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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
It was 16 (with a 1/9 in applied intellect lol
). As a side note, it may just be me but I'd be careful with online guides because I usually get 22-25 but really wanted to improve for the weil amberjack, bought some guide online, and ended up with this awful score lolEdit: just saw you used some online prep, disregard it then it's probably just a me thing haha
yeah there definitely can be an element of luck and not knowing what specific traits firms look for look like in practice until you get there
oh my god i KNEW I WAS RIGHT IN HAVING THIS FEAR!!!It was 16 (with a 1/9 in applied intellect lol
i was so scared of the packedit: i think you may be wrong in thinking it’s a you thing because i practiced using 2 diff packs and both had conflicting info that confused me
This application cycle is good training for patience...oh how I wish I could just hear back from every single firm right at this moment bombard my inbox oh dear shining law firms in white armour! This damsel is in distress 
bombard my inbox oh dear shining law firms in white armour! This damsel is in distress 
Weil PFO today - am I correct in thinking that's it's because I didn't get a minimum passing score on the SJT? So it's not necessarily the contents of the rest of the application?
Then again I remember thinking that Weil didn't have much written application content to show my commercial awareness as a career changer so it was a long shot anyway
Then again I remember thinking that Weil didn't have much written application content to show my commercial awareness as a career changer so it was a long shot anyway
If it helped you improve your score by 2 I think it may be working for you!! Just maybe try to mix it with your own intuition + experience. I think I relied too heavily on the guide and didn't trust my intuition at all during the test which was stupid in retrospectoh my god i KNEW I WAS RIGHT IN HAVING THIS FEAR!!!
Quite confused here on DLA's way of sending out PFOs, TIs and ACs for the ldn office. Surely after 5 weeks of completing the WG they would've let us know by now if it were a PFO? Right?
They just let me know with a PFO 3 mins ago ahah
So no application, only stage 1 then stage 2 (WG) and then AC?? They judge solely on grades and assessments?? Also do you know if they are rolling?
Went to the open day and they said the VI is where you should really highlight your experiences as they don’t have a work experience section, and it was to make it an even playing field supposedly
btw how did you get a year's experience at a SC firm as a law student?Whilst, I really appreciate your advice on my chances of making it for HSF AC from your personal experience, I do not appreciate you saying not to apply to any competitive firms not only because I feel that’s unfair to me but unfair to a lot of candidates who have been applying since many cycles and one message like this can dishearten a lot of them. A candidate is not “lucky” if they make it with average grades but it takes a lot of hard work, part time roles, work experience, street smartness, etc and maybe 10% luck to get a vac scheme or tc. I say this because that is how I got my legal work experience year at a top silver circle firm.
Whilst, DEI is very important and should be considered (I am a female, ethnic minority) I do not think if a candidate doesn’t fall into the DEI bracket with average grades will have low chances.
I am building my profile every minute and getting work experience everyday as a recent graduate
Just to add to this, I have made it to MacFarlanes stage 2, fresh fields stage 2, Latham stage 2, eversheds Vi, kennedys test, Bclp ac (last year) with these same grades so don’t give up hope. I wrote this message about HSF because I was very stressed and tired of this process like everyone else and wanted some info if someone has had grades like me and still progressed
Edit - thank you everyone for your kind messages, I love this community❤
Wait im so confused I just did Stage 1 and I thought there is a VI in Stage 2? Is there not...? When is the VI then?
Did all of yous that heard back from Milbank for stage 2 apply for Spring or Summer? I’m trying to figure out if it’s a defo PFO cos I’ve not heard back post stage 1 that I did last Wed. I applied to them for Summer (not LevFin). Also, in the event I do get stage 2 (unlikely), is it just a WG? Then a separate VI stage followed by an AC?
spring trad track, I got my stage 2 in a week but nothing after that for 2.5 months
Do firms subsidise your travel to vac schemes if commuting from outside of london? Ik they obviously pay you around that £500 mark but i was curious if this was supposed to cover our travel aswell?
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