SQE1 revision resources?

[l4wyer25]

I have just graduated with a Law degree and will be starting the LLM SQE 1&2 course with BPP in September 2026. But, I have heard mixed opinions about BPP's resources/what resources I can use to make comprehensive notes that cover the SQE 1 syllabus. I would love to hear from anyone who has studied with BPP/anyone who has passed SQE1 about which resources they found the most helpful - which textbooks did you find helpful, which MCQ websites did you use etc etc? Thanks!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

I have just graduated with a Law degree and will be starting the LLM SQE 1&2 course with BPP in September 2026. But, I have heard mixed opinions about BPP's resources/what resources I can use to make comprehensive notes that cover the SQE 1 syllabus. I would love to hear from anyone who has studied with BPP/anyone who has passed SQE1 about which resources they found the most helpful - which textbooks did you find helpful, which MCQ websites did you use etc etc? Thanks!

Hi!

Congratulations on your graduation!

I passed SQE1 in January, so although I didn't study with BPP (my firm used the College of Legal Practice), I am happy to share the resources I found useful!

For textbooks, I mainly relied on my provider's textbooks and then used the ReviseSQE books for areas that I struggled with (which ended up being most of them, haha!). I particularly liked their Criminal Practice and Dispute Resolution books, as I found they broke some of the more difficult topics down into much more manageable chunks.

For MCQs, I mainly used my provider's questions, LawDrills, and the100, alongside various free resources. I also bought the ReviseSQE mock books and would absolutely vouch for these - I thought they tested the "SBAQ" concept quite well, and are generally known as being very representative of the real thing. I also really liked LawDrills as you get unlimited questions and can tailor them to specific sub-units, which was great for identifying and practising weaker areas. The downside is that the questions are AI-generated, so there are sometimes mistakes, so I personally wouldn't rely on it as your only question resource.

I probably liked the100's questions the most in terms of exam preparation (alongside ReviseSQE). I found them challenging but, after sitting the exam, I felt they were pretty representative of the style and difficulty of the actual SQE quite well (though some in the actual exam were slightly easier!). They are more expensive, though, so whether they are worth it will depend on your budget. I ended up buying a mock for each FLK a few weeks before my exams, and I believe they were around £30 each.

Generally speaking, I would avoid feeling like you need to use every resource available (and some resources will work for some and not others). It can help to try questions from a lot of different sources, but there are plenty of free resources online, so you definitely don't have to spend lots of money!

 

[l4wyer25]

Hi!

Congratulations on your graduation!

I passed SQE1 in January, so although I didn't study with BPP (my firm used the College of Legal Practice), I am happy to share the resources I found useful!

For textbooks, I mainly relied on my provider's textbooks and then used the ReviseSQE books for areas that I struggled with (which ended up being most of them, haha!). I particularly liked their Criminal Practice and Dispute Resolution books, as I found they broke some of the more difficult topics down into much more manageable chunks.

For MCQs, I mainly used my provider's questions, LawDrills, and the100, alongside various free resources. I also bought the ReviseSQE mock books and would absolutely vouch for these - I thought they tested the "SBAQ" concept quite well, and are generally known as being very representative of the real thing. I also really liked LawDrills as you get unlimited questions and can tailor them to specific sub-units, which was great for identifying and practising weaker areas. The downside is that the questions are AI-generated, so there are sometimes mistakes, so I personally wouldn't rely on it as your only question resource.

I probably liked the100's questions the most in terms of exam preparation (alongside ReviseSQE). I found them challenging but, after sitting the exam, I felt they were pretty representative of the style and difficulty of the actual SQE quite well (though some in the actual exam were slightly easier!). They are more expensive, though, so whether they are worth it will depend on your budget. I ended up buying a mock for each FLK a few weeks before my exams, and I believe they were around £30 each.

Generally speaking, I would avoid feeling like you need to use every resource available (and some resources will work for some and not others). It can help to try questions from a lot of different sources, but there are plenty of free resources online, so you definitely don't have to spend lots of money!

Hi Abbie, thank you so much for replying and for taking the time to type this out! I will definitely check out all of these resources

I have three further questions that I'd be so grateful to receive any advice on:
1. I have heard BPP's textbooks are not that detailed and people have recommended the ULaw subject manuals, which I am considering buying. You didn't mention using these specific textbooks but do you think it is best to wait and see what BPP's books are like before buying, or should I buy the ULaw books now?

2. I start my course in early September. Is there anything you did or wish you did by way of preparation before starting your SQE course? I know it is important to rest before what will be an intense year, but I also want to put myself in good stead to succeed!

3. In terms of preparing for the exam, please may you share what your revision process looked like (e.g. were you firstly making long notes from the textbooks, and then condensing them into more digestible material, followed by MCQs)? I am aware that studying for the SQE will be vastly different from how I studied for my undergrad degree, so I am keen to hear about what this looked like for you!

Thank you again!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi Abbie, thank you so much for replying and for taking the time to type this out! I will definitely check out all of these resources

I have three further questions that I'd be so grateful to receive any advice on:
1. I have heard BPP's textbooks are not that detailed and people have recommended the ULaw subject manuals, which I am considering buying. You didn't mention using these specific textbooks but do you think it is best to wait and see what BPP's books are like before buying, or should I buy the ULaw books now?

2. I start my course in early September. Is there anything you did or wish you did by way of preparation before starting your SQE course? I know it is important to rest before what will be an intense year, but I also want to put myself in good stead to succeed!

3. In terms of preparing for the exam, please may you share what your revision process looked like (e.g. were you firstly making long notes from the textbooks, and then condensing them into more digestible material, followed by MCQs)? I am aware that studying for the SQE will be vastly different from how I studied for my undergrad degree, so I am keen to hear about what this looked like for you!

Thank you again!

Hi!

No problem at all! These are all things I wish I had thought about before starting, so happy to share my experience

1. ULaw Textbooks

I actually did have the ULaw textbooks too (although I didn't use BPPs textbooks), and I found them really useful. I would probably wait until your BPP books arrive before buying the ULaw ones, though, particularly as they are quite expensive.

From the textbooks I used, I found ULaw's to be the most comprehensive, and I liked having them as a reference point because I felt reassured that I wasn't missing anything major. There were a few areas where I felt my own provider's textbooks didn't go into quite enough detail, so having the ULaw books was useful for filling those gaps.

However, as I haven't used BPP's textbooks, I wouldn't want to comment on how they compare in terms of depth or accuracy. I'd personally wait and see what you think of BPP's materials first and then decide whether you feel you need something more comprehensive.

2. Preparing before the course

I actually started my SQE course less than a week after receiving my TC offer, so I didn't have any time to do any preparation beforehand - so you definitely don't need to!

If you still have your notes from your underlying law modules at university (e.g. contract, tort, constitutional law), it might be worth having a quick refresh of some of the basic concepts if you feel a bit rusty. I personally would've found this helpful as it had been around four years since I had studied some of these areas, and it can be particularly worth considering if your provider doesn't go into huge amounts of detail on the underlying law (luckily my provider did, so it was less of an issue!).

However, I wouldn't spend your whole summer trying to get ahead! I would actually prioritise getting yourself organised. One thing I regretted was starting the course feeling quite disorganised, so I'd perhaps think about things like:

a. When you are realistically going to study each week (i.e. do you need to fit studying around other commitments?);
b. Which study methods you want to try/use;
c. How you are going to keep track of the subjects you have covered; and
d. How you'll monitor your progress against the SQE specification

Having some sort of plan in place before September means you can get stuck in straight away rather than spending the first few weeks figuring out how you are going to approach everything!

3. Revision Process

I think this is probably the one where I'd be most wary of comparing yourself to other people. Everyone learns differently, and what works brilliantly for one person might be completely ineffective for someone else - something I definitely had a tendency to forget, haha

Personally, I initially started making handwritten flashcards, but very quickly switched to Quizlet as the handwritten ones were taking me far too long to make. I then used a combination of reading the textbooks, doing practice questions, making mindmaps/posters and using flashcards.

I personally didn't make traditional notes for SQE1 (although I did for SQE2), but plenty of people in my cohort did and found that really effective. I think the important thing is to work out what helps you actually retain the information, rather than feeling like you need to produce a certain type of revision material because that's what everyone else is doing (or what you are used to doing).

I'd therefore spend a little bit of time at the beginning of the course experimenting with different methods, but also be conscious of how much time each method takes. I spent too long switching between different study methods at the beginning, which probably wasn't the best use of my time! With the amount of content you have to get through in a relatively short period, you need to find a method that is both effective and practical/realistic.

So I wouldn't necessarily approach it as textbook -> long notes -> condensed notes -> MCQs, unless this is the most effective method for you. If making long notes takes you ages but you don't retain the information particularly well from them, there is not much benefit in doing it if it just feels like the 'proper' way to revise.

I would focus on understanding the material first, then testing yourself on it regularly and reinforcing areas you are struggling with. You'll probably find your approach evolves as you go through the course too!

I really wouldn't underestimate the importance of resting before September either! The SQE is a marathon, not a sprint, so it is usually much better to start the course feeling refreshed and organised than spend the summer trying to learn loads of content.

I hope that is useful, but please do shout if you have any other questions - I appreciate it is a daunting exam!!