SQE

Hi so im currently in the process of trying to find a suitable SQE provider. im currently thinking BPP is a good option as they offer the LLM SQE 1 & 2 as well as option for funding. however a lot of people have good reviews about Barbri who do just the SQE and The College of Legal Practice who do the LLM sqe 1 and 2... Does anyone have any recommendations.

Hi everyone!

I am about to graduate law school in June 2025. After graduation, I intend to do the SQE and I have decided to go with QLTS as my Prep Course Provider.

I originally intended to sit for the July 2026 SQE1 exams, however, I wanted guidance on whether you believe I would be well prepared to sit for the January 2026 SQE1 exams if I were to devote 7 hours per day in a week of SQE prep.

Similarly, how long would you estimate I should spend in preparation if I intend to sit for the July 2026 SQE1 exams. I intend to prepare for the SQE1 without any work on the side.

Thanks and looking forward to hearing your insights,
Sohan Prasad

Hello everyone, I was wondering if anyone else had been allocated online proctored SQE2 examinations for the 3 days of written tasks. I just received this as part of my reasonable adjustment, but it seems vastly over the top (not that I am complaining). Has anyone had the same or, even better, completed online proctored SQE2 written exams?

Hi, I have to choose my essentials for practice pathway for the SQE LLM (I'm self-funding). BPP give you 3 options: commercial, corporate and general pathways.

Does anyone who secured a training contract while sulf-funding have any advice for choosing a pathway? Or, if one is preferred/used by most city law firms for their future trainees?

I'm going to choose between the commercial and corporate pathways - leaning towards corporate right now but I'm still unsure... Essentially, will a law firm consider only students who chose the commercial pathway for training contracts as that's what they make their future trainees do at BPP?

Should I reach out to grad rec at law firms I'm interested in applying to and ask them if they have a preference/requirement? I can't find much information online so anything would be helpful!

I'm due to start the SQE this September and haven't decided whether I should do it in-person or online.

Just for some context, I am extremely lucky to have secured a TC and my firm will sponsor fees and provide a maintenance grant. However, I'm not in a position where my family would be able to support any of my additional costs (whether that be travel, accommodation, etc.) and given that London is expensive, I've considered studying for the SQE virtually to save costs and time.

During my undergrad, I rarely attended/watched lectures and relied on self-study. I was able to absorb the material better by reading and devising my own study plan, and ultimately ended up graduating with a first. I know, however, the SQE is going to be challenging and I have started to refresh my knowledge of the undergrad material in preparation for September. I also appreciate it would be great to meet my cohort beforehand to make those connections ahead of my TC. But in light of how expensive it is to live in London, and given the fact I would waste a lot of time commuting to and from campus, would it be such a bad idea to study the course remotely?

I'd be really interested to hear from those who studied (or are currently studying) remotely and in-person, and any recommendations - thanks in advance!

I've started a discord server for people studying for SQE - a place to quietly study for accountability basically, with a break-out space if anyone wants to chat and wants a bit of company https://discord.gg/9DPjbPFA

I sat the SQE 1 in Jan and really didn't want to jump back into everything for April so have decided to opt for the July sitting of the SQE 2 (God willing that I pass SQE 1). I have heard good things about BPP but I looked at the SQE 2 prep and it appears very short, am I missing something?

Please can anyone who has done their SQE2 prep with ULaw share their experience on the course and the most efficient way of getting through it alongside ULaw's teaching structure and materials? Or even if you didn't prep with ULaw, would still be helpful to get your insight on how you approached SQE2 prep.

Context — I started the LLM SQE1&2 prep course with ULaw in September 2024, just sat my SQE1 in January 2025. I am prepping for SQE2 now with ULaw. So would be helpful to get some thoughts from those who prepped with ULaw specifically on how you used ULaw's materials and teaching to supplement your SQE2 prep.

Steps to take during the course
From what I have read and heard so far about the ULaw prep course for SQE2 is that the workshops which teach you the 'skills' aren't massively helpful because to some degree all they're teaching you is 'common sense'. And even for modules which are perhaps more foreign to us e.g. advocacy / interviewing, they still aren't teaching you anything substantive about the skill itself, more so just giving you a chance to practise with your peers or practise legal research / writing under timed conditions during the workshops.

I am aware that the main chunk of work for SQE2 prep is actually keeping my FLK fresh. But I don't know HOW specifically. Obviously wouldn't make any sense to engage with FLK using practice multiple choice questions anymore as with SQE1, but how exactly did you approach refreshing your FLK? Did you narrow it down to specific topics and practise recalling the information in long, written-form / the form that we will be examined in? If so, how did you go about doing this? If not, what else did you do to prep?

One of the things I regretted with my SQE1 prep is not having gotten into the habit of doing practice questions and learning from them sooner. So if anyone could share any mistakes you were making with SQE2 prep that you wish you had realised sooner and share any specific, actionable steps that I can take to cut to the chase, that would be extremely helpful.

Additional materials
I have also heard feedback that the main issue with ULaw is the lack of mocks available (they only provide one or two?) which many felt didn't adequately prepare them. Please can anyone share (whether you were with ULaw or not) whether the mocks your provider gave were adequate and whether you had to invest in materials from other providers to supplement your learning? If yes, what were some paid or free resources you used that you found helpful?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to self-fund the SQE2 this year and would love to hear from those who have already taken it, particularly if you went through the exemption route (I completed the LPC in 2022) and have enrolled in a prep course (or not). I am a paralegal, working full-time and will have obtained 100% of my QWE early 2026.

I'm interested to know more about the following:

• Preparation: How did you prepare for the exam? Which provider did you go with, and would you recommend them? Did you find their resources comprehensive and helpful? How many months did you spend revising, and how did you balance your study schedule if you were working or had other commitments? As someone who completed their LPC a while back, how should I go about revising FLK?
• Advice: If you could go back, what would you do differently in your preparation? Are there any tips, resources, or strategies that you found particularly helpful for passing?

I’d really appreciate any insights or advice as I decide on my study and exam approach. Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences!

Hi all,

Looking for recommendations for the better prep courses or alternatives for SQE2.
I did my GDL and SQE1 through COLP, and am in no hurry to return to them!

Has anyone heard of or used the course on In House W? Or what about the Revise SQE2 books?

Thanks,
Amy

For those that have completed the LPC and the SQE 2, how did you find it and the SQE 2 exams, especially with the FLK and how did you study for it? As someone that has completed the LPC a few years back, sitting the SQE 2 now seems to be about re-memorising all the FLK/black letter law. Some people have said FLK comes up a lot while others noted it makes up only a small part of the SQE 2 exams.

I'm asking this question to those who have already sat the SQE1 exams (whether you passed or not!) -

As objectively as possible, how 'ready' did you feel leading up to the SQE1 exams, and how did it correlate with your performance in the real exam?

I know a lot of us law students are quite harsh on ourselves, myself included. And, although I have decent mock results so far, I struggled to cover even half of the academic law thus far and am almost there with a revision of the practice law we learned this term. This has left me feeling incredibly conflicted; underprepared, but somehow getting through OK, especially with fellow SQE takers saying that 'you never feel ready', despite them passing (and some failing). Can I pass whilst feeling this way?

So what I wonder is, if you were to look on your preparation and performance as objectively as possible (without the classic self-deprecation and belittling of oneself); how prepared were you? (maybe consider how many mocks taken, practice SBAQs, how recently you had reviewed Academic Law, how genuinely confident you felt on a scale of 1-10). And how did you perform? (I'm talking grade, but also whether you felt it was a true reflection of your preparation).

It would be a great insight into what is a realistic 'feeling' prior to sitting the exam, and an indication of how too far gone I may actually be without realising it...

Does anyone else find their prep course for SQE2 awful or are my expectations unrealistic? Three issues I have with them:

1) That they are using the SQE2 prep course as a module in their dubious masters degree, which in practice means there are constantly arbitrary deadlines to meet if you want any feedback. My understanding is that providers like Barbri are a bit more flexible about when you submit your practice work.

2) That when feedback arrives it rarely makes any sense. I got some kind of cryptic comments that were clear as mud.

3) For the most part, we're expected to assess our own progress against exemplars, which seems borderline pointless.

Anyone else have any comments on this provider?

Has anyone done the SQE graduate solicitor apprenticeship with Datalaw?

Hi everyone!

I am fairly new to the forum though I have been active here and there during my time applying for a training contract. I've since secured one and am set to start in March 2027, before which I have to give my SQE in September 2025. I'm in my final year at uni right now and wanted to get a headstart on SQE prep.

To that end, does anyone know where I can get study materials for SQE 1 (both the FLK exams). I'm not too keen on buying the whole textbook bundle as I will receive those from ULaw when I start, but I was wondering if there were resources (cheaper, preferably) that I could use to study for these two exams. I've seen a lot of mock assessments so should be fine there, but I am still to find resources to actually study the content covered in the two FLKs.

I would assume many people taking the SQE off their own back would find themselves in a similar boat- so it would be great to hear where you're getting your study material from.

Thanks!

Is anyone else as worried as I am that the pass rate has dropped to 44%?

Hello,

As an international student with a civil law background, I am planning to undertake a conversion course at the University of Law. I am hesitating between the MA Law (SQE1) and MA Law Conversion. I do not really know whether an SQE1 preparation course included in a law conversion course is worth considering. For those of you who have enrolled into/completed the MA Law (SQE1) or MA Law Conversion, what are your thoughts? How did you make your decision?

Many thanks.

I am currently studying full-time at ULaw, sitting for SQE1 in January 2025 and would like to get more insight into practice / mock tests in preparation for the SQE1.

1. I am aware of this thread posted some time ago for free / paid practice tests — was wondering if any new ones that anyone is aware of that might have come up since then and maybe we can compile a more comprehensive list?
2. For those who studied the SQE prep course with ULaw and passed the SQE1, did you find that the ULaw question bank was enough practice? Or would you have appreciated more external practice tests? If so, which ones would you recommend? I have heard feedback that ULaw questions are perhaps too easy compared to the actual assessments — I wonder if there are any merits to this view. I know a lot of this can come down to personal preference / learning style, but would nevertheless still be helpful to get thoughts from a few more people.
3. I heard that the QLTS mocks are very convoluted / weirdly worded and not very commensurate with the difficulty / style of questions in the actual assessment but nevertheless is good exposure to more difficult questions. However, the whole pack costs £2,000+. Even if I managed to convince my whole class to chip in to buy it together it would still cost a bomb for each of us. And for us who are already studying full-time with another course provider, we don't need all the other content in the pack, only the mock tests. For those who studied at ULaw or BPP, did you or your classmates eventually invest in QLTS or any other external practice tests together in addition to the practice questions provided by your course provider? If yes, did you find it was necessary and if no, did most of your cohort survive just fine without?

Hi all, I just found out I didn't pass SQE1 a couple of weeks ago...disappointing to say the least.

Just wondering if anyone has suggestions on how to best retain and memorize the huge breadth of material? I find just reading the material and doing practice questions to be soul crushing and not particularly engaging. It's hard to simply recall the relevant legal knowledge to be able to answer the questions properly.

I feel like I have decent exam-taking strategy, but struggle with just the sheer amount of base content.

Any tips on how to improve knowledge retention?

Thanks in advance

Hello Everyone - Mid life Career changer here I have a Non Law Masters (MBA), always had the urge to get into Law but life got in the way . Looking to start slow with SQE1 course however confused by the myriad of options. I have whittled the selection down to

Barbri - Structured but lacking depth
QLTS - In depth, great MCQs however not that structured
FQPS - Easy on the pocket, however looks and feels like a social media outfit.
Any suggestions for which provider you'd recommend for a Non Law Graduate in full time employment?

TIA

Hi everyone,
I'm currently preparing for the SQE 1 exam and I'm looking for second-hand SQE books, particularly Revise SQE and UoLaw books. Any suggestions on where to find them?
Thanks!

Anyone know when the PGDL application decisions come out? Haven’t gotten any email from the application board, and follow ups to BPP have not gotten me anywhere.

Hey guys, bit worried about SQE1 test centres after some horror stories I heard. Can anyone advise where they did their exam in London and whether you would recommend them?

Hi guys,

I am currently an SQE LLM student with BPP. The issue is that I found the resources available for reviewing the "black letter" component of the SQE 1 rather lackluster. Therefore, I wanted to ask for recommendations in terms of resources I should use to review that component? I have heard that both the ULAW and Revise SQE books are good, but I am concerned that learning the stuff from the textbook will not be enough in itself.

Thank you for your advice.

I have heard good things about both but Revise SQE seems to have more reviews and Revision Killers appears much smaller (saw it being prompted by legal influencers). Anyone have any insights on which is best?