Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1 and SQE2)
Solicitors Regulation Authority (delivered by Kaplan SQE)
Complete guide to passing the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1 and SQE2) exam on your first attempt.
£5,092 (SQE1 £2,006 + SQE2 £3,086 from September 2026)
SQE1 53%, SQE2 80% (January 2026 sittings, all candidates)
Does not expire, but both parts must be passed within six years of your first attempt
UK
Solicitors Regulation Authority (delivered by Kaplan SQE)
£43k-£88k
Are you ready for Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1 and SQE2)?
Loading quiz...
Complete Overview
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is the assessment that every new solicitor of England and Wales must pass. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) owns it and Kaplan SQE delivers it, and it replaced the Legal Practice Course route for anyone who did not start legal training by September 2021. The SQE has two parts. SQE1 tests functioning legal knowledge with 360 single best answer multiple choice questions, split into two papers called FLK1 and FLK2 that carry 180 questions each. SQE2 tests practical legal skills across 16 assessment stations, made up of 12 written stations and 4 oral stations. From September 2026 the SQE1 fee is £2,006 and the SQE2 fee is £3,086, giving a combined assessment cost of £5,092. The fees before that date were £1,934 for SQE1 and £2,974 for SQE2, and the SRA has said the increase applies to candidates booking SQE2 from October 2026 onwards. All SQE fees are VAT exempt and cover the assessment only, not any preparation course. SQE1 is sat over two days. Each day covers one FLK paper and is divided into two sessions of 2 hours 33 minutes with 90 questions in each session. Each FLK is scored on a scaled score out of 500 and the pass mark is always 300 out of 500, although the raw number of correct answers needed changes with each paper because the SRA sets the standard separately for every version. Candidates must reach the pass mark on both FLK1 and FLK2. Marking within an FLK is compensatory, so a weak subject can be offset by a stronger one. SQE2 runs over five half days: three half days of written stations, four stations per day, and two half days of oral stations with two stations per day. The six station types are client interview with attendance note and legal analysis, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research, legal writing, and legal drafting. They are set in five practice areas: criminal litigation including advising clients at the police station, dispute resolution, property practice, wills and intestacy with probate administration and practice, and business organisations, rules and procedures including money laundering and financial services. Assessors grade each criterion from A to F, which converts to 5 down to 0 marks, and skills marks and application of law marks are weighted equally. The 16 station scores are averaged into a percentage and converted to a scaled score out of 500, where the pass mark is always 300. That pass mark is set for SQE2 as a whole, with no separate pass mark for the oral and written halves. In the January 2026 SQE1 sitting, 7,863 candidates completed both papers. First-time candidates passed at 58 percent and the pass rate across all candidates, including the 14 percent who were resitting, was 53 percent. In the January 2026 SQE2 sitting, 1,141 candidates sat and 80 percent passed overall, with 79 percent among first-time candidates. Candidates get three attempts at each assessment within a six-year window that starts on the date of their first SQE attempt. SQE1 results arrive about 5 to 6 weeks after the sitting and SQE2 results about 14 to 18 weeks after. Passing both parts is one of four SRA requirements for admission, alongside a degree or equivalent qualification, two years of qualifying work experience, and meeting the SRA character and suitability requirements.
Why Get Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1 and SQE2) Certified?
The SQE is the only assessment route to qualifying as a solicitor of England and Wales for anyone who did not begin legal training by September 2021.
At £5,092 for both parts from September 2026, the SQE assessment fee is a fraction of a Legal Practice Course, and the SRA sets no requirement to take any preparation course at all.
Qualifying work experience can be gathered across up to four organisations, which opens qualification to paralegals and volunteers rather than only to holders of a training contract.
The January 2026 SQE1 sitting drew 7,863 candidates who completed both papers, making it one of the largest professional legal assessments in the United Kingdom.
SQE2 pass rates have been considerably higher than SQE1 pass rates: 80 percent overall in January 2026 against 53 percent for SQE1 in the same year.
Qualified lawyers from other jurisdictions can apply for exemptions from part or all of the SQE, so the same credential handles both domestic and international admission.
The SQE can be taken in Welsh, and the SRA applies part of its annual fee uplift to the cost of translating the assessments.
Exam Format & Structure
Duration
SQE1: four sessions of 2 hours 33 minutes across two days. SQE2: 16 stations across five half days, three half days of written stations and two half days of oral stations
Questions
SQE1: 360 single best answer questions, 180 in FLK1 and 180 in FLK2. SQE2: 16 assessment stations, 12 written and 4 oral
Passing Score
SQE1: a scaled score of 300 out of 500 in each of FLK1 and FLK2. SQE2: a scaled score of 300 out of 500 for the assessment as a whole
Question Types
- Single best answer multiple choice questions with five options (SQE1)
- Client interview conducted with an assessor playing the client (SQE2 oral)
- Handwritten attendance note and legal analysis (SQE2 oral)
- Courtroom advocacy submission before a solicitor acting as judge (SQE2 oral)
- Case and matter analysis report to a partner (SQE2 written)
- Legal research note from supplied sources (SQE2 written)
- Legal writing, a letter or email to a client or third party (SQE2 written)
- Legal drafting of a legal document or part of one (SQE2 written)
Delivery Method
SQE1 and the SQE2 written stations are computer based at Pearson VUE test centres. The SQE2 oral stations are run by Kaplan SQE at its own assessment centres, not at Pearson VUE
- There is no online proctored option. Every SQE assessment is taken in person at a test centre or assessment centre.
- Ethics and professional conduct are assessed pervasively across both FLK papers and every SQE2 station, and ethical issues are never flagged in the question.
- The law examined is the law as it stood four calendar months before the first assessment in the window.
- SQE2 written days run two sessions: session 1 of 1 hour 30 minutes covering two stations, a scheduled 15-minute break, then session 2 of 1 hour 45 minutes covering two more.
- SQE2 oral assessment days last approximately two hours of assessment, but candidates are at the centre for between 4.5 and 7 hours and cannot leave early.
- You must pass SQE1 before you can sit SQE2 unless the SRA has granted you an exemption.
How scoring works
Score scale
SQE1: a scaled score out of 500 for each of FLK1 and FLK2. SQE2: assessment criteria graded A to F, converted to 5 down to 0 marks, averaged across all 16 stations into a percentage, then converted to a scaled score out of 500
Score needed to pass
SQE1: 300 out of 500 in each FLK. SQE2: 300 out of 500 for the assessment as a whole, with no separate threshold for the oral or written halves
Roughly what that means raw
Not fixed. The number of correct answers needed changes with each paper because the standard is set per paper, which is why the SRA publishes no pre-determined raw pass mark
When results arrive
SQE1 results approximately 5 to 6 weeks after the sitting; SQE2 results approximately 14 to 18 weeks after. Results appear only in the SQE candidate account, and the SRA emails candidates when they are released.
How the scale is built
Multiple papers run in each SQE1 window, so the SRA sets the passing standard separately for each paper and converts raw scores to a 500-point scale. This lets candidates who sat different papers be compared directly despite differences in difficulty. Questions that post-assessment checks show to be invalid are removed before standard setting, so a raw score may be reported out of fewer than 180.
- Marking within an FLK is compensatory, so a weaker subject can be offset by a stronger one, but there is no compensation between FLK1 and FLK2.
- Since January 2024 the SQE1 results page shows a scaled score by practice area, which the SRA warns should be read cautiously because each area carries relatively few questions.
- Quintiles place your score in one of five equal groups of candidates from the same sitting, with quintile 1 the highest scoring fifth.
- In SQE2, skills marks and application of law marks are weighted equally in the final total.
- A clerical check is included in the SQE appeal process.
Pacing and time budget
90 single best answer questions per SQE1 session, 360 across FLK1 and FLK2. SQE2 has 16 stations rather than questions questions in 153 minutes per SQE1 session, four sessions across two days. SQE2 has no single duration because it runs 16 stations over five half days minutes gives you 1 minute 42 seconds per SQE1 question per question.
| At this point | You should have answered |
|---|---|
| 38 min | 22 questions of the 90 in the session |
| 76 min | 45 questions, the halfway point |
| 115 min | 68 questions |
| 145 min | All 90, leaving 8 minutes for flagged questions |
- Each SQE1 day has two sessions of 153 minutes, so build stamina by practising two 90-question blocks back to back rather than one.
- Single best answer stems are long and factual, so reading speed rather than recall is usually what puts a candidate behind the clock.
- There is no penalty for a wrong answer in SQE1, so answer every question before the session ends.
- For SQE2 written days, session 1 runs 1 hour 30 minutes across two stations and session 2 runs 1 hour 45 minutes across two more, with a scheduled 15-minute break between them.
- For SQE2 oral, the timings are fixed per station: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to interview, then 25 minutes for the handwritten attendance note, and 45 minutes to prepare with 15 minutes to deliver advocacy.
Where the marks are
| Topic | Weight | Why it scores |
|---|---|---|
| Ethics and professional conduct | Not published; assessed pervasively across FLK1, FLK2 and every SQE2 station | The SRA assesses ethics inside other subjects rather than as its own paper, so the same body of rules earns marks on both FLK papers and on all 16 SQE2 stations. In SQE2 the ethical issue is never flagged, which makes spotting it a repeatable source of application of law marks. |
| Dispute resolution procedure and deadlines | Not published; a full subject in FLK1 and a practice area in SQE2 | Procedural steps, limitation periods and service deadlines are testable as single facts, which suits the single best answer format. Dispute resolution is also one of the five SQE2 practice areas, so the same revision serves both parts. |
| Property practice, freehold and leasehold | Not published; a full subject in FLK2 and a practice area in SQE2 | The conveyancing sequence from title investigation to post-completion is a fixed order of steps, so questions reward candidates who can place a step correctly. Property practice also appears in SQE2, including in drafting and legal writing stations. |
| Business organisations, rules and procedures | Not published; a full subject in FLK1 and a practice area in SQE2 | Company and partnership structures differ on liability, governance and tax in ways that generate clean comparison questions. Money laundering and financial services are examinable in SQE2 only inside this practice area, so they are revised here. |
| Solicitors accounts and the SRA Accounts Rules | Not published; a full subject in FLK2, excluded from SQE2 | Double entry postings and client account rules are mechanical once drilled, and the questions are self-contained rather than scenario-heavy. The SRA confirms solicitors accounts is not examined in SQE2, so the return is concentrated in FLK2. |
| Criminal practice and police station advice | Not published; a full subject in FLK2 and a practice area in SQE2 | Bail, plea before venue, allocation and sentencing follow a defined procedural order. Criminal litigation is also the practice area most likely to appear in the SQE2 advocacy station, where candidates stand to deliver submissions. |
| Wills, intestacy and administration of estates | Not published; a full subject in FLK2 and a practice area in SQE2 | The intestacy rules are a fixed statutory order that can be applied to any family tree, so a single worked method answers a wide set of questions. This practice area also carries inheritance tax content that recurs across both FLK papers. |
The numbers
58 percent of first-time candidates, 53 percent across all candidates, from 7,863 who completed both papers
SQE1 January 2026 pass rate
Source: SRA news, SQE1 January 2026 results published, 31 March 2026
79 percent of first-time candidates, 80 percent across all 1,141 candidates
SQE2 January 2026 pass rate
Source: SRA news, SQE2 result from January 2026 sitting now out, 21 May 2026
SQE1 46 to 60 percent, SQE2 69 to 84 percent
Range of first-time pass rates across sittings
Source: SRA, The SQE four years on: facts and figures, January 2026
A scaled score of 300 out of 500 in each of FLK1 and FLK2
SQE1 pass mark
Source: SRA SQE website, Understanding your SQE1 results
A scaled score of 300 out of 500 for the assessment as a whole; the SRA states it will always be 300
SQE2 pass mark
Source: SRA SQE website, Understanding your SQE2 results
SQE1 £2,006 and SQE2 £3,086, up from £1,934 and £2,974, all VAT exempt
Assessment fees from September 2026
Source: SRA SQE website, How much does the SQE cost, and SQE news, An update on SQE fees, 21 April 2026
Three attempts at each assessment within a six-year period from the first attempt
Attempt limit
Source: SRA SQE website, Assessment regulations and Resits guidance
If you fail
Wait before retaking
No fixed waiting period in days. You must have your results before booking a resit, and sittings run on a fixed calendar with SQE1 twice a year and SQE2 four times a year, so the next window sets the wait
Attempt limit
Three attempts at each assessment within a six-year period that starts on the date of your first SQE attempt. Fail the same part three times and you must wait for that six-year window to expire before reapplying, and earlier passes do not survive it
Retake fee
From September 2026: £1,003 to resit one FLK, £2,006 to resit both FLK1 and FLK2, and £3,086 for a full SQE2 resit. All resit fees are VAT exempt
A candidate who uses an attempt but does not sit, without accepted mitigating circumstances, is recorded as having used that attempt. A formal withdrawal made under the assessment regulations does not count towards the three attempts. Candidates cannot resit an assessment they have already passed, and there are no exemptions from only part of FLK1, FLK2 or SQE2.
Exam Domains & Topics
Covers business and organisational characteristics across sole traders, partnerships, LLPs and private and unlisted public companies, legal personality and limited liability, incorporation and formation procedures, finance, corporate governance and compliance, partnership decision-making, and both corporate and personal insolvency. Business taxation adds income tax, capital gains tax, corporation tax, VAT and inheritance tax. Listing and FCA market rules are excluded.
Key Topics to Master:
- Sole trader, partnership, LLP, private company and unlisted public company characteristics
- Legal personality and limited liability
- Incorporation and partnership formation procedures and documentation
- Equity and debt finance and security over assets
- Corporate governance, directors duties and statutory compliance
- Partnership decision-making and the authority of partners
- Corporate and personal insolvency
- Income tax, capital gains tax, corporation tax, VAT and inheritance tax in a business context
Covers the options for resolving a dispute and the full civil claim lifecycle: choosing the right court, issuing and serving proceedings, responding to a claim, statements of case, interim applications, case management, evidence, disclosure and inspection, trial, costs, appeals, and enforcement of money judgments. Procedural rules and time limits carry a heavy share of the questions in this subject.
Key Topics to Master:
- Litigation, arbitration, mediation and other dispute resolution options
- Jurisdiction and where to start proceedings
- Issuing and serving claim forms and particulars
- Responding to a claim, defences and counterclaims
- Interim applications including summary judgment and interim payments
- Case management tracks and directions
- Evidence, disclosure and inspection
- Costs, Part 36 offers, appeals and enforcement of money judgments
Covers contract formation, parties, terms, vitiating factors, termination and remedies, then tort across causation and remoteness, negligence, defences, vicarious liability, occupiers liability, product liability and nuisance. These two subjects supply the underlying black letter law that dispute resolution questions build scenarios on, so they are usually revised together.
Key Topics to Master:
- Offer, acceptance, consideration and intention to create legal relations
- Privity, agency and third party rights
- Express and implied terms, exclusion clauses and unfair terms
- Misrepresentation, mistake, duress and undue influence
- Discharge by performance, breach, frustration and agreement
- Damages, specific performance, injunctions and restitution
- Negligence, duty of care, breach, causation and remoteness
- Vicarious liability, occupiers liability, product liability and nuisance
Covers the courts of England and Wales, the doctrine of precedent, primary legislation and statutory interpretation, and how legislation made by Senedd Cymru and Westminster applies in England and in Wales. Constitutional and administrative law covers the core institutions of the state, separation of powers, the rule of law, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the ECHR, and the place of EU law. Legal services covers the SRA regulatory role and funding options.
Key Topics to Master:
- Court structure and hierarchy in England and Wales
- Doctrine of precedent and development of case law
- Primary legislation and statutory interpretation
- Application of Senedd Cymru and Westminster legislation in England and Wales
- Core institutions of the state and separation of powers
- Rule of law and legitimacy
- Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights
- The regulatory role of the SRA and funding options for legal services
Covers freehold and leasehold real estate law and practice, from investigating registered and unregistered title through pre-contract searches, the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol, finance, acting for a lender, exchange, pre-completion, completion and post-completion, and remedies for delayed completion. Land law supplies the underlying doctrine, and planning law and property taxation including SDLT and Land Transaction Tax sit alongside.
Key Topics to Master:
- Investigation of registered and unregistered freehold title
- Pre-contract searches and enquiries and the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol
- Acting for a lender, exchange of contracts and completion
- Structure and content of a lease and leasehold covenants
- Grant, assignment and termination of leases and security of tenure under a business lease
- Nature of land, title to land, co-ownership and proprietary rights
- Statutory definition of development, building regulations and planning enforcement
- Stamp Duty Land Tax in England, Land Transaction Tax in Wales, VAT and capital gains tax
Covers validity of wills and codicils, personal representatives, alterations, revocation, interpretation, the intestacy rules, property passing outside the estate, grants of representation, administration of estates and claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975. Trusts covers express trusts, resulting trusts, trusts of the family home, fiduciary obligations and trustee liability. Solicitors accounts covers the SRA Accounts Rules and double entry bookkeeping.
Key Topics to Master:
- Validity, alteration, revocation and interpretation of wills and codicils
- The intestacy rules and property passing outside the estate
- Grants of representation and administration of estates
- Inheritance tax and income and capital gains tax during administration
- Creation and requirements of express trusts and beneficial entitlement
- Resulting trusts, trusts of the family home and liability of strangers to a trust
- Trustee duties, powers and liability and equitable remedies including tracing
- Client money, client account, interest, breaches of the SRA Accounts Rules and client ledger reconciliation
Covers the core principles of criminal liability for the specified offences, general and partial defences, parties and inchoate offences, then criminal practice: advising suspects at the police station, rights of a detained suspect, identification procedures, PACE 1984 interview procedure, bail, first hearings, plea before venue, allocation, case management, admitting and excluding evidence, trial procedure, sentencing, appeals and youth court procedure.
Key Topics to Master:
- Definitions and elements of the specified criminal offences
- General defences, partial defences, parties and inchoate offences
- Rights of a suspect detained for questioning and identification procedures
- Advising clients, including vulnerable clients, on answering police questions
- PACE 1984 interview procedure
- Bail applications, first hearings, plea before venue and allocation
- Admitting and excluding evidence, trial procedure and sentencing
- Appeals procedure, youth court procedure and use of the Welsh language in criminal proceedings
Covers client interviewing with a handwritten attendance note and legal analysis, courtroom advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research, legal writing and legal drafting. Each station is set in one of the five SQE2 practice areas. Assessors grade each criterion from A to F, converted to 5 down to 0 marks, and skills marks and application of law marks are weighted equally in the final total.
Key Topics to Master:
- Client interview: 10 minutes preparation, 25 minutes interview, assessed on skills only
- Attendance note and legal analysis: 25 minutes, handwritten, assessed on skills and law
- Advocacy: 45 minutes preparation, 15 minutes of submissions to a judge
- Case and matter analysis: 60 minutes to produce a written report to a partner
- Legal writing: 30 minutes to write a letter or email as the solicitor acting
- Legal drafting: 45 minutes to draft a legal document or part of one
- Legal research from supplied primary and secondary sources, some of which are irrelevant
- Negotiation, which has no separate station but appears in at least one assessment in every delivery
Assessed across both FLK papers and every SQE2 station rather than as a separate subject. Candidates must act honestly and with integrity in line with the Statement of Solicitor Competence, the SRA Principles and the SRA Code of Conduct. In SQE2 the ethical issue is never signposted, so candidates have to spot it inside a client scenario and then resolve it, which is where a large share of application of law marks sit.
Key Topics to Master:
- SRA Principles and the SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors
- The Statement of Solicitor Competence
- Conflicts of interest and confidentiality
- Duties to the court and to third parties
- Money laundering and financial services in a business context
- Undertakings and their consequences
- Client care and complaints handling
- Identifying an unflagged ethical issue inside a client scenario and resolving it
Recommended Study Plan
- 1Read the SQE1 assessment specification in full and split the subjects between FLK1 and FLK2
- 2Note the law cut-off date for your window: four calendar months before the first assessment
- 3Work the SRA sample single best answer questions untimed to learn the question shape
- 4Read the assessment regulations section on attempts and the six-year window
- 5Build a revision tracker with one row per subject and one column per week
- 1Cover formation, parties, terms and vitiating factors
- 2Learn the exclusion clause and unfair terms rules as a decision tree
- 3Cover discharge and the full remedies list including specific performance
- 4Write out five misrepresentation and mistake scenarios and resolve each
- 5Answer 60 timed single best answer questions on contract
- 1Cover negligence, duty, breach, causation and remoteness
- 2Cover defences, vicarious liability and occupiers liability
- 3Cover product liability and private and public nuisance
- 4Draw one flowchart that runs from duty to quantum
- 5Answer 60 timed questions mixing contract and tort
- 1Map the civil claim from pre-action conduct to enforcement on one page
- 2Learn the limitation periods and service deadlines as a table
- 3Cover interim applications, case management tracks and directions
- 4Cover disclosure, evidence, costs and Part 36 offers
- 5Answer 60 timed questions and mark every procedural error you make
- 1Compare sole trader, partnership, LLP and company across liability, tax and governance
- 2Cover incorporation, share capital, and directors duties
- 3Cover partnership authority and decision-making
- 4Cover corporate and personal insolvency and the order of priority
- 5Answer 60 timed questions on business organisations
- 1Cover income tax, capital gains tax, corporation tax, VAT and inheritance tax in a business setting
- 2Cover court hierarchy, precedent and statutory interpretation
- 3Cover separation of powers, the rule of law and the Human Rights Act 1998
- 4Cover the SRA regulatory role and funding options for legal services
- 5Sit a full timed FLK1 mock of 90 questions in 153 minutes
- 1Cover nature of land, title to land, co-ownership and proprietary rights
- 2Cover investigation of registered and unregistered freehold title
- 3Cover pre-contract searches, enquiries and the Law Society Conveyancing Protocol
- 4Cover exchange, pre-completion, completion and post-completion steps in order
- 5Answer 60 timed questions on land law and freehold practice
- 1Cover the structure and content of a lease and the main leasehold covenants
- 2Cover grant, assignment, underletting and licences to assign or underlet
- 3Cover termination of a lease and security of tenure under a business lease
- 4Cover the statutory definition of development, building regulations and enforcement
- 5Cover SDLT in England, Land Transaction Tax in Wales, VAT and capital gains tax on property
- 1Cover validity, alteration, revocation and interpretation of wills
- 2Learn the intestacy rules and property passing outside the estate as a worked example
- 3Cover grants of representation and the administration process
- 4Cover inheritance tax and tax during the administration period
- 5Cover express trusts, resulting trusts, trusts of the family home and trustee liability
- 1Work double entry ledger entries until client and business account postings are automatic
- 2Cover client money, interest, reconciliation and breaches of the SRA Accounts Rules
- 3Cover the elements of each specified criminal offence
- 4Cover general defences, partial defences, parties and inchoate offences
- 5Answer 60 timed questions on accounts and criminal law
- 1Cover police station advice, suspect rights and identification procedures
- 2Cover PACE 1984 interview procedure and advising on answering questions
- 3Cover bail, first hearings, plea before venue, allocation and sentencing
- 4Cover appeals and youth court procedure
- 5Work through the SRA Principles and Code of Conduct and write ten ethics scenarios with resolutions
- 1Sit a full timed FLK2 mock of 180 questions across two 153-minute sessions
- 2Rebuild flashcards only for the topics you got wrong in both mocks
- 3Re-answer every question you flagged and explain aloud why the other four options fail
- 4Read the SQE2 assessment specification and the assessment criteria for all six station types
- 5Practise one handwritten attendance note in 25 minutes and one 30-minute legal writing task
Ready to pass Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1 and SQE2)?
Get 500+ practice questions, video walkthroughs, and a pass guarantee.
Best Study Resources
SQE1 assessment specification
Official documentThe SRA's definitive statement of what FLK1 and FLK2 cover, subject by subject and topic by topic, with six annexes. Nothing outside this document is examinable in SQE1, so it is the correct list to revise against rather than any commercial syllabus.
Free
SQE2 assessment specification
Official documentSets out the six station types, the five practice areas, the assessment criteria for each station, the A to F grading scale, the equal weighting of skills and application of law, and the rule that negotiation appears in at least one assessment in every delivery.
Free
SQE1 sample questions
Practice questionsSRA-published single best answer questions showing the exact format, stem length and option structure used in FLK1 and FLK2. Working these before buying a question bank calibrates what a real SQE1 question looks like against commercial imitations.
Free
SQE2 sample questions and indicative answers
Practice questionsSample tasks with indicative answers for the written and oral stations. The indicative answers show the depth of legal analysis assessors expect in the time allowed, which is difficult to judge from the assessment criteria alone.
Free
SQE statistical reports and annual reports
Official statisticsPost-assessment reports for every sitting with pass rates, mean and median scaled scores, score distributions, quintile ranges, and per-practice-area performance charts. The practice area charts show where candidates as a group scored lowest in the most recent papers.
Free
SQE assessment regulations
Policy documentThe rules on attempts, the six-year window, exemptions, withdrawal, mitigating circumstances and conduct. It confirms that a formal withdrawal does not consume one of the three attempts and that passes cannot be carried beyond the six-year period.
Free
SQE assessment days guidance
Official guidanceExplains what happens at the Pearson VUE centre and the Kaplan oral centre, including security wanding, the erasable whiteboard notepad, the fit to sit declaration, the ban on water in the assessment room, and the 4.5 to 7 hour oral day.
Free
Reasonable adjustments guidance
Official guidanceSets out how to apply for extra time, equipment, or modifications, what supporting documents are needed, and the deadlines. It also covers wanding exemptions for medical devices and declarations for religious items such as a Kirpan.
Free
Law Society SQE guidance
Professional body guidanceIndependent guidance on the qualification route, qualifying work experience, preparation course choices, and solicitor pay. Useful as a cross-check on the SRA material and for planning QWE alongside the assessments.
Free
SQE preparation courses from training providers
Preparation courseThe SRA does not require or endorse any preparation course, and course fees are set entirely by each provider. Compare on the question bank size, the number of full timed mocks, and whether SQE2 oral practice with a live assessor is included.
Varies by provider
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Revising from a Legal Practice Course textbook or an older syllabus instead of the SRA specification.
The SQE1 specification lists the examinable topics explicitly, and it excludes areas the LPC covered. Revise against the specification and its annexes, and check the SQE2 annex 1 separately because it is a sub-set of the SQE1 knowledge.
Practising single best answer questions untimed and then losing control of the clock in the real session.
Ninety questions in 153 minutes gives 1 minute 42 seconds each. Practise in blocks of 90 against that clock from week 2, because reading speed on long factual stems is what fails most candidates rather than missing knowledge.
Treating ethics as a separate subject to revise at the end.
Ethics is pervasive across both FLK papers and every SQE2 station, and in SQE2 the ethical issue is never flagged. Build the SRA Principles and Code of Conduct into every practice scenario from the first week instead of studying them alone.
Studying the law as it stands on the day rather than as it stood at the SRA cut-off date.
The examinable law is fixed four calendar months before the first assessment in your window. Check that date when you book and note any change in the law that falls after it, because that change is not examinable.
Booking only one FLK because the other one feels weaker.
The SRA requires both FLK1 and FLK2 to be booked and paid for in the same sitting unless an exemption applies or you have already passed one and are resitting the other. Plan the full two-day sitting from the start.
Assuming SQE2 is a lighter version of SQE1 because the pass rate is higher.
SQE2 tests six skills across 16 stations with tight time limits, including a 25-minute handwritten attendance note and a 15-minute advocacy submission. The higher pass rate reflects a filtered population that already passed SQE1, not an easier assessment.
Typing all SQE2 written practice and never handwriting the attendance note.
The attendance note and legal analysis after the client interview is handwritten in 25 minutes. Practise it by hand under time so that handwriting speed and legibility do not cost marks on the day.
Arriving at the SQE2 oral centre expecting to leave once the two hours of assessment are done.
Candidates are at the centre for between 4.5 and 7 hours and cannot be released early, and those given a 12:40 report time wait about three hours before starting. Plan travel and food around a day that can end near 19:30.
Bringing water or notes into the assessment room.
Pearson VUE rules bar water, phones, watches, books and notes from the SQE1 and SQE2 written rooms, and personal items must go into lockers. Leaving the room for water counts as an unscheduled break and the assessment timer keeps running.
Missing a sitting without formally withdrawing and losing an attempt.
A candidate who uses an attempt but does not sit, with no mitigating circumstances, is recorded as having used it. A formal withdrawal made in line with the assessment regulations does not count towards the three attempts.
Exam Day Tips
- 1
Arrive on time, because candidates who are late are not allowed into the assessment at all.
- 2
Expect security wanding at some centres: an infrared wand over your clothing first, then a metal detection wand if it alerts, and possible refusal of entry if both alert.
- 3
Declare any medical device or religious metal item such as a pacemaker or a Kirpan through the reasonable adjustment process before the booking window closes, not on the day.
- 4
Bring only a small bag, because lockers are limited and a few centres issue clear ziplock bags instead.
- 5
Use the erasable whiteboard notepad and marker you are given for SQE1 and SQE2 written, and hand both in at the end.
- 6
Complete the fit to sit declaration and the confidentiality confirmation at your workstation, because you cannot start the assessment without them.
- 7
Plan around the ban on water in the assessment room; leaving for a drink counts as an unscheduled break and your assessment timer keeps running.
- 8
For SQE1, work at 1 minute 42 seconds per question and flag rather than stall, because 90 questions in 153 minutes leaves no room to dwell.
- 9
For the SQE2 client interview, spend the 10 minutes of preparation identifying what the client wants rather than drafting advice, since the interview station is marked on skills alone.
- 10
For SQE2 advocacy, plan to stand for the criminal litigation submission and leave your watch with your belongings, because clocks are provided and watches are not permitted.
- 11
If something disrupts your performance, raise your hand to tell the administrator during the assessment and submit a mitigating circumstances claim afterwards.
Career Paths & Salary Ranges
Trainee solicitor or paralegal building qualifying work experience
The SRA removed its own minimum trainee salary in 2014, so employers must pay at least the national minimum wage and the Law Society publishes a recommended minimum instead. Qualifying work experience can be gathered across up to four organisations, which lets paralegals accumulate the two years without a formal training contract.
£24,916 outside London and £28,090 in London (Law Society recommended minimum trainee salary)
Solicitor in the North of England
High street and regional firm practice covering conveyancing, private client, family and criminal work. FLK2 subjects map directly onto this workload, and the property practice and wills content is used almost daily.
£43,000 average (Law Society, average annual salaries by region)
Solicitor in the Midlands and Wales
Mixed commercial and private client practice, with Welsh language capability paid at a premium in parts of Wales. The SQE can be taken in Welsh, and the SRA applies part of its annual fee uplift to translating the assessments.
£46,000 average (Law Society, average annual salaries by region)
Solicitor in the South of England
Commercial, real estate and dispute resolution work in firms outside the City. FLK1 business law and dispute resolution content is the core knowledge base, and the SQE2 case and matter analysis station mirrors the reporting work these roles involve.
£56,000 average (Law Society, average annual salaries by region)
Solicitor in Greater London
City and West End practice across corporate, finance, litigation and regulatory work. This is the highest regional average the Law Society publishes, and the gap over the North of England average is roughly double.
£88,000 average (Law Society, average annual salaries by region)
Qualified foreign lawyer transferring to the roll of England and Wales
Lawyers already qualified elsewhere do not need to complete qualifying work experience and can apply to the SRA for exemptions from part or all of the SQE. Exemptions are decided case by case, and there are no partial exemptions from within FLK1, FLK2 or SQE2.
Varies with the home jurisdiction and firm; the Law Society regional averages above are the published benchmark
Prerequisites & Requirements
- A degree in any subject, or an equivalent qualification or experience accepted by the SRA.
- Registration for an SQE account with the SRA, completion of the monitoring and maximising diversity survey, and identity verification before booking.
- A pass in SQE1 before sitting SQE2, unless the SRA has granted an exemption.
- Two years of full-time equivalent qualifying work experience, which can be gathered across up to four organisations and can be completed before, during or after the assessments.
- Satisfying the SRA character and suitability requirements at the point of applying for admission.
- Both parts must be passed within six years of the date of your first SQE attempt.
- No preparation course is required. The SRA neither mandates nor endorses any training provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the SQE cost?
From September 2026 the SQE1 fee is £2,006 and the SQE2 fee is £3,086, a combined £5,092. The previous fees were £1,934 and £2,974. All SQE fees are VAT exempt. These figures cover the assessments only and exclude any preparation course, travel, or the SRA admission fee.
How many questions are on SQE1 and how long is it?
SQE1 has 360 single best answer multiple choice questions in total: 180 in FLK1 and 180 in FLK2. It runs over two days, one FLK per day, and each day is split into two sessions of 2 hours 33 minutes with 90 questions in each session.
What is the SQE1 pass mark?
A scaled score of 300 out of 500 in each of FLK1 and FLK2. The raw number of correct answers needed changes between papers because the SRA sets the standard separately for each version, then converts raw scores to a common 500-point scale so candidates who sat different papers can be compared fairly.
What is the SQE1 pass rate?
In the January 2026 sitting, 58 percent of first-time candidates passed and 53 percent of all candidates passed, out of 7,863 who completed both papers. The SRA reports that first-time SQE1 pass rates across sittings have ranged from 46 percent to 60 percent.
What is the SQE2 pass rate?
In the January 2026 sitting, 80 percent of the 1,141 candidates passed overall and 79 percent of first-time candidates passed. The SRA reports that first-time SQE2 pass rates across sittings have ranged from 69 percent to 84 percent.
What happens if I fail SQE1 or SQE2?
You can resit, but you get only three attempts at each assessment within a six-year period that starts on the date of your first SQE attempt. If you fail the same part three times you must wait for that six-year window to expire before reapplying, and previous passes do not carry over past it.
How long do I have to wait to resit?
There is no fixed waiting period in days, but you must receive your results before booking a resit and sittings run to a fixed calendar. SQE1 runs twice a year and SQE2 four times a year, so the practical wait is set by the next available window rather than by a rule.
What does a resit cost?
From September 2026 a resit of one FLK costs £1,003, a resit of both FLK1 and FLK2 costs £2,006, and a full SQE2 resit costs £3,086. All resit fees are VAT exempt. If you passed one FLK you pay only for the one you are resitting.
Do I have to sit FLK1 and FLK2 together?
Yes. The SRA requires you to book both FLK1 and FLK2 at the same sitting and pay for them in a single payment. Both must be taken in the same assessment window unless an exemption applies or you have passed one part and are resitting the other.
Is the SQE available online with remote proctoring?
No. Every SQE assessment is taken in person. SQE1 and the SQE2 written stations are computer based at Pearson VUE test centres, and the SQE2 oral stations are run by Kaplan SQE at its own assessment centres. There is no online proctored option.
What ID do I need and what are the security checks?
You must complete identity verification when you register and present ID at the centre before every assessment. Some centres use security wanding: an infrared wand over your clothing, followed by a metal detection wand if it alerts. Candidates can be refused entry if both wands alert.
What materials am I allowed to take in?
None of your own. Personal items including water, phones, watches, purses, books and notes must go into lockers. You are given an erasable whiteboard notepad and marker for SQE1 and SQE2 written, plus an online calculator, and for SQE2 oral a calculator, a black ballpoint pen, writing paper and a highlighter.
Can I get extra time or other adjustments?
Yes. Apply through the SRA reasonable adjustments process with supporting documents, and apply as early as possible rather than waiting for a booking window to open. Declarations for medical devices affected by wanding and for religious metal items must be made by the booking closing deadline.
When do I get my results?
SQE1 results arrive approximately 5 to 6 weeks after the sitting and SQE2 results approximately 14 to 18 weeks after. Results are posted only inside your SQE candidate account, never sent out, and you can save them as a PDF. The SRA emails you when they are available.
What is on the SQE1 results page?
Your scaled score out of 500 for each FLK, the pass mark of 300, your raw number of correct answers, your quintile placing among candidates in the same sitting, your pass or fail outcome, and a breakdown of your scaled score by practice area. Quintile 1 is the top fifth of scores and quintile 5 the bottom fifth.
How is SQE2 marked?
Trained assessors grade each assessment criterion from A to F using global professional judgment, and the grades convert to numerical marks with A worth 5 and F worth 0. Skills marks and application of law marks are weighted equally. The interview station is marked on skills only by the assessor playing the client; every other station is marked by a solicitor on both skills and law.
Is there a separate pass mark for the SQE2 oral and written parts?
No. The pass mark is set for SQE2 as a whole and is reported as a scaled score of 300 out of 500. Strong performance in one half can offset weaker performance in the other because there is no separate threshold for either, and a candidate can score 0 on some criteria and still pass overall.
Does passing the SQE make me a solicitor?
No. Passing SQE1 and SQE2 is one of four SRA requirements. You also need a degree or equivalent qualification, two years of full-time equivalent qualifying work experience, and to satisfy the SRA character and suitability requirements before you can be admitted to the roll.
Does the SQE need to be renewed?
No. SQE passes do not expire once you have been admitted, and there is no recertification exam. The one time limit is that both parts must be passed within six years of your first attempt, otherwise earlier passes fall away with the window.
How does the SQE compare with the old LPC route and the Bar route?
The LPC route required a qualifying law degree or conversion, the LPC itself, and a two-year training contract at one firm. The SQE replaces the LPC and the training contract with two centralised assessments plus qualifying work experience at up to four organisations. The Bar route is separate: barristers of England and Wales take the Bar training course and pupillage instead, and a qualified barrister can take the SQE to cross-qualify as a solicitor.
Pass Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1 and SQE2) — Guaranteed
94% pass rate on first attempt
One-time • Lifetime access
One-time payment
Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1 and SQE2) Pass Rate
How hard is it? (SQE1 53%, SQE2 80% (January 2026 sittings, all candidates))
Failed Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1 and SQE2)?
Recovery plan & retake policy
Study Timeline
Week-by-week study plan
Requirements
Prerequisites & registration
Compare Certifications
Side-by-side comparisons