Bird & Bird took the time limit off its Watson-Glaser test, so accuracy is everything

Bird & Bird names the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Test as its second stage. Watson-Glaser items test whether a conclusion follows from a short passage, which is close kin to the verbal and logical items in our reasoning test. A sitting of ours trains the habit of judging only on what the text says.

Our test does not reproduce the five Watson-Glaser sections (inferences, assumptions, deduction, interpretation, evaluation) or their answer formats. The firm gives every candidate its own Watson-Glaser practice test, and that is the closest rehearsal; use ours as extra reading discipline, not as a copy.

Most firms that use the Watson-Glaser set a clock, so applicants practise speed. Bird & Bird says it has removed the time limit. That changes the preparation. Speed tricks matter less; reading discipline matters more. With no clock to blame, every mistake comes from importing outside knowledge or misreading a qualifier such as some, all or probably.

Treat each item as a closed world. If the passage says most trainees in a fictional firm work late, you cannot conclude that a particular trainee does. If an argument is strong in real life but irrelevant to the question asked, it is weak for the test. Slow, literal reading wins here.

Guides describe five parts, and each asks a different question about a short passage. Knowing which question you are answering prevents most errors.

• Inferences: how likely a statement is to be true, given only the passage.
• Recognising assumptions: whether a statement has been taken for granted by the speaker.
• Deduction: whether a conclusion must follow from the statements.
• Interpretation: whether a conclusion follows beyond reasonable doubt.
• Evaluation of arguments: whether an argument is strong and relevant to the question.

Bird & Bird gives every candidate a practice Watson-Glaser test and a practice video interview, with tips, before the assessments that count. Do the practice test under the same conditions you will use later: same desk, same device, phone in another room. Afterwards, sort every wrong answer by section. Most people find their errors cluster in one or two sections, usually inferences or interpretation.

Then spend focused time on those sections. Our verbal and critical reasoning guide covers the question styles, and a sitting of our free reasoning test gives extra practice at reading only what is written.

The video interview is recorded, not live, and mixes strengths questions (what energises you, what you do well) with questions about Bird & Bird. Read the firm's own pages on its practice areas and pick one piece of work that genuinely interests you: a specific reason carries more weight than generic praise for a large international firm.

Use the practice video to check lighting, sound and how long your answers run. One rehearsal is enough. Answers that sound memorised score worse than ones that sound thought through, so keep notes to three words per point.

You cannot apply for a vacation scheme and the Direct Training Contract in the same recruitment year, and if you are unsuccessful you wait until the next year to try again. That makes the choice matter. The direct route suits applicants who already have legal work experience and can make a strong case at an assessment centre with a group exercise. The schemes suit those who would benefit from showing their work over a placement.

You must be able to attend the whole of the scheme you apply for. Check the dates against exams before you submit.

These come from anonymous reviews, university careers pages and prep guides. They often disagree, and Bird & Bird has not confirmed them. Read them as leads, not rules.

• A training contract guide describes the Watson-Glaser as one of the hardest parts of the process and says there is a benchmark to progress.
• Guides report that candidates have seven days to complete the video interview.
• One guide says the vacation scheme assessment centre consists of an interview and written assessment, with a group exercise added for the Direct Training Contract.
• A 2027 spring vacation scheme listing names a Capptivate assessment at stage two, which suggests the test may change between schemes.