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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26
- Thread starter Ram Sabaratnam
- Start date
What is taking Gowling so long 😭
Hey @calebnash
Congratulations on your AC!
When it comes to preparing for an AC, it's very difficult to pin-point what it is you need to learn, cover, and study before the day - it's usually an assessment of skills, so I'm sure most would agree, preparation can be difficult. Instead, I think the answer lies in making yourself comfortable with the unknown and having faith in your ability to perform your best.
Preparation here, would therefore come in the form of practice.
1. In-Tray Exercise
This is essentially a simulation of life as a trainee solicitor. I believe they're not so much about assessing whether you reach the perfect answer, but more so about how you think, prioritise, and communicate under pressure - so your focus here should be on:
- Identifying key issues and details
- Prioritising based on importance and urgency
- Communicate effectively with others
For this, I don't have any resources to hand to practice but I have no doubt google would be a good place to start
2. Interview
Fairly straightforward, it will be a structured interview and should consist of a mix of motivation/competency/behavioural questions. It's useful to bring some personality in this aspect of the AC, so don't shy away from being yourself where you can.
I would advise studying your application form and any claims that you made as you could be asked about this. For example, if you stated a specific practice was appealing to you, be prepared to explain a little more about that and any recent developments.
This guide is very helpful here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....de-for-competency-interview-preparation.9380/
3. Research & Discussion
Essentially, confidence is key here. And, that can only come with a solid preparation. So, understand the material and answer your questions/make your decisions. However, the discussion will be more about probing you - so be prepared for any questions or concerns that may arise. The best way to do this is to deconstruct your own answers ahead of time, so try to think about the limitations of your answer and get ahead of the curve to actually come up with ways to tackle that.
This exercise is usually more about showing that you can think logically and structurally.
Although not 100% similar, this guide goes into the heart of what you need to do to prepare here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....firm-case-studies-monday-article-series.3232/
Hi @Afraz Akhtar @Jaysen , I was wondering if there is a firm profile for Burges Salmon on TCLA Premium, as I can't seem to find it. Many thanks!
Hi, first of all congratulations! Do you mind me asking if they got back to you today? And if you finished all the questions on the online test? Thank you!
Yeah, they said at the open day that once you submit the written app for the scheme you can ignore all the testing part, because you've hit the minimum benchmark for the test, and for the VI they'll use the scores of the answers you gave when you did it for the open days because the questions are the same.
Kirkland PFO post application, finally!
Could I ask when did you receive the invite for the SJT? and when did you complete the AI interview?
Oh genuinely AGES ago, I applied on 26th Oct, did the AI interview on 20th Nov and then got invited to SJT yesterday (22nd Jan) - for the summer vac scheme
Just had my telephone interview with Reed Smith (my VI had no sound so they had to ask me to do it again) and the grad rec member said they are aiming to get back to all candidates by the end of next week so we should all know by then!
thanks so much! is there a guide on whether they want a 2-page cover letter or 1 page?
- Feb 17, 2018
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Not right now, unfortunately. We will add it to the list of new firms!
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