SQE Candidate Preparation Guide

Part One

Understanding the Solicitors Qualifying Examination

1. What Is the SQE?

The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is the centralised, standardised assessment that all aspiring solicitors in England and Wales must pass in order to qualify. Introduced by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and fully in force from September 2021, the SQE replaced the old two-stage route of the Legal Practice Course (LPC) combined with the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL). The purpose of the reform was straightforward: to create a single, consistent benchmark of competence that every solicitor must meet, regardless of which law school they attended, how they funded their studies, or through which pathway they gained their qualifying work experience.

The SQE is designed around the SRA’s Statement of Solicitor Competence, which defines the knowledge, skills, and behaviours expected of a newly qualified solicitor on day one of practice. This competence framework underpins every question in both stages of the exam, meaning that candidates are never tested on abstract or purely academic knowledge. Instead, every assessment task maps onto something a real solicitor would be expected to know or do.

2. The Two-Stage Structure

The SQE is divided into two distinct stages—SQE1 and SQE2—each testing different dimensions of solicitor competence. You must pass SQE1 before you can sit SQE2, and you must also complete two years of qualifying work experience (QWE) before you can be admitted to the roll, though QWE can be accumulated before, during, or after the assessments.

2.1  SQE1: Functioning Legal Knowledge

SQE1 tests your ability to apply legal knowledge across a wide range of practice areas in a manner consistent with the role of a newly qualified solicitor. The assessment is entirely computer-based and consists of multiple-choice questions (MCQs), each presenting a short scenario followed by five answer options. You must select the single best answer. There are no “select all that apply” questions and no free-text responses at this stage.

SQE1 is divided into two sittings of 180 questions each, giving a total of 360 MCQs. Each sitting is five hours long (with breaks). The two sittings are typically held on consecutive days, and the combined result determines your overall SQE1 score. The pass mark is set by the SRA using the Angoff standard-setting method, which means it can vary slightly between assessment windows depending on item difficulty, but it generally sits in the range of 56–60% correct answers.

2.2  SQE2: Practical Legal Skills

SQE2 is a skills-focused assessment that tests six core legal skills across a range of realistic practice contexts: client interviewing and attendance note writing, advocacy and oral presentation, case and matter analysis, legal research and writing, drafting, and legal writing (including advice letters). The assessment is conducted over five days and uses a combination of written and oral tasks.

The oral assessments—client interviewing and advocacy—are conducted live with trained assessors playing the role of a client or tribunal. The written tasks are time-constrained and require you to produce documents that a real solicitor would prepare: attendance notes, legal research memos, skeleton arguments, draft contracts, and formal advice letters. Each task is set in one of five practice contexts: Criminal and Private Law Practice, Property (Real Estate) Practice, Business and Commercial Practice, Wills and Intestate Succession and Probate Practice, or Employment Law.

3. Eligibility & Entry Requirements

To sit SQE1, you must hold a qualifying law degree, a non-law degree combined with a conversion qualification (such as the GDL or a Postgraduate Diploma in Law), or a degree-equivalent qualification. You must also be registered with the SRA as an SQE candidate before booking your assessments.

To progress to SQE2, you must have passed SQE1 in full. There is no requirement to complete your qualifying work experience before attempting either assessment, giving candidates flexibility in how they structure their route to qualification. However, the SRA requires that all qualifying conditions—SQE1, SQE2, two years of QWE, and the character and suitability test—are met before admission.

4. Assessment Windows & Booking

The SRA runs SQE1 twice a year, typically in January/February and July/August. SQE2 is also offered twice a year, generally in April/May and October/November. Exact dates are published on the SRA’s official website well in advance, and candidates must book through the SRA’s approved assessment organisation, Kaplan Open Learning. Booking deadlines are typically six to eight weeks before the assessment window opens, and places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis in popular locations.

A reasonable preparation timeline for most candidates is six to twelve months of structured study for SQE1, and a further three to six months of intensive skills practice for SQE2.

Part Two

Examination Technique & Strategy

5. How to Approach SQE1 MCQs

The MCQ format used in SQE1 is deceptively challenging because the questions are not straightforward recall tests. Each question presents a carefully constructed scenario—usually four to six sentences describing a client’s situation, a transaction, a dispute, or a regulatory issue—and then asks you to identify the “best” answer from five plausible options. The key word is “best”: multiple answers may be partly correct, or defensible in different contexts, but only one represents the most accurate and professionally appropriate response.

5.1  The Three-Step MCQ Method

The most effective candidates approach every SQE1 MCQ using a three-step process. First, they read the question stem before reading the full scenario. Knowing what you are being asked allows you to read the scenario purposefully, highlighting only the facts that are relevant. Second, they read the scenario once carefully, noting the legally significant facts: the nature of the relationship between the parties, the presence or absence of formalities, any relevant time periods, and any statements indicating intent. Third, they generate their own provisional answer before looking at the five options. Candidates who read the answer options cold are far more susceptible to the distractor options that the question setters have deliberately crafted.

5.2  Handling Uncertainty and Distractors

There is no negative marking in SQE1. You should always answer every question, even if you are uncertain. When you are unsure, the most reliable technique is process of elimination: identify the two or three options that are clearly wrong, and then choose the most defensible remaining option.

Distractor options in SQE1 commonly fall into three patterns. The first type states the correct legal rule but applies it incorrectly to the facts. The second type accurately describes what would happen in a different area of law or on slightly different facts. The third type overstates or understates a legal principle—for instance, by saying something “always” or “never” applies when the correct answer is more nuanced. Recognising these patterns during your preparation, rather than for the first time on exam day, is a significant competitive advantage.

5.3  Time Management in SQE1

With 180 questions to answer in 300 minutes (five hours), you have an average of one minute and forty seconds per question. The discipline is to avoid spending disproportionate time on a handful of difficult questions at the expense of straightforward ones. A reliable approach is to work through the paper at a steady pace, flagging any question you are unsure about, and returning to flagged questions once you have answered every question you can answer confidently.

6. How to Approach SQE2 Tasks

SQE2 requires a fundamentally different mindset from SQE1. You are no longer selecting from pre-prepared answers; you are producing original work under time pressure, in conditions designed to simulate professional practice. The assessors are not looking for perfect legal analysis—they are looking for competent, clear, and appropriately structured work of the kind a newly qualified solicitor would produce on their first week in a law firm.

6.1  The Oral Assessments: Interviewing and Advocacy

Client interviewing is assessed holistically: did you put the client at ease, did you gather the right information efficiently, did you explain the next steps clearly, and did you demonstrate awareness of client care obligations? The most common failing in the interview assessment is spending too long at the outset on introductions and administrative matters and not enough time on fact-gathering. Advocacy in SQE2 is tested as a bail application, a sentencing hearing, or a directions hearing. Assessors reward candidates who structure their submissions clearly (introduction, legal framework, application to the facts, conclusion), speak at an appropriate pace and volume, and demonstrate that they understand the court’s role rather than simply reading from notes.

6.2  Written Tasks: Approach and Structure

For each written SQE2 task, you will be provided with a bundle of materials. The most important first step is to spend the first five minutes reading the question carefully and identifying precisely what you have been asked to produce. In drafting tasks, always use the standard structure for the document type in question and pay close attention to the instructions about parties, consideration, and dates. In legal writing tasks, adopt a clear structure: a brief introduction identifying the issue, the relevant legal framework, the application of the law to the specific facts, and a clear recommendation.

Part Three

Building Your Preparation Strategy

A successful SQE study plan is systematic rather than reactive. A well-designed plan treats SQE1 preparation as a phased campaign, not a sprint.

8. Subject-Specific Preparation Tips

Business Law and Practice

One of the highest-volume areas in SQE1. The most reliable technique is to map out the decision trees that underpin common business scenarios—for example, the sequential questions you must ask when analysing whether a director has breached their duty. The Treatise contains detailed worked examples that demonstrate exactly this kind of structured analytical reasoning.

Property Practice

Frequently described as one of the most technical areas—not because the law is complex, but because of the sheer volume of procedural knowledge required. The key to success is to learn the transactional process as a coherent narrative rather than as a series of disconnected rules.

Criminal Law and Practice

Combines substantive criminal law (element-by-element analysis) with criminal procedure (chronological analysis). Candidates who integrate these into a single picture of how a criminal case unfolds perform far better on scenarios testing both dimensions simultaneously.

Wills, Probate, and Tax

Particularly susceptible to precision errors: testamentary capacity, formal requirements for valid execution, the order of intestate distribution, and inheritance tax calculations all require careful attention to detail. Work through multiple calculation-based practice questions to apply the nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band correctly.

Part Four

Our SQE Preparation Materials

We have designed a complete suite—the Study Guide, the Treatise, and the Casebook—as an integrated system. Each component serves a distinct purpose, and they are most powerful when used together.

Part Five

Why Our Materials Give You the Best Chance of Passing First Time

Appendix: Quick Reference Summary

SQE at a Glance

Our Materials: When to Use What

Recommended Weekly Study Schedule (Self-Study Candidate)

Good luck with your SQE preparation.

We believe in your success—and our materials are designed to make it achievable.