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RPC rejects candidate despite 99% score in assessment test
12 October 2012
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An applicant for a training contract at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain has been rejected for interview despite a 99th percentile score in the firm's assessment test.

The candidate submitted her application form to the firm and received an email from RPC saying they had read it "with interest" and she had been shortlisted for the next round: an assessment test. The candidate duly took the 30 minute verbal reasoning test and waited for the results.

However the firm told her it would not take her application to interview stage and so, assuming she had flunked the test, she asked for feedback. RPC told her that her score was in the top 1% of graduates who had taken the test and confirmed, just in case she might have been in doubt, "this is a high score". But still, it seemed, not enough to take her through to the next round.
 

 
Any wannabe trainees with aspirations to work at RPC better get practising their verbal reasoning as the firm clearly has very high standards.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: "we look for many qualities in our future Trainees and the verbal reasoning test only gives us a measure of one of them".


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anonymous user
12/10/2012 07:46
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What a non- story. Those verbal reasoning tests are stupidly easy- a bit of intelligence and practice should get you in the top 5% of the 'graduation population' without trouble.

Most firms take your test results and application as one- it is bot a 'pass to get through' stage. I don't find it strange that a top score in a simple comprehension exercise is not enough to overcome other deficiencies in the application.
anonymous user
12/10/2012 09:42
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Totally agree, this isn't exactly "news". Clever student doesn't get training contract. Feel for her but the competition for a training contract is huge - alot of other applicants got similar scores who probably had better applications
anonymous user
12/10/2012 09:52
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*** edit ***

alot of applicants would have got similar scores who probably had better applications
anonymous user
12/10/2012 09:55
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But why bother putting her through if they were clearly uninterested in her application?
anonymous user
12/10/2012 10:21
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more concerned about the Key Stage One approach to commas demonstrated by RPC's HR representative
anonymous user
12/10/2012 10:49
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Lawyers need to be more than book smart to make clients happy. I doubt employers put that much weight on these sorts of tests, like someone else said, they are pretty easy.
anonymous user
12/10/2012 10:54
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But if test means nothing, why bother making applicants take them? And "book smart"? Vom
legalhopefull
12/10/2012 10:59
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Stop the press! Law firms are looking for people who are not just good at verbal reasoning... I don't know what to believe now!

Also, very much doubt that is actually the full or exact email HR will have sent out.
Laura @ RoF
12/10/2012 11:01
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All we've done to the email is make it anonymous
anonymous user
12/10/2012 11:04
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RPC's approach to recruitment is embarrassing to say the least. Clearly they liked this person's application form otherwise they wouldn't have invited them to take the test. It would appear however that the recruitment team are looking for a perfect score of 100% in order to progress to the next stage. Let me guess, next year RPC are only going to recruit from a specific blood group!? Utterly ridiculous!
anonymous user
12/10/2012 11:06
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made it anonymous?

looks edited...
anonymous user
12/10/2012 11:33
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Yeah, similar happened to me at both RPC and Eversheds... luckily the firm I wanted to work for thought differently! Fact is, they have too many applicants so it's not exactly surprising.
anonymous user
12/10/2012 11:51
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It's "a lot" not "alot"...
anonymous user
12/10/2012 12:51
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With a score that hight surely the candidate can do much better than a nondescript medium sized, mid-market, dreary open plan office firm.

anonymous user
12/10/2012 14:34
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As an ex-RPC trainee myself, she had a lucky escape.....
anonymous user
12/10/2012 14:35
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anonymous above.

What is a hight score? I'm guessing you might not have made it to the next stage at this nondescript medium sized, mid-market, dreary open plan office firm either.
anonymous user
12/10/2012 17:07
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good
anonymous user
12/10/2012 20:59
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Anonymous @ 14:34 - no you didn't.