SQE2 Prep course

Yes, you would be granted access to the SQE1 Prep materials one month prior to the SQE2 Prep course start date. We encourage early enrolments allowing you time to fill in gaps in your knowledge discovered through a diagnostic test at the start of the prep course.

The SQE2 exams is a skills-based assessment against your substantive legal knowledge tested through the SQE1 exams. Hence, you need to retain your substantive knowledge on the key practice areas as the questions may be drawn on underlying black letter law in the selected Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) subjects covered in SQE1.

You would have to register and book the exams through the SRA’s website directly. For more information on this, please visit the SRA website here.

From 2024, the exams will take place 4 times a year: in January, April, July and October. The waiting time for the results is between 14-18 weeks after assessment.

Exemptions from the SQE assessments are available to qualified lawyers from certain international jurisdictions. 

Individual exemptions exempt international lawyers from particular jurisdictions from SQE2 with proof of two-years’ legal work experience gained either as part of your qualification or after it (or a combination of these). Although you may have an exemption for part of the SQE, you will also need to satisfy the SRA’s English language requirements.

To apply for an exemption, you will need to create a mySRA account and start an application for exemption. Further information about exemptions available to qualified lawyers can be found here.

You can also download an exemptions checklist here for all the steps you need to complete for this process. 

Qualifying work experience does not need to be completed before sitting the SQE. You can undergo your QWE before, during or after your SQE assessments.

At the point of applying for admission as a solicitor with the SRA is when you will need to register your two years of QWE. For more information on this, please visit the SRA website here.

BARBRI’s SQE2 Prep course offers diagnostic testing which LPC students will find useful in identifying any gaps in their legal knowledge. Additionally, students will gain access to the relevant SQE1 Prep materials from a month before the SQE2 Prep course begins and for the duration of the course.

There is no English language requirement for the SQE2 exams. However, the SQE2 is made up of written and oral assessments, so candidates should feel comfortable speaking and writing in English.

Please mind that if you are an overseas lawyer, exempt from SQE2, you may need to demonstrate your English language competence. For more information on this, please visit the SRA website here.

We are committed to opening opportunities to all and understand that navigating your journey through the SQE and obtaining QWE can be challenging. We have partnered with several industry-leading organisations to help you understand the range of QWE opportunities available including LawQWE, Strive, FLEX Legal, Taylor Root, MLA Global, Elevate, Reed, Accutrainee and LPCLaw, along with a job search engine powered by Indeed through the CareerHub.

In addition to this We offer one-to-one bookable appointments which last 30 minutes each, hosted via Zoom or telephone delivered by our experienced Careers Consultants. Students can take advantage of a broad range of topics, including advice and guidance around qualifying work experience.

Students watch a video explaining each skill and the assessment criteria then do an online exercise where they complete parts of that skill and receive automatic feedback. They also have 24 self practice exercises to complete of exam level difficulty. They can upload their answers for peer review and then review other students work to become more familiar with the assessment criteria. They also have 8 practice with feedback activities. These are at set times within the course and the students will receive individual feedback on their work and how it would be graded according to the assessment criteria. They also have 6 more assessments within the mock exams – which again they will receive individual feedback. In addition there are strategy sessions each week where students can attend to ask questions of tutors about the course/the assessment and workshops where tutors will review the self practice activities to provide guidance and answer questions. There will be 3 workshop tutor calls with other students and the tutor, and 1 individual call between the tutor and the student.

Yes, the 20 week course requires about 7-10 hours per week study for SQE2 (and any time the student needs to revise SQE1 content) so is designed as a part time course. Written course works must be submitted by a set time to be marked, but are available for over a week before that time so can be done when convenient for the student. The Tutor calls are held during work hours but students can choose the day of the call (subject to availability). There are 2 oral PFAs which must be held at a set time, students get to book their own appointment so can choose a convenient time – again on a first come first served basis. For the mocks they have a choice of days for the fixed oral appointments (including weekends) and the writtens are released on a Friday for submission the following Monday, but can be submitted ahead of time.