Simmons & Simmons puts judgement, reasoning and video into one online stage

Simmons & Simmons says its online stage includes applied intellect exercises, which guides and candidates describe as verbal and logical reasoning, with the logical part asking you to find the missing symbol in a sequence. Our reasoning test covers both verbal and logical items, so it is close practice for that part of the assessment.

The same online stage also includes situational judgement and video interview questions, which our multiple-choice reasoning test does not cover. The firm does not publish item formats, timings or scoring, so we cannot say how closely our logical items match its sequences.

Simmons & Simmons frames its online stage as a test of potential. That matters if you have little legal work experience: the questions are designed so that you can do well without it. Judgement scenarios describe workplace situations in plain terms, the reasoning items need no legal knowledge, and the video questions ask about you and your thinking.

So the best preparation is not reading more law. It is practising the three formats separately, then once together, so that switching between them in one sitting does not cost you concentration.

Guides describe the applied intellect exercises as verbal and logical reasoning. A candidate describes the verbal part as locating answers in a body of text, and the logical part as choosing the missing symbol in a sequence, rather like an IQ puzzle. One prep source puts the logical test at 20 to 30 minutes.

These are learnable formats. For the verbal side, practise finding the exact sentence that supports an answer before you choose it. For sequences, check one rule at a time: position, then rotation, then count, then shading. Our abstract reasoning test gives sequence practice, and our free reasoning test mixes verbal and logical items.

Reports of the video part vary by year. One candidate describes 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to answer; another describes four questions with two minutes each and no preparation limit. One candidate notes there was no chance to re-record. Reported questions include why this firm, what your strengths are, how you see the industry changing over ten years, and a time you resolved a conflict.

Prepare a short answer to each of those four, because they cover most of what a law firm asks. Practise on a timer with your camera on, and finish each answer with one clear sentence. Our video interview guide covers set-up and pacing.

The firm says its assessment centres run on Microsoft Teams, so there is no travel, and that you meet partners and associates and take part in immersive exercises. Older candidate reports from in-person centres describe a case study, an inbox exercise and a one-to-one interview; the present format may differ, so treat those as a guide to the skills rather than a script.

On a video call, structure is more visible than in a room. Open each answer with your conclusion, keep notes on paper rather than another screen, and test your camera and connection the day before.

Vacation schemes are filled on a rolling basis, so places can go before the closing date. Listings for the 2026 cycle give a London closing date of 15 December 2026 and a Bristol closing date of 5 February 2027. If you are not successful, you wait for the next recruitment year, which starts each autumn. Apply when your application is ready rather than on the last day.

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

• A prep guide describes the online stage as lasting 60 to 90 minutes, with the judgement section under 30 minutes.
• A candidate describes the logical reasoning test as choosing the missing symbol in a sequence, similar to an IQ test.
• Glassdoor reviewers describe different video formats in different years, from 30 seconds to prepare and 60 to answer, to two minutes per answer with no preparation limit.
• One candidate notes there was no opportunity to re-record video answers.
• Older reviews describe in-person assessment centres with a case study, an inbox exercise and a one-to-one interview.