Pre-OCI 2021 Forum

[Anonymous User]

if I had a screener with skadden on tuesday but did not hear about a CB today like everybody else, am I screwed?

Hard to say. It's possible they just take time to get all the emails and scheduling figured out.

[lshopeful17]

All of this stuff tells me Pre-OCI decisions and timelines is really a black box and individualized. Which is absolutely stressful, but seems like once mid-ish July hits things start happening very quickly.

[Anonymous User]

Data point: Top 10% T6. 1 offer from a T15. CB's at Skadden, Weil, DPW, S&C, Latham, and Debevoise. Screener at CSM.

Has anyone heard from PW?

[Anonymous User]

if I had a screener with skadden on tuesday but did not hear about a CB today like everybody else, am I screwed?

Hard to say. It's possible they just take time to get all the emails and scheduling figured out.

Or the person interviewing you was slow. I wouldn't worry until Monday.

[Anonymous User]

Just got a sugarwish from Willkie. Did anybody else? I applied to the firm last year but got ghosted by them. I'm currently doing a 1L Summer Associate elsewhere now. T25, below-median GPA, Moot Court (waiting on journal), 1 YR WE, and master's and bachelor's from highly-ranked grad and undergrad universities.

also got sugarwish. i think it got sent to anyone on their list...basically if you went to any recruiting event or signed up for any wilkie email at any point or applied for 1L

[Anonymous User]

Data point: Top 10% T6. 1 offer from a T15. CB's at Skadden, Weil, DPW, S&C, Latham, and Debevoise. Screener at CSM.

Has anyone heard from PW?

roughly similar stats + school rank. Any detail on how you applied to CSM and SC? network first or just send apps to the email address? A friend at my school got told to wait till OCI from one of those

[Anonymous User]

If a firm emails you asking when you're available to interview and you give them dates and times how long until you'd follow up? Is 3 days appropriate?

[Anonymous User]

If a firm emails you asking when you're available to interview and you give them dates and times how long until you'd follow up? Is 3 days appropriate?

Yeah I'd say 3 days is fine

[Anonymous User]

Another data point for Skadden callback from screener this week.

As to the Latham behavioral assessment, who knows. Top 5-10% at a T14, told me I was a piece of shit basically, and no screener despite applying around two weeks ago. Career services office said they probably don't have data to really know how to use them since firms started using them so recently but they may put some stock in them.

Also curious if anyone has heard from PW or Orrick.

[Anonymous User]

Another data point for Skadden callback from screener this week.

As to the Latham behavioral assessment, who knows. Top 5-10% at a T14, told me I was a piece of shit basically, and no screener despite applying around two weeks ago. Career services office said they probably don't have data to really know how to use them since firms started using them so recently but they may put some stock in them.

Also curious if anyone has heard from PW or Orrick.

Lol yeah similar stats and mine told me I was basically a simpleton. No CB yet.

[Anonymous User]

edit: not gonna derail the thread

[Anonymous User]

Another data point for Skadden callback from screener this week.

As to the Latham behavioral assessment, who knows. Top 5-10% at a T14, told me I was a piece of shit basically, and no screener despite applying around two weeks ago. Career services office said they probably don't have data to really know how to use them since firms started using them so recently but they may put some stock in them.

Also curious if anyone has heard from PW or Orrick.

Lol yeah similar stats and mine told me I was basically a simpleton. No CB yet.

how did it do that?! like none of it seemed intelligence based or anything like that

[Anonymous User]

I also completed one of these assessments back when I applied a few years ago during pre-OCI.

I'm pretty sure all the questions asked about your work-style and how you interact with people in teams. You can be intelligent/have top grades and still come off like a POS. Although I'm not sure how much stock I'd put into the accuracy of these assessments.

If you have top grades, you could probably bid on the same firm during OCI and they'd still give you a screener despite failing that assessment. I failed one assessment for a firm (passed a separate firm's with reasonably identical questions somehow) and I still got a pre-select bid from them at my non-T14 school... they intentionally chose me despite my results. If you're at a T14 and it's lottery-based during OCI, I'd imagine you could just impress them enough at the interview to overcome the issue for a CB.

[Anonymous User]

I also completed one of these assessments back when I applied a few years ago during pre-OCI.

I'm pretty sure all the questions asked about your work-style and how you interact with people in teams. You can be intelligent/have top grades and still come off like a POS. Although I'm not sure how much stock I'd put into the accuracy of these assessments.

If you have top grades, you could probably bid on the same firm during OCI and they'd still give you a screener despite failing that assessment. I failed one assessment for a firm (passed a separate firm's with reasonably identical questions somehow) and I still got a pre-select bid from them at my non-T14 school... they intentionally chose me despite my results. If you're at a T14 and it's lottery-based during OCI, I'd imagine you could just impress them enough at the interview to overcome the issue for a CB.

Not just the accuracy, either. They're not great tests. The documentary is not all that well made, but I recommend watching "Persona" to get an idea of how they're probably going to exacerbate the lack of diversity in the profession if more firms continue to adopt them.

[Anonymous User]

I also completed one of these assessments back when I applied a few years ago during pre-OCI.

I'm pretty sure all the questions asked about your work-style and how you interact with people in teams. You can be intelligent/have top grades and still come off like a POS. Although I'm not sure how much stock I'd put into the accuracy of these assessments.

If you have top grades, you could probably bid on the same firm during OCI and they'd still give you a screener despite failing that assessment. I failed one assessment for a firm (passed a separate firm's with reasonably identical questions somehow) and I still got a pre-select bid from them at my non-T14 school... they intentionally chose me despite my results. If you're at a T14 and it's lottery-based during OCI, I'd imagine you could just impress them enough at the interview to overcome the issue for a CB.

Could you elaborate on the extent of your personal knowledge? I already went through OCI a bit ago, and only one firm required such an exam. But it was not at all clear whether one could "fail" it or what the firm's preferences were re: personality traits measured.

[Anonymous User]

I also completed one of these assessments back when I applied a few years ago during pre-OCI.

I'm pretty sure all the questions asked about your work-style and how you interact with people in teams. You can be intelligent/have top grades and still come off like a POS. Although I'm not sure how much stock I'd put into the accuracy of these assessments.

If you have top grades, you could probably bid on the same firm during OCI and they'd still give you a screener despite failing that assessment. I failed one assessment for a firm (passed a separate firm's with reasonably identical questions somehow) and I still got a pre-select bid from them at my non-T14 school... they intentionally chose me despite my results. If you're at a T14 and it's lottery-based during OCI, I'd imagine you could just impress them enough at the interview to overcome the issue for a CB.

Could you elaborate on the extent of your personal knowledge? I already went through OCI a bit ago, and only one firm required such an exam. But it was not at all clear whether one could "fail" it or what the firm's preferences were re: personality traits measured.

I don’t have any personal knowledge of these tests. All I did was complete two of them as an applicant. I should clarify that when I mentioned failure, I was equating that to rejection based off of the rejection email I received afterwards. Who knows if it was an actual reason that factored into the rejection email sent to me. But the fact that I somehow bid on the same firm a month later and got accepted based off of my grades/resume indicate something might have been “off” about the answers I put in for the assessment.

I also find it hard to believe that firms are unique enough to prefer vastly different personality traits. Even at the extreme with a comparison of a free-market Kirkland to a strict assignment-based firm, are the ideal applicants that different? No.

[Anonymous User]

You can be intelligent/have top grades and still come off like a POS.

...

I failed one assessment for a firm (passed a separate firm's with reasonably identical questions somehow)

If this is right, and one can actually "fail", then the firm will be unsuccessful in their candidate search. Other than the questions along the lines of "are you able to work for a few hours or are you lazy AF", the test was a glorified horoscope. I find it a big turn-off that Latham would advertise itself this way. At most, this is a long term project looking at retention, offer acceptance, and other things firms care about. Still, it's just so unsophisticated and they should be embarrassed

[Anonymous User]

I think they were asking whether the CB is 2 hours itself. Some one of my friends got a request for just a two hour chunk last week. Assuming they skipped the screener phase

Bumping this. Re skadden. If they asked for a two hour block, but you havent had a screener, is that a CB?

[Anonymous User]

I think they were asking whether the CB is 2 hours itself. Some one of my friends got a request for just a two hour chunk last week. Assuming they skipped the screener phase

Bumping this. Re skadden. If they asked for a two hour block, but you havent had a screener, is that a CB?

That's a CB not a screener.

[Anonymous User]

I think they were asking whether the CB is 2 hours itself. Some one of my friends got a request for just a two hour chunk last week. Assuming they skipped the screener phase

Bumping this. Re skadden. If they asked for a two hour block, but you havent had a screener, is that a CB?

That's a CB not a screener.

happened to me, didn't get a ton of info so kinda feeling like im doing guess work

[Anonymous User]

I think they were asking whether the CB is 2 hours itself. Some one of my friends got a request for just a two hour chunk last week. Assuming they skipped the screener phase

Bumping this. Re skadden. If they asked for a two hour block, but you havent had a screener, is that a CB?

That's a CB not a screener.

happened to me, didn't get a ton of info so kinda feeling like im doing guess work

Lot if firms pre OCI skip the screener process. 3/4 of my CBs were straight, no screener

[Anonymous User]

"why do you specifically want to work at our firm which is utterly indistinguishable in any meaningful way from all the other firms I know you spam applied to"

Why do people ask stupid questions during callbacks. You pay a lot of money and have a large hiring class and have well ranked practices. Do you really want me to spit some garbage marketing buzzwords your website uses at you?

[Anonymous User]

"why do you specifically want to work at our firm which is utterly indistinguishable in any meaningful way from all the other firms I know you spam applied to"

Why do people ask stupid questions during callbacks. You pay a lot of money and have a large hiring class and have well ranked practices. Do you really want me to spit some garbage marketing buzzwords your website uses at you?

Amen. Part of me thinks it tests malleability. In reality, its probably just low hanging fruit and interviewers have trouble thinking of substantive questions (just like we do at the end of interviews)

[Anonymous User]

To the user with the STB offer, any chance that came on a Friday?

(pls)

[Anonymous User]

To the user with the STB offer, any chance that came on a Friday?

(pls)

Seconding this. pretty pls