Academy Applications

Who can Apply

Eligibility

To be eligible for participation in the 27/28 Academy candidates must:

• Be studying the bar course in academic year 2027/28 (on either a part-time or full time basis) OR have previously completed the bar course; AND
• Be intending to apply for pupillage in 2028 AND
• Have been state school educated AND
• Have not attended Oxbridge at the undergraduate level AND
• Have been supported through undergraduate through student loans or own employment AND
• Be present in the UK and available to attend ALL Academy events listed in the programme from August 2027 to June 2028.

How do we assess

Assessment Criteria

The 100 candidates will be selected based on the following criteria:

• A commitment to academic excellence through achieving strong grades at university.
• An understanding of what a career at the Bar entails.
• Clear and persuasive written communication skills i.e., appropriate structure, use of language and sentence structure.
• Clear, persuasive and engaging oral advocacy skills.
• Understanding of issues faced by candidates and barristers from underrepresented backgrounds at the Bar.
• Ability of a candidate to share their background and experiences in a way which will facilitate mutual learning with fellow candidates and stakeholders.
• Likelihood to benefit from participating in BTB Academy.

What to expect when applying

Stage One: Applicant Details

Stage One is a short Applicant Details Form and should take around 10 minutes to complete.

You’ll be asked to provide your contact details, background and demographic information, and to confirm that you meet the eligibility criteria for the programme. You’ll also need to upload a form of photo ID, which we use to verify applicant identity and help protect the integrity of the application process.

Once you submit the form, we’ll review your details to confirm your eligibility and complete our initial verification checks. If you successfully complete this stage, we’ll email you a link to Stage Two: the online assessment.

Please note: completing the Applicant Details Form does not constitute a complete application. We can only assess applicants who complete both Stage One and Stage Two of the application process.

Stage Two: Applicant Assessment

Stage Two is the Applicant Assessment. This is the substantive part of your application and is completed through our online assessment platform. You should allow approximately 2.5 hours to complete it.

Before the assessed questions begin, you’ll have an opportunity to familiarise yourself with the platform, practise using its features and make sure everything is working as expected. This includes completing practice written and video questions and testing your camera and microphone before any assessed responses begin.

Once you start the live assessment, it must be completed in one sitting. You must remain on the assessment page throughout. Do not click outside the assessment page, switch tabs or windows, navigate away, use your browser's Back button, refresh the page or close the assessment once you have begun. Doing so will void your assessment.

The assessment consists of three unseen written questions and three unseen video questions.

Each question is timed, although the amount of time available varies depending on the question. For each question, you’ll be clearly shown the total question time available. You must complete and submit your response within that time. For video questions, you’ll also be shown your thinking time and the maximum recording time for your response. Video responses can be up to two minutes long and the recording will stop automatically when the recording limit is reached.

Questions are presented one at a time and must be completed in order. You will have one attempt at each question. Written answers can only be submitted once, and video answers can only be recorded once — there is no option to re-record an assessed response.

To complete the assessment, you’ll need:

• A desktop or laptop computer — phones and tablets cannot be used;
• An up-to-date web browser (we recommend Google Chrome);
• A working camera and microphone;
• A keyboard; and
• A reliable internet connection.

Your browser will also need permission to access your camera and microphone. The platform will give you an opportunity to test these before the live assessment begins.

We recommend completing the assessment somewhere quiet and private where you are unlikely to be interrupted.

Do not begin the live assessment unless you are satisfied that your equipment and internet connection are working correctly.

The assessment is designed to capture your own work and responses. Before beginning, you’ll be asked to agree to an applicant declaration covering the use of generative AI, search engines, external notes, assistance from another person and other forms of misconduct. Your responses must be entirely your own work. These safeguards help us protect the integrity of the process and ensure that applicants are assessed on a consistent basis.

Your application is only complete once you have submitted both the Applicant Details Form and the Applicant Assessment.

If you require either reasonable adjustments or an extension, please access this form.

Further Information

Thank you to all those that chose to apply! If you want to be notified of any changes to our application schedule, or other BTB news, please sign up here.