Latham & Watkins · Psychometric Tests
Latham & Watkins sifts candidates through Bespoke Latham & Watkins online assessment (custom-built) before any interview. Below: the exact format, what each section tests, and how to practise it in identical conditions until you walk in confident.
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The format
The first major filter after the application form: a custom-built situational judgement test built around a simulated pro bono matter, plus a behavioural preference matrix, completed before any Assessment Centre invitation. Clearing this digital gateway is a prerequisite for an AC invite.
Most psychometric tests split into 3-5 sections, each with its own clock. Speed and accuracy both count.
Modern formats get harder if you answer correctly, easier if you struggle. Your final score reflects what you can actually do under time pressure.
Latham & Watkins sets a pass mark per test type. Below it, you don't progress regardless of how strong the rest of your application is.
Completion window. Triggered automatically (or just after basic eligibility checks) on submitting the application; the whole assessment, including the closing video, must be done inside a strict 72-hour window or you are automatically withdrawn.
By division. A single firm-wide assessment; there is no separate test per practice group. It is bespoke to Latham rather than an off-the-shelf product.
Recent changes. Latham does not use standard publisher tests such as Watson Glaser. It built its own SJT and behavioural assessment, hosted on platforms such as Suited or a custom Workday/HireVue variant, replacing the older generic multi-question HireVue.
The provider
Latham & Watkins configures its own selection of Bespoke Latham & Watkins online assessment (custom-built) modules. Below: the exact products in the suite, why they were chosen, and what the provider's reputation is across the candidate pool.
History at Latham & Watkins. Used across recent cycles for the London trainee intake; replaced the older 5-7 question generic HireVue.
Candidate reputation. Distinctive: untimed and scenario-led rather than a timed numerical/verbal battery, so it rewards judgement, integrity and consistency over raw speed.
Section breakdown
Each section has its own format, timer and trap pattern. Worked examples below show exactly what you will see and where candidates drop points.
Scenario-based · Untimed (within the overall 72-hour window)
What it tests. Professional judgement, prioritisation, conflict resolution, integrity and values alignment.
Worked example. An immersive pro bono matter, for example helping an NGO navigate environmental regulation and cross-border structuring, asking how you would respond to escalating risks.
Common traps. Choosing answers that sound heroic (trying to solve a multi-million-pound problem alone) instead of showing collaboration and professional judgement.
How to handle it. Approach scenarios collaboratively: escalate risk, consult senior associates, clarify instructions and prioritise under deadline pressure.
Multiple preference items · Untimed (within the overall window)
What it tests. Cultural and values fit with a non-hierarchical, collaborative, low-ego partnership.
Worked example. Forced-choice statements about how you prefer to work, communicate and handle responsibility.
Common traps. Shifting tone between prompts so an internal consistency check flags you, or answering as the person you think they want rather than honestly.
How to handle it. Answer honestly but consistently, filtering through Latham's values: collaboration, integrity, proactive communication and client care.
1-2 questions · 30-40s prep, up to 120s recording each
What it tests. Spontaneous communication, soft skills and values, often tied back to a decision you made in the pro bono case study.
Worked example. A prompt asking you to justify why you prioritised one risk over another in the pro bono scenario you just worked through.
Common traps. Treating the video as separate from the case study and forgetting the scenario details, leading to inconsistent answers.
How to handle it. Keep the pro bono scenario fresh; reference your earlier reasoning and structure the answer in 90 seconds rather than filling the clock.
Pass mark
Your performance on the pro bono SJT and the behavioural preference modules generates an initial profile, which a graduate recruitment professional then reviews alongside your CV and video responses.
Methodology. Automated algorithmic scoring on the SJT and behavioural modules, mapped back to your core application profile; consistency across modules and with your written file matters as much as any single answer.
Response time. Decisions land roughly 14-21 days after the application window closes, since files are reviewed in cohorts.
Score visibility. Confidential: no score report or percentile. Some cycles provide an automated high-level behavioural summary to rejected candidates.
How to practise
Same provider, same section structure, same time pressure. With a scored report after every test so you can fix the weakest section before the real one.
Free practice section, scored. Keep practising free on Intervyo.
Why candidates fail
Specific failure patterns documented across past applicants. Most are avoidable with structured preparation.
Heroic solo answers
Picking the option that sounds decisive and independent (solving a major legal problem alone) instead of escalating, consulting and clarifying.
Inconsistent behavioural profile
Shifting style across the preference matrix so a consistency check flags you, or contradicting the persona in your application and video.
Rushing the untimed sections
Treating the SJT as if it were timed and skimming the materials, then missing the collaborative or risk-aware option the scenario rewards.
Losing the case-study thread
Forgetting the pro bono scenario details before the closing video, which often asks you to justify a decision you made in it.
What works
Concrete habits drilled by candidates who clear the cut-off, drawn from applicant accounts and practice patterns.
Read the full scenario
Because the SJT is untimed, read the supporting materials thoroughly before choosing, so your judgement is grounded in the facts.
Default to collaboration and integrity
Favour escalation, consultation, clarifying instructions and proactive communication over individual heroics.
Stay consistent
Answer the behavioural matrix honestly and keep the same professional persona across the SJT, the video and your application.
Carry the scenario into the video
Note the key decisions you made in the pro bono case so you can reference them coherently in the closing video questions.
From past applicants
Anonymised candidate accounts of how recent applicants approached the Latham & Watkins assessment. Each covers the prep, the experience, and the outcome.
PGDL career-changer (passed)
Prep. From a non-law background; approached the immersive case study with a structured analytical method.
Experience. The pro bono SJT centred on an NGO navigating environmental regulation and cross-border structuring. The closing video asked them to justify prioritising a regulatory risk over a reputational one in that scenario; they mapped two points in 30 seconds and answered in 90.
Outcome. Invited to the London Assessment Centre three weeks later.
Target-university economics undergrad (passed)
Prep. Applied in the autumn rush and tailored everything to Latham's lean, high-leverage model.
Experience. Found the assessment scenario-led rather than a speed test; kept a consistent, collaborative profile across the SJT and behavioural modules, then referenced a London-led restructuring deal in the closing video.
Outcome. Advanced through the digital gateway to the Assessment Centre.
Practice strategy
Generic psychometric drills help less here than understanding Latham's values and the SJT's collaborative logic.
Situational judgement practice
Rehearse legal-trainee scenarios, defaulting to escalation, consultation and clarifying instructions rather than solo action.
Latham values mapping
Study the firm's collaborative, non-hierarchical, pro bono-positive culture so your preference answers align consistently.
Free practice on Intervyo
Run SJT-style and behavioural practice to calibrate judgement and consistency before the live attempt.
Time investment. A focused few hours understanding the format, the firm's values and SJT logic is worth more than rote test-bank repetition.
Time management
FAQ
No. The pro bono case study and behavioural preference questions are untimed, so you can read the materials thoroughly. Only the closing video questions are strictly timed.
The other rounds
Psychometric Tests is one of four rounds. Practise each one free on Intervyo.
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Intervyo is not affiliated with or endorsed by Latham & Watkins, SHL, Pymetrics, Cubiks, AON or any other assessment provider. Test details are sourced from past applicants and published guidance; verify on the firm's careers site before applying. Sector: Commercial Law.
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