• Get Everything You Need to Secure a Training Contract
    Now 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.
    Join Premium →

TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

M_m

Esteemed Member
Premium Member
Jun 27, 2023
78
70
Does anyone have any tips for the evaluating arguments part of the TW test? My overall score seems to be good, but my percentile score is pretty average. I’m having a hard time differentiating between the “strong/weak” and “very strong/very weak” options.

In general, my percentile score seems to be quite low when compared to how many of the answers I’m getting right.
 

annalise.joyn

Active Member
May 26, 2024
17
8
hey everyone, I wanted some help asap. I got through to the second stage of Latham and Watkins but I know NOTHING . is it timed? what kind of questions? how many questions? how long to prepare? is the VI automatic or is it impressive to get to this stage? please please please help me, I have never got this far and I'm literally dying for a vs (poor and stuff)!
 

ninarosee

Star Member
Dec 18, 2023
26
21
hey everyone, I wanted some help asap. I got through to the second stage of Latham and Watkins but I know NOTHING . is it timed? what kind of questions? how many questions? how long to prepare? is the VI automatic or is it impressive to get to this stage? please please please help me, I have never got this far and I'm literally dying for a vs (poor and stuff)!
bruh poor and stuff is so real 😂
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Apple

ninarosee

Star Member
Dec 18, 2023
26
21
hey everyone, I wanted some help asap. I got through to the second stage of Latham and Watkins but I know NOTHING . is it timed? what kind of questions? how many questions? how long to prepare? is the VI automatic or is it impressive to get to this stage? please please please help me, I have never got this far and I'm literally dying for a vs (poor and stuff)!
In terms of the VI, it’s timed and there are 2 questions based on different scenarios. You get 1 minute to prepare and 3 minutes to answer. From what people here have said it’s not automatic. Hope that helps!
 

annalise.joyn

Active Member
May 26, 2024
17
8
In terms of the VI, it’s timed and there are 2 questions based on different scenarios. You get 1 minute to prepare and 3 minutes to answer. From what people here have said it’s not automatic. Hope that helps!
thank you so so so much! is it just those 2 questions because in the email it said - "You will be able demonstrate your decision-making and reasoning abilities in a workplace setting with our critical reasoning assessment, and highlight your soft skills through two short video interviews". what does the first part mean, like another SJT?
 

ninarosee

Star Member
Dec 18, 2023
26
21
thank you so so so much! is it just those 2 questions because in the email it said - "You will be able demonstrate your decision-making and reasoning abilities in a workplace setting with our critical reasoning assessment, and highlight your soft skills through two short video interviews". what does the first part mean, like another SJT?
Yes, so it’s just 2 VI questions and there’s no SJT, just an untimed WG
 

BillSikes

Legendary Member
Premium Member
Feb 16, 2024
380
414
I think there are a handful of firms that are solely application and interviews (no test stages):

Covington & Burling
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Debevoise & Plimpton
Dechert
Goodwin
Jones Day
Kirkland & Ellis
Morrison Foerster
Paul Hastings
Sidley Austin
Skadden
Slaughter and May
Travers Smith
Vinson & Elkins
Willkie Farr & Gallagher

There might be others but these are the ones in mind that I believe don’t use tests.

Think most of these firms place emphasis on academics though (AAA/AAB and strong 2:1).​
Wish I did better at undergrad now - US firms application process is way easier
 
  • Like
Reactions: johnsmith

AS24

Legendary Member
Apr 16, 2024
157
124
they asked this question in the video interview last year! i progressed to ac and my answer was

1. current regulation of social media as intermediaries
2. clarifying the difference between regulating the social media companies themselves vs scrutinising individuals' posts
3. importance of privacy and freedom of speech rights of individual, but recognised security or hate speech concerns
4. alternative to regulation: incentivise social media to develop beneficial community guidelines/ self correcting policies
5. problem with proposed solution: private companies acting as arbiters of justice, potentially impinging on public rights

which is to say there really was no structure at all but i think VI format allowed that flexibility 🤔
Thank you so much for the insight!
 
Hello! New poster and I have some questions if anyone can answer:
1. I got PFO from Covington's winter vac scheme ages ago, but also applied to their summer scheme using the same application (because the application seemed to allow it? ). The rejection was for the Winter scheme, but should I consider the summer one a lost cause too?
2. I have not heard back from Bird & Bird in three weeks about the WG. Should I expect a PFO incoming?
3. I completed the Simmons & Simmons VI/SJT on the 28th of November and haven't heard back (I know it has not been long). Given that it is rolling, should I also consider this one a PFO?
4. Am I shooting myself in the foot by not getting a job right now (unemployed graduate) and trying to focus on applications? It feels like everyone I see is becoming a paralegal, and that I may have done better this cycle if I had an ongoing job right now (I have only progressed past one initial screening and gotten PFOed from 6 firms).
 
For anyone who has been invited to the Freshfields AC, I would really appreciate insight into when you applied, whether you included extracurriculars within the work experience section, and how you found the stage 2 assessment. Feel free to either PM or reply here!
Would still deeply appreciate this, especially since there are many more applicants who are also curious!
 

safari3

Distinguished Member
Mar 28, 2024
66
83
Hello! New poster and I have some questions if anyone can answer:
1. I got PFO from Covington's winter vac scheme ages ago, but also applied to their summer scheme using the same application (because the application seemed to allow it? ). The rejection was for the Winter scheme, but should I consider the summer one a lost cause too?
2. I have not heard back from Bird & Bird in three weeks about the WG. Should I expect a PFO incoming?
3. I completed the Simmons & Simmons VI/SJT on the 28th of November and haven't heard back (I know it has not been long). Given that it is rolling, should I also consider this one a PFO?
4. Am I shooting myself in the foot by not getting a job right now (unemployed graduate) and trying to focus on applications? It feels like everyone I see is becoming a paralegal, and that I may have done better this cycle if I had an ongoing job right now (I have only progressed past one initial screening and gotten PFOed from 6 firms).
I secured a vac scheme last year whilst travelling SEA post uni and my interviewers loved the fact that I was dedicated enough to attend a virtual AC whilst backpacking i.e. you don't need to be working straight out of university and all work / life experience is valuable, not just paralegalling :)
 
  • ℹ️
Reactions: Amgrad
Sorry I made a separate thread and now realising that maybe(?) I should have posted this question here!

Currently writing a covering letter. I find myself every few sentences saying something like '...and I want to explore this during the scheme' or 'this is why I want to do the scheme'... Feels like I am repeating myself and wasting words but if I don't say it I feel a bit like I'm just listing a bunch of facts that don't really have a clear relevance to the application (even though it should be fairly easy to infer). Does anyone have any advice here? Should you keep linking back to the scheme? If so, is there a less boring way to do it? Thanks so much!
 

About Us

The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

Get Our 2026 Vacation Scheme Guide

Nail your vacation scheme applications this year with our latest guide, with sample answers to law firm questions.