside late on a deal. Therefore, taking the time to build rapport, showing interest in what others are doing, and approaching all tasks with a positive attitude really does make a strong impression.
It's also important to show curiosity throughout your week at the firm - asking thoughtful questions and trying to understand the commercial context behind a task demonstrates that you're thinking beyond the immediate instructions and engaging with the bigger picture. Asking questions is how you make the most of the scheme, so I would definitely encourage you to speak to people in areas you are interested in so you can learn more about the firm and the type of work that is carried out.
Another important factor is listening carefully to any feedback that you are given, and then clearly applying it to any further tasks that you are given. A really important skill for a trainee is the ability to handle constructive criticism, so showing that you can reflect and improve is often more impressive than getting all the tasks right the first time.
Lastly, whilst this can definitely be daunting if it's your first VS/office experience, trying to be proactive is a good way to impress on the scheme too! However, it's important to strike the right balance between proactivity and being overbearing. Things such as offering help, showing enthusiasm, and taking ownership where appropriate are all things that are valued, and can showcase your collaborative nature.
Above all - be yourself! This was the mindset that I had when going into my Reed Smith AC, and its the best way of making sure that you end up training at a firm that is the right fit for you. I hope that helps!
Just got my report back from the Hogan Lovells stage 1 test and I'm trying to get an understanding of how good this is:
My top skills: Work ethic, Adaptability
My development area: Personal responsibility
My top skills: Work ethic, Adaptability
My development area: Personal responsibility
Honestly I don't think it means much, just an AI generated report with about as much meaning as a buzzfeed quiz. The fact that you can't be multifaceted as a person, both adaptable and willing to take on personal responsibility for instance, makes no sense. You'll know asap whether you passed it or not, I believe they won't even review your "personality feedback" until after the VI.
i would love for anyone who has been involved in the recruitment side of an SJT to explain what they see and how they use our responses to filter us, it makes 0 sense to me as a tangible differentiator
I sent an email to ask about the progress of screening summer vs after I passed the benchmark for so long, and they replied really generically:
"Thank you for your email. It is great to hear you have applied to our summer internship programme.
Applications are currently being reviewed, and candidates will be contacted via email in due course regarding any update. We thank you in advance for your patience and understanding."
Having seen a lot of PFOs on the forum recently, and having had my fair share as well, I thought I’d share this in case it helps uplift anyone.
Skadden was always my dream firm, so when I got rejected, it hurt, especially because I put so much effort into my application. I was really disappointed, but as this is my first cycle, I made it a goal to stay as positive as possible regardless of any news I receive from firms.
The day after my Skadden rejection, I had an AC at Osborne Clarke. That’s how brutal this process can be. Regardless, I picked myself up, continued to prepare, and it ended up going very well.
This process can be incredibly hard and draining, but I’ve found that trying to stay positive where possible really does help. You genuinely never know what will happen if you keep believing in yourself and pushing forward. If you’re feeling down about not being progressed, I promise your time will come. Keep working on what you can control and don’t give up.
Good luck to everyone for the rest of this cycle. I hope it works out for us all 🤞
Skadden was always my dream firm, so when I got rejected, it hurt, especially because I put so much effort into my application. I was really disappointed, but as this is my first cycle, I made it a goal to stay as positive as possible regardless of any news I receive from firms.
The day after my Skadden rejection, I had an AC at Osborne Clarke. That’s how brutal this process can be. Regardless, I picked myself up, continued to prepare, and it ended up going very well.
This process can be incredibly hard and draining, but I’ve found that trying to stay positive where possible really does help. You genuinely never know what will happen if you keep believing in yourself and pushing forward. If you’re feeling down about not being progressed, I promise your time will come. Keep working on what you can control and don’t give up.
Good luck to everyone for the rest of this cycle. I hope it works out for us all 🤞
Haven’t worked on the recruitment side but this is how I see it, hope I make sense! For cappfinity, I think they use similar scoring to amberjack but we just don’t see the scores.
So in the below example in a cappfinity report I’d just be told my strengths = applied intellect and digital mindset, and my weakness = grit. Someone else could get the exact same strengths and weaknesses even if they scored 9 in their top two and 7 in their lowest.
So it doesn’t really matter what your strengths/weaknesses are, they use our scores to make decisions and unfortunately we don’t get told these 😭
Omg, I went back to check: I got one AC invite 23:58 last year. Also a US firm 😳
I have heard from others that they don't really use it pre-2nd stage. It automatically tells them whether you have passed the cognitive portion of the test (like the HL proof reading section), then the AI looks at each inputted set of answers and matches it as best as possible with inputted model answers the firm gives it. Even then, this data isn't reviewed until post 2nd stage when it is reviewed by a person who would rather look at your VI questions to achieve the same impression. I also suspect that it's a cappfinity thing, owing to the same exact questions on different firms 1st stage SJT. The firms outsource it to cappfinity who then do the BTS processing. It would make sense consider most GR aren't massive.
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