What is the Solicitors Qualifying Exam? The SQE Exam Explained

Your Guide to Understanding the SQE Exams

Since September of 2021, there has been a change in how you train to become a solicitor in England and Wales. In the past, the usual route to qualify as a solicitor would have been to undertake a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) or a Legal Practice Course (LPC) for this profession. However, these methods are now being phased out.

Replacing them is the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, also known as the SQE. The SQE is an integral part of a new four-step process that needs to be completed in order to qualify as a solicitor.

To become a solicitor, you now need to have a degree or an equivalent Level 6 qualification (such as an apprenticeship) in any subject. You also need to complete at least two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) and show that you are of good character and suitability to become a solicitor. In addition to this, you need to successfully pass the SQE.

So if you are interested in becoming a solicitor and want to know more about the SQE assessments, this is the article for you. We’re diving into everything you need to know about the SQE and what is involved in this examination.

What is the SQE?

The SQE, also known as the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), is a new, independent, centralised assessment that anyone who wants to qualify to become a solicitor in England and Wales must undergo. 

The SQE consists of SQE1 and SQE2 assessments that test your Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) and your practical legal skills. The assessments consist of multiple-choice questions, written skill assessments and oral skill assessments.

Learn More About SQE Prep with BARBRI Here.

Let’s explore the SQE in a little more detail.

Why Was the SQE Introduced?

The main aim of the SQE is to ensure that all candidates meet the same single, high standard for admission into the profession. It also opens up the profession by providing flexibility during the qualification process for SQE candidates, ensuring more diversity and inclusion.

The SQE has been designed to establish the competence of candidates qualifying as solicitors. Candidates who have passed the SQE will have demonstrated competencies specified by the SRA through the Statement of Solicitor Competence (SoSC).

For more on this, you can read the Bridge Group report and the Hook Tangaza research findings, both of which were commissioned to assess the impact of the SQE on the legal profession and admission to it.

What Does the SQE Path to Qualification Involve?

– Have a Degree or Equivalent

An undergraduate degree in any subject, or equivalent, obtained domestically or internationally.

Duration: 2-4 academic years
Cost: Varies

– Pass the SQE Exams

The SQE assessment consists of two separate parts – the SQE1 and the SQE2. The SQE is an exam rather than a course like some of the more traditional routes. However, you can take SQE Preparation courses to ensure the success of your SQE. 

• You must successfully complete both parts of the SQE in order to qualify. 
• Kaplan is the authorised sole assessment provider, and assessments are available across England, Wales and internationally at designated examination centres.
• The Solicitors Regulation Authority is the governing body that determines what candidates need to know in the exams. It is worth monitoring their website for any recent revisions.

– Complete a Minimum Period of Qualifying Work Experience

Two years’ worth of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) in up to four different organisations that can demonstrate solicitors’ skills. This can be paid or unpaid legal work and needs to be signed off by a qualified solicitor or a Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP).

Your QWE can be undertaken before, during, or after the SQE assessments.

Read more all about QWE here.

– Satisfy the SRA's Character and Suitability Requirements

All individuals applying for admission or restoration to the roll of solicitors or those applying for or renewing their registration to be an REL or an RFL must be of satisfactory character and suitability. Those applying to become an authorised role holder, must be fit and proper to hold the role, and for ease we use the term "character and suitability" in this context also.

Find out more about the character and suitability requirements here.

 

Stage One: The SQE1 Exam

The SQE1 exam is based on Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) of English and Welsh law. It combines substantive and procedural law, but goes beyond and tests application, problem-solving and decision making, diving into how you would apply the law to real-life situations, and including ethics and professional conduct. 

LPC graduates are exempt from the SQE1 exam. More on the exemption and the process of application for it here.

– Exam Structure:

• There are two exams in the SQE1, the FLK1 and the FLK2. Both exams must be completed within a single assessment window.
• They are computer-based and must be taken at a PearsonVue centre, available worldwide.
• There are 360 multiple-choice questions, split across two days:
  • Day 1: FLK1 – 153 minutes (90 questions), with a 60-minute break in-between
  • Day 2: FLK2 – 153 minutes (90 questions), with a 60-minute break in-between
• Total time: 10 hours and 12 minutes; you will roughly have 1 minute 40 seconds per question
• The multiple-choice questions are also called "single-best-option questions": You need to choose the best of five options for scenario-based questions. Sample questions can be found on the SRA website.

– Topics:

The first exam (FLK1) of the SQE1 covers:

• Business Law and Practice (including taxation)
• Dispute Resolution
• Contract law
• Tort law
• The legal system of England and Wales
• Constitutional and Administrative Law and retained EU Law
• Legal Services

The second exam (FLK2) of the SQE1 covers:

• Property practice (including taxation)
• Wills and the Administration of Estates (including taxation)
• Solicitors Accounts
• Land Law
• Trusts
• Criminal Law and Practice

– SQE1 Marking:

Day one (FLK1) and day two (FLK2) of the SQE1 are assessed separately and each subject in the SQE2 is assessed separately, however, the pass mark will be determined based on the overall grading for the whole of SQE1 and SQE2, respectively.

– Attempts:

Candidates must pass all of SQE within a six-year period and you have three attempts for each of the two stages. In order to progress onto SQE2, you must successfully pass the SQE1.

If you fail FLK1 and/or FLK2 of the SQE1 three times during the six-year period, you must wait until that six-year period expires before re-applying. Previous passes will not be carried forward. For example, if you take the SQE1 in July 2025, January 2026 and July 2026 and fail all three times, you would have to wait until July 2031 before you can start again.

For more on this, please see the SRA website here.

Read about how we help you if you don’t pass the SQE exam the first time: The BARBRI SQE Prep Guarantee.

– How Much Does the SQE1 Exam Cost?

From April 2025, the fees in total for 2025/2026 are: 

SQE1 examination: £1,934 (previously £1,888 for 2024/25). This includes the two sets of 180 multiple-choice questions.

You’ll need to book to sit each exam (the FLK1 AND FLK2) separately, but pay for both assessments at the same time, through the SRA website. FLK1 and FLK2 must be taken in the same assessment window (unless an exemption applies). All fees are VAT exempt.

Resit prices:

If you fail either of the examinations in the SQE1 (the FLK1 or the FLK2), you can resit one or the other and it will cost £779 to retake one of these exams. If you fail both, it will cost a total of £1,558 to retake both.

– How Much Does the BARBRI SQE1 Prep Course Cost?

We strongly recommend that you complete an SQE1 Preparation course to help ensure that you're successful and all your hard work and exam fees pay off. 

Here at BARBRI, we offer three comprehensive course options for SQE1 Prep: 

• Flexible SQE1 Prep course: Part-time over 40 weeks, requiring around 10-12 hours per week (£3,299)
• Focused SQE1 Prep course: Part-time over 20 weeks, requiring around 20 hours per week (£2,999)
• Accelerated SQE1 Prep course: Full-time over 10 weeks, requiring 40 hours per week (£2,999)

We also offer:

• Foundations in Law + SQE1 Prep: An optional 6-week online course preceding the SQE1 Prep course of your choice, for those from a non-law background, or an international jurisdiction, to help you get up to speed with the common law system in England and Wales, how to do legal research, and get to grips with legal jargon.
• Various bundles, discounts and payment plans.

Learn More About Your BARBRI SQE1 Prep Course Options

BARBRI offers SQE1 Prep students various funding options: payment plans, student loans, scholarships, university discounts, and we can bill your employer. See our SQE Prep funding options.

 

Stage Two: The SQE2 Exam

The SQE2 is focused on core legal skills – the everyday skills of being a lawyer, including drafting contracts and interviewing clients. Part of the assessment will test to see if your practical skills are of a high enough standard for a newly qualified solicitor. You will also need to know much of the Functional Legal Knowledge tested in the SQE1 exam.

A candidate must pass the SQE1 exam before proceeding with sitting the SQE2 exam, unless they are exempt, for instance certain internationally qualified lawyers who have been practising for a few years.

– Legal Skills Tested:

There are six key skills that are assessed in the SQE2. These include:

• Client interviewing (and attendance note)
• Advocacy
• Case and matter analysis
• Legal research
• Legal written advice
• Legal drafting / legal writing

* Ethics and professional conduct will be examined throughout.

– Exam Structure:

You’ll be required to demonstrate that you can apply fundamental legal knowledge and principles in a way that addresses a client’s needs and concerns. The SQE2 assessment is a skills-based examination of 16 practical written and oral skills assessments. 

Written Assessments:

There are 12 written assessments, all computer-based and taken at a PearsonVue exam centre anywhere in the world. The assessments are taken over three half-days.

The SQE2 written legal skills test covers:

• Case and matter analysis
• Legal research
• Written advice
• Legal drafting / legal writing

Oral Assessments:

The oral part is made up of 4 assessments, which take place over two half-days. The oral elements must be taken in person in England or Wales. These will assess your practical skills via role-play, covering court-based scenarios, solicitor-client interactions and file reviews.

The SQE2 oral legal skills test covers:

• Client interviews and attendance notes
• Advocacy

– Topics:

Here are the five different subject areas that you will need to know from the FLK tested in SQE1:

• Criminal practice (including advising clients at the police station)
• Dispute resolution
• Property practice
• Wills and instestacy, probate administration and practice
• Business organisations, rules and procedures (including money laundering and financial services)

– Marking:

In SQE2, candidates are assessed 50% on skills and 50% on their FLK (the material assessed in SQE1), with the exception of interviewing, which is purely assessed on skills. The pass mark is determined on a bell curve, in line with the overall performance of all candidates on the exam.

– Attempts:

Candidates must pass all of SQE within a six-year period and they have three attempts for each of the two stages. If a candidate fails SQE2 three times during the six-year period, they must wait until that six-year period expires before re-applying. Previous passes will not be carried forward.

For more on this, please see the SRA website here.

– How Much Does the SQE2 Exam Cost?

SQE2 examination: £2,974 (previously £2,902 for 2024/25). This includes the 12 written skills assessments and the four oral assessments.

You must pay for and book both the written and oral exams at the same time. These will apply to anyone taking SQE2 in October 2025 and subsequent assessments. All fees are VAT exempt.

Resit prices:

If you fail the SQE2, you will need to pay the full £2,422 to retake the exams.

– How Much Does the BARBRI SQE2 Prep Course Cost?

We can help you to prepare for the SQE2 exams with two comprehensive course options for SQE2 Prep:

• Focused SQE2 Prep course: Part-time over 20 weeks, requiring around 20 hours per week (excluding FLK revision) (£3,499, or £2,999 for SQE1 Prep alumni). 
• Accelerated SQE2 Prep course: Full-time over 10 weeks, requiring 40 hours per week (excluding FLK revision) (£2,999). We recommend that you'd passed the SQE1 exam recently.

Learn All About BARBRI's SQE2 Prep Course Here.

BARBRI offers SQE2 Prep students various funding options: payment plans, student loans, alumni and university discounts, and we can bill your employer. See our SQE Prep funding options.

 

SQE Exam Dates, Locations and How to Book

The Solicitors Qualifying Exam is centralised and run by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). If you want to sit the exam, you need to:

• Register on the SRA website. You can do this at any time. You'll verify your identity, confirm whether you have any exemptions or request reasonable adjustments. Click here to register with the SRA.
• Book your assessment date. You can find the SQE dates and locations here. And here you'll find booking opening and closing dates, plus the results dates. After booking, you'll be redirected to the Kaplan website, where you'll pay the exam fees. 

 

What is Qualifying Work Experience (QWE)?

To complete your full qualification to become a solicitor, you must also undertake a minimum of two years of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE).

It is anticipated that most students will choose to undertake this work experience between the SQE1 and SQE2; however, there is no specific time frame. You can choose to do this work experience at any time.

There are several types of placements that qualify as QWE, such as:

• Placements while at university
• Paralegal
• Working in a law clinic
• Single law firm

You can complete the QWE with up to four different legal employers; however, some law firms may require you to complete the entire two-year period with them. If you have already completed part of the required two years of your QWE, then it is up to the individual law firm to decide if they accept this previous work experience and sign it off. All QWE needs to be signed off by a legal employer who must also be a solicitor.

Learn everything you need to know about QWE here.

Why Take the SQE?

There are many benefits to the SQE route.

Firstly, the SQE is much more flexible than the traditional methods of qualifying to become a solicitor. With the SQE, you can learn whilst you work and spread the course and exam fees over a longer period.

Secondly, from 2022 more employers will expect their future trainees to have qualified with the SQE, and as such, it is the most current and relevant qualification to obtain.

Thirdly, this is the most flexible entry into the profession that exists. The SQE, alongside the QWE, allows more people to begin a career as a solicitor who might not have the legal background expected by other routes. The SQE is reducing barriers and strengthening the diversity and representation of those working in law.

Fourthly, as the SQE route continues to grow, smaller LPC providers will discontinue their courses and likely migrate to the SQE format. This means that there will be fewer affordable and convenient LPC options.

Fifthly, the SQE will likely receive the most investment as Universities, law firms, and employers begin to shift their focus towards this new qualification.

Finally, the SQE is a new common assessment. This means that all aspiring solicitors are assessed to the same standards.

Do I Have to Do the SQE?

The traditional routes into qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales are starting to be phased out and replaced by the SQE. Now, no matter your background, you can qualify to become a solicitor with the SQE.

Law graduates, non-law graduates, those already working in a legal profession, paralegals, apprentices or even those qualified overseas looking to cross-qualify are all eligible to become solicitors in England and Wales by taking the SQE.

However, depending on your current circumstances, the route you decide to take might look slightly different. If you are already studying or training, you can continue to qualify through the existing route.

Let’s take a look at the options for those currently studying for a qualifying law degree, a GDL or MA Law and for those who will graduate from a non-law degree in 2022 onwards.

Currently undertaking a qualifying law degree

If you are currently undertaking a qualifying law degree, then at the moment, you can continue to the LPC (Legal Practice Course). The LPC is expected to continue to run until at least 2026. You can do the SQE, but it is not mandatory.

Currently studying a GDL or MA Law

If you are currently on a GDL or MA Law conversion course and started before September 2021, you can proceed to the LPC. As stated above, the LPC is expected to continue to run until at least 2026. You also have the choice to do the SQE, but it is not mandatory.

Currently studying a non-law degree

If you are currently studying for a non-law degree and are due to graduate in 2022 or later, the SQE could be the perfect route for you. If you are interested in becoming a solicitor, then the SQE is the way to do this.

Comparing LPC and SQE

If you are in the group of students who have already undertaken or started a qualifying law degree, common professional examination, Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) and/or the Legal Practice Course before 1 September 2021, then you can still choose between the two routes until 2032. Every new graduate not yet on the traditional route now needs to take the SQE route.

Do Employers Prefer the LPC or the SQE?

Employers have had to transition to accepting candidates via the SQE. This is because this is now their only avenue and so it will bear the same weight as the LPC route. It is worth also remembering that the purpose of the SQE was to ensure uniformity and equal weight given to all routes into the profession, provided the candidate can pass the requisite assessment after whatever training they undertake.

What Are the Benefits of Having to do the SQE Rather Than the LPC?

• The SQE offers greater flexibility, spreading the preparation course and exam fees over longer time periods.
• Unlike the full-time LPC, earn whilst learning with BARBRI SQE Prep.
• The SQE and the opportunity for qualifying work experience in place of a traditional training contract allows flexible entry into the profession.
• Many smaller LPC providers will discontinue their course or migrate to SQE preparation, making it difficult to gain a place in an affordable or convenient LPC.
• Innovation and investment will be directed towards the SQE as universities, law firms and employers begin focusing on the new qualification.
• Most employers will expect their future trainees to have qualified under the SQE.

Learn more about the SQE vs LPC here.

More Questions?

View our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) here.

Or request a call and one of our friendly student advisors will talk you through your questions and available options: Request More Information

Summary

Overall, the Solicitors Qualifying Examination SQE is a new qualifying examination to become a solicitor in England and Wales. There are two parts to the SQE, the SQE1 and the SQE2.

In a nutshell, the SQE1 consists of two multiple-choice exams that both consist of 180 questions. The SQE1 takes place over two days and tests your ‘functional legal knowledge’, examining your application of the law based on client-based scenarios.

The SQE2 consists of 16 exercises in total, 12 of which are written assessments and four of them oral. The SQE2 is focused on the practical legal skills required in order to practice.

Whilst it is not necessary to complete a preparation course, it is advised to help ensure that you successfully pass the SQE to qualify as a solicitor. If you are interested to learn more about the preparation courses available with BARBRI, click here.