Pinsent Masons calls it a blended assessment. It bans AI-written answers, even edited ones

Pinsent Masons describes an online blended assessment of situational judgement questions and a series of video questions, and a trainee's blog post mentions a calculator for some of the numerical questions. Our reasoning test covers the numerical side, and is the nearest thing we have to the occasional number question.

The firm's own pages describe situational judgement and video, which no reasoning drill can rehearse. The numerical detail comes from a trainee's blog, not from a firm statement of what the assessment contains. Do not over-invest in sums.

Pinsent Masons uses the word blended to describe an assessment that combines more than one format in a single sitting. For England training contracts that means situational judgement questions and a series of video questions, both built around how you would handle workplace scenarios.

Scenarios are the common thread. You read or watch a situation, then choose what you would do or say what you would do. The skills are judgement and communication rather than calculation. That shapes the preparation.

The solicitor apprenticeship page says AI-generated scripts or responses cannot be used during the online blended assessment, and that this extends to AI-generated answers that have been modified. Most employers say something general, such as please do not use AI. This is a clear line.

The practical consequence is to build your answers from your own experience. If you use AI tools to practise, use them to ask you questions or critique a recording, not to write a script that you then read or adapt on the day.

A scenario video question is easier if you keep a simple order: say what you would do first, say why, and note one risk you would watch. Law firms work with clients under pressure and confidentiality, so a good answer thinks about who is affected and what needs protecting.

Record yourself answering a made-up scenario, such as a client asking for something you cannot yet give. Watch it once. Check that your first sentence is your decision rather than a preamble.

A trainee writing on the firm's blog suggests having a notepad, a pen and a calculator for some of the numerical questions, and says the platform lets you test your webcam and microphone beforehand. The firm's own pages that we read do not list numerical questions, so we treat this as a lead.

A sensible hedge is to keep the equipment at hand and to do one short sitting of our free reasoning test so numbers do not catch you out. If the invitation never mentions numerical content, you have lost very little.

The in-person assessment centre consists of a one-to-one interview, a business simulation exercise and a case study. Business simulations ask you to act inside a made-up company dilemma with others or with an assessor. Case studies ask you to read a pack and reach a recommendation.

Practise the case-study skill with any news story about a company dispute or deal: read it once, write a half-page recommendation, and check that each claim traces back to a fact. Our law firm assessment guide puts the day beside those of other firms.

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

• A trainee blog post on the firm's site suggests having a notepad, a pen and a calculator at hand for some numerical questions, and notes that the platform lets you test your webcam and microphone beforehand.