Travers Smith uses no psychometric tests: a form, a one-hour interview and written work

Travers Smith says no psychometric tests are involved in its training contract process. Our reasoning test is offered here only as general practice in reading closely and arguing from evidence, which helps in the written assessments and the commercial awareness interview.

There is no online test to prepare for, so nothing on this page should suggest our test resembles a Travers Smith stage. The firm's written assessments are its own, and it does not describe their content or marking on the pages we read. The best preparation is interview practice and commercial reading.

Travers Smith states that no psychometric tests are involved in its training contract process. The online test it does use, the Legal High Potential Assessment, belongs to the solicitor apprenticeship, a separate route.

That changes where your effort should go. Without a test score, the cover letter and the first interview carry the early decisions. Spend the hours other applicants spend on reasoning drills on drafting a letter with specific reasons and on reading the commercial press.

The first stage after the form is a virtual interview of about an hour with Early Careers Recruitment Partners and Senior Counsel. The firm describes it as a competency and commercial awareness discussion, which suggests a conversation rather than a list of set questions.

Prepare four or five stories that show judgement, teamwork and persistence, and two or three commercial topics you can discuss in depth. For each topic, know who wins, who loses and what a law firm would be asked to do.

On the Winter Direct route, candidates complete a written assessment before the Recruitment Day and another written assessment on the day itself, alongside a group exercise. On the Summer Vacation Scheme route, a written assessment follows the first interview and comes before an invitation to the scheme.

The firm does not describe the tasks. Practise the general skill: read a short commercial brief, then write a clear, headed note in 40 minutes. Our case study and written tasks guide shows how other employers frame them.

Travers Smith runs three routes with two windows. Winter Direct applications ran from 18 September to 16 October 2026, for training contracts starting in September 2027. Spring Direct and the Summer Vacation Scheme share a window from 16 October 2026 to 15 January 2027, for starts in September 2028 and later.

Pick the route that fits your timeline. A September 2027 start suits final-year students and graduates; the later routes suit those still studying.

The final stage is an in-person interview with the two co-heads of Early Careers. By then the firm has seen your writing, your group work and an hour of conversation, so expect questions that join those threads together.

Before the final interview, reread your cover letter and your written assessments, if you kept notes, and be ready to say what you would do differently. The firm also publishes a page on support and adjustments for candidates if you need them.