Jaysen does the SQE

[Zacarias]

Hey - given the complete lack of time I have opted to use the Law Answered modules to study content. I am looking for a reasonably priced question bank module. Any suggestions? Anyone here using the Law Answered modules?

SQE Revision Books by Law Answered - Your Guide to Passing the SQE

Notes by qualified City lawyers summarising the SQE1 course and exam technique. Regularly updated and best in class.

www.lawanswered.com

 

[Alison C]

Hey - given the complete lack of time I have opted to use the Law Answered modules to study content. I am looking for a reasonably priced question bank module. Any suggestions? Anyone here using the Law Answered modules?

SQE Revision Books by Law Answered - Your Guide to Passing the SQE

Notes by qualified City lawyers summarising the SQE1 course and exam technique. Regularly updated and best in class.

www.lawanswered.com

See my other input re Jaysen's journey. I heard that The One Hundred (he's put a link in his chat) are good questions to practise on, and I can also recommend the Revise SQE books. There are other recommendations in that thread too. Good luck!

 

[Jaysen]

15 May

I want to share what is helping me the most right now:

1. I find it's helpful to think: my goal is to commit the rules in each textbook to memory, which comes down to (1) writing flashcards for each chapter and (2) memorising those rules.
2. I used AI to write a study plan that tracks which chapters I need to do each day. I keep updating this so it's as accurate as possible, but it gives me comfort to know I'll finish everything if I stick to my plan.
3. Each day, I write flashcards for 3 chapters on Anki and I do a daily Anki session. I now break this into two blocks: one to write the chapters (about 2.5 hours if I'm being efficient) and one to do the Anki deck (1 hour). On the weekends, I also do practise questions. What I want to move towards is doing the flashcards during any spare moment I have so I get enough repetition.
4. I find that it's easy to catch myself mindlessly writing flashcards or cheating on my recall. To study well, I know my studying blocks should be active and with effort, which means I'm being intentional about the flashcards I make and understanding them as I write them. If I don't, it's usually a sign I need to reset or restart the next day.
5. Iteration also applies to my study plan. Originally, I thought it would be better to write flashcards for different subjects at the same time. But now I'm testing one topic at a time, while practising questions for different subjects. This is because I find I'm more likely to lose context when I switch subjects. I'm also more likely to do an extra chapter if I'm closer to finishing.
6. Stuff in the textbook doesn't always make sense. If I don't get it, I put it into ChatGPT and ask questions until I do. The same applies if I don't understand my flashcards. I find understanding is the fastest way for me to remember it.
7. On the reverse side of a card, I often add screenshots of cases/images from the textbook, or ChatGPT infographics. I find this helps especially with difficult rules.
8. I realise how important it is to write good flashcards! This means flashcards that test something I actualy need to know but also follow the minimum information principles.

 

[Jaysen]

Sharing this from the WhatsApp group:

SQE Revision

Podcast · SQE Revision · Welcome to SQE Revision, your bite-sized guide to the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. This podcast is designed to help you review and reinforce key concepts from the SQE in a clear and accessible way. Whether you're commuting, taking a break, or revising on the go...

open.spotify.com

SQE Study

Podcast · Young Central · Preparing for the 2026 Solicitors Qualifying Examination? This is your official test review podcast for the SQE brought to you by Young Central. Thirteen subject matters are broken down to ensure you can tackle every topic.

open.spotify.com

If you like podcasts, I really like it for consolidating my knowledge and understanding how it all fits in together.

 

[Jaysen]

First mock test done with QLTS. Have some work to do!

 

[Alison C]

This is also where you need to make sure that you are looking after your body. Sleep, gym, nutrition - it's easy to let all of these slip when you are watching the data. But if your body isn't marathon-ready, you won't be able to get through the exam days. No one needs to get sick the week before the exams. Hang on in there, you are on the journey!

 

[Jaysen]

Making some progress!

 

[Jaysen]

Something I'm finding very helpful:

If I'm unsure about something, I'll ask questions to ChatGPT. My project has uploads of the textbook PDFs to answer my questions.

When I ask questions, I first write about my understanding of the topic as my prompt. I then ask the question. This means I'm actively recalling my understanding, and I'm much more likely to remember any corrections.

For example, instead of writing a prompt like: 'Is the test in negligence only objective?'

I write: 'From what I understand, the test for determining a breach of duty in negligence is objective. That means it's not based on whether a defendant personally felt they were acting reasonably. Instead, the court will assess: Did a defendant fall below the standards of a 'reasonable person'? But is there ever a subjective element to this test?'

I'm doing this routinely now and it's going a long way to solidify what I know.

 

[Jaysen]

The University of Law making me feel a lot better than QLTS

 

[Jaysen]

Starting solicitor's accounts today and just sharing what I found helpful re: DR/CR and the accounts:

I've copied the summary from the textbook into ChatGPT. My prompt is to ask it to teach it to me until I get it. But to only teach me one point at a time.

 

[WillKitchen]

The best tip I heard for accounting is to only focus on the ledger, because thats the part that makes sense: money in = credit; money out = debit. The cash sheet is then just Bizzaro World: everything is opposite.

 

[Jaysen]

The best tip I heard for accounting is to only focus on the ledger, because thats the part that makes sense: money in = credit; money out = debit. The cash sheet is then just Bizzaro World: everything is opposite.

Great tip!

 

[Jaysen]

I take it back: I have been humbled again.

 

[Alison C]

You are seeing one of the inherent issues with the whole way that the assessment is structured. It's very hard to feel consistently as if you are making progress. That in itself is part of the mind games the SQE plays with candidates. And believe me when I tell you, you will have NO IDEA how you did on the real thing. If you had told me I'd come top in the country or bottom, I'd have believed you. (As it turned out I was somewhere nearer the top than the bottom but you get my point!)

The thing to hang onto as you get nearer, is starting each moment with fresh brainpower.

After FLK1 you will be dreaming about the questions you got wrong - or at least poring over them. They will haunt you. Give yourself a day off to process and then fight those demons - welcome them in and show them the way out.

Halfway through the morning of my FLK2, I literally had to stop, take a couple of minutes and recentre. I was on the verge of walking out - the questions felt SO unfamiliar and the whole experience was SO destablising. But I figured I'd spent too much money to walk out, and also that active choice to keep going was a powerful one. I closed my eyes, made peace with the unpleasantness and figured it was better to stay in and fail than to abandon ship. I didn't fail but it felt as if I would.

I think it's important to be clear that this is a mind game as much as anything else. It's easy to be flippant but the stamina required is part of the package. I'm actually excited to see you undulating, @Jaysen - it's a unfamiliar situation for anyone who is used to succeeding academically. And learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable is a big part of the battle. Not convinced it makes for more competent lawyers but that's another issue!

Thanks for telling us all and for remembering to be humble at times. Keep going!!

 

[Jaysen]

You are seeing one of the inherent issues with the whole way that the assessment is structured. It's very hard to feel consistently as if you are making progress. That in itself is part of the mind games the SQE plays with candidates. And believe me when I tell you, you will have NO IDEA how you did on the real thing. If you had told me I'd come top in the country or bottom, I'd have believed you. (As it turned out I was somewhere nearer the top than the bottom but you get my point!)

The thing to hang onto as you get nearer, is starting each moment with fresh brainpower.

After FLK1 you will be dreaming about the questions you got wrong - or at least poring over them. They will haunt you. Give yourself a day off to process and then fight those demons - welcome them in and show them the way out.

Halfway through the morning of my FLK2, I literally had to stop, take a couple of minutes and recentre. I was on the verge of walking out - the questions felt SO unfamiliar and the whole experience was SO destablising. But I figured I'd spent too much money to walk out, and also that active choice to keep going was a powerful one. I closed my eyes, made peace with the unpleasantness and figured it was better to stay in and fail than to abandon ship. I didn't fail but it felt as if I would.

I think it's important to be clear that this is a mind game as much as anything else. It's easy to be flippant but the stamina required is part of the package. I'm actually excited to see you undualating, @Jaysen - it's a unfamiliar situation for anyone who is used to succeeding academically. And learning to be comfortable with being. uncomfortable is a big part of the battle. Not convinced it makes for more competent lawyers but that's another issue!

Thanks for telling us all and for remembering to be humble at times. Keep going!!

This is very reassuring Alison. Thank you so much for sharing!

 

[Jaysen]

Nice to try more mocks for FLK1:

SRA Pre-Tested: 78.5%
ReviseSQE: 71%
TheOneHundred: 63.3%

 

[Jaysen]

My first SQE exam is tomorrow, so I made a list of my most common errors. I'll update as I think of more things:

Ethics

1. I now often default to choosing the safest option rather than the practical option. Example: if you're a NQ solicitor given a task by a partner, and you worry you're not competent, the SQE answer is to decline the task, even if you wouldn't do that in practice!

Business

1. GM Dates:
   1. 14 clear days: normal notice to shareholders to call GM
   2. 21 and 28 days: if a 5% shareholder requisitions a GM; directors must call meeting in 21 days and hold it no later than 28 days after (max 7 weeks)
   3. 28 days special notice: shareholders give directors 28 days notice to hold GM if they want to remove a director; OR and not WR
2. Voting thresholds in GM
   1. Over 50% to pass OR and 50% to block
   2. 75% or over to pass SR and over 25% to block
3. A preference transaction needs a desire to prefer
4. Insolvency dates
   1. Preference: 6 months; 2 years if connected
   2. Floating charge: 12 months; 2 years if connected
   3. Extortionate credit: 3 years
   4. Undervalue: 2 years; insolvency presumed if connected
5. HMRC is a preferential creditor for PAYE/VAT/employee NI but not corporation tax
6. Forms:
   1. AP01/AP02: New director
   2. AP03/AP04: New secretary
   3. IN01: To incorporate
   4. TM01: Resignation of director
   5. TM02: Resignation of secretary
   6. CS01: Update confirmation statement

Tort

1. Psychiatric harm: Primary Victim: 'I'm in danger' v Secondary victim: 'I feared for/witnessed harm to someone else' (+ other reqs)
2. Material contribution of multiple D's:
   1. Divisible: apportion liability
   2. Indivisible: each liable for whole, with contribution
   3. Mesothelomia/asbestos: think jointly and severally liable for material risk
3. Police can be liable for positive acts (e.g. chasing suspect and pushes member of public)
4. If type of damage is foreseeable, you can claim all losses
5. Product liability negligence: Donoghue or CPA
6. CPA: you can't claim for defective items; property < £275, and business property
7. No CPA claim is item is facts say item is stolen
8. No vicarious liability for actions of independent contractor
9. Pure economic loss: no claim unless special relationship + reliance (usually negligent mistatement); consequential economic loss: claim for all reasonably foreseeable losses
10. Occupier's liability: harm should come from the state of premises

Contract

1. In a breach of contract: if profits naturally arise from a loss ('in reasonable contemplation of the parties'), it's recoverable; if it's unusual/exceptional it's only recoverable if the defendant knew the special circumstances before contracting
2. Void v voidable
   1. Mistake: void
   2. Misrep: voidable (if a third party has acquired an item, mistake is ideal)
   3. Minors: voidable
   4. Incapacity: voidable (+ other party needs to know)
   5. Duress: voidable
3. Is term incorporated?
   1. Signed
   2. Prior consistent couse of dealing
   3. Reasonable notice BEFORE contract formed
4. 5 types of losses:
   1. Expectation loss/loss of bargain: Put C back if contract performed; cost of cure/difference in value
   2. Loss of amenity: No difference in value + cost of cure is disproportionate (e.g. minor size difference in building a swimming pool)
   3. Reliance loss: Wasted expenditure + expected profit too speculative
   4. Nominal damage: breach but unprovenloss
   5. Distress/disappointment: contract's purpose is pleasure

Legal Services

1. Solicitors get automatic rights of audience when admitted to the roll of solicitors (they just can't exercise the rights in senior courts without the additional qualification)
2. High Court = > over £100,000 or £50,000 and above in personal injury
3. Same case but appeal court: 'reversing'; different case: 'overturning'
4. Opponent's costs are set off against the DBA fee
5. Eiusdem: phrase narrowed by examples before it; Noscitur: vague word narrowed by its surrounding words
6. Best way I found to remember FSMA provisions:
   1. Specified activities: 'All Deals Are Safely Managed' (Arranging, Dealing as Agent, Advising, Safeguarding, Managing)
   2. This also runs in descending order based on which exclusions apply:
      1. A = Arranging = All six exclusions apply
      2. D = Dealing As Agent = 4 exclusion + Authorised Third Party + Execution-only + Professional/Necessary + Takeover ('Agents Execute Professional Takeovers')
      3. A = Advising = 3 exclusions = Professional/Necessaary + Trustee/PR + Takeover (PTT)
      4. S = Safeguarding = 2 exclusions = Professional/Necessary + Trustee/PR (PT)
      5. M = Managing = 1 exclusion = Trustee/PR (T)
   3. If you see insurance, assume an exclusion does not apply, but solicitor may be able to rely on s327 exemption

Dispute

1. If D's case against C is unconnected to claim, you can still file it with the counterclaim
2. You'll get sanctioned if you unreasonably refuse mediation via costs
3. If D admits liability, don't count that amount (or interest/costs) when allocating the track
4. Which country in tort? Where damage occurred
5. Hearsay or not? To prove truth: hearsay; to prove what was said: not hearsay
6. 'And' v 'Or' requirements
   1. Summary judgement: No real prospect AND no compelling reason
   2. Set aside default judgement (in defence): real prospect OR some other good reason
   3. Permission to appeal: real prospect OR some other compelling reason
7. Limitation claims
   1. Contract: 6 years from breach
   2. Tort:
      1. Tort/Negligence without PI: 6 years from damage
      2. Personal injury: 3 years of knowledge; 3 years of injury (whichever is later)
      3. Latent damage: 6 years from damage or 3 year from knowledge (whichever is later); 15 year long-stop
8. Adding a second defendant to claim:
   1. In limitation period: Where it's desirable
   2. Outside limitation period: Whether the claim can properly be carried on without adding other party
9. Earliest you can file for default judgement
   1. After D fails to respond to acknowledgement of service i.e. day 15
10. Dates
    1. Service
       1. Serve claim form within jurisdiction: 4 months
       2. Service claim form outside of jurisdiction: 6 months
       3. Deemed service for claim form: second business day after step
       4. Particulars of claim: Before 4:30pm on business day: on that day; or next business day
          1. If posted: second day after posting provided it's a business day; next day if not (until it's a business day)
    2. D's response
       1. Acknowledgement of service: 14 days; don't include day of deemed service
       2. D files defence: 28 days from particulars of claim
       3. Jurisdiction after acknowledgement: 14 days
    3. Extension without court involvement: 28 days
    4. Interim application
       1. On notice: 3 clear days
       2. Summary judgement: 14, 7, 3
       3. Interim payment: 14, 7, 3
       4. Without notice: ASAP and D has 7 days to vary/set aside
    5. Case management
       1. Witness summons: 7 days before attendance
       2. Inspect docs after written request: 7 days
       3. Budget discussion report: 7 clear days before CMC
       4. Disclosure report: 14 days before CMC
       5. Disclosure discussion: 7 days before CMC
       6. Trial bundle: 3-7 days before trial

I hope it's useful for anyone who takes the SQE in the future!

 

[WillKitchen]

Great list - definitely a few things to add to my final flashcards!

 

[Jaysen]

Finished FLK1 yesterday, and I thought I'd capture a few things while it's fresh.

Verdict:

It was hard! I found it harder than any prior mock I did. It's hard to say if that's just me/the way I tend to look at things post exams, or not, but I genuinely don't know if I've passed.

For the first paper, my reaction to the first 10 or so questions was like, 'oh this is going to be so easy.' And then it became very tough for a while. I then imagined the second paper would be considerably easier. It was a little easier, but not significantly. I was also very tight on time in the first paper and finished in the final minute with no time to review anything.

The good

There were only a few questions that I genuinely felt I hadn't been taught/that hadn't been covered by ULaw. There were also some straightforward questions. I also felt the breadth was nice: while the exam did feel it was overly concentrated on a few areas, I am happy that it felt spread out enough.

The challenging

I think a few things make the exam hard. One is that I would often know the principle in the exam, but I genuinely would not be able to differentiate between two very similar options and so I had to guess. I suspect this is also particularly hard for people where English is not their first language.

There were also many questions that focused on areas that I would not have expected to come up in detail.

Finally, as mentioned above, some questions were genuinely not covered in the materials, so it's a little confusing to be tested on that.

Topics

I'll do a fuller write up later, but broadly the types of areas I'd make sure you don't miss include:

• Contract: acceptance/revocation/postal rule/limitation periods
• Tort: Vicarious liability, occupiers liability, CPA, nuisance, Rylands v Fletcher, psychiatric harm and pure economic loss --> I find this is a good one to pick up easy marks
• Disputes: make sure you really know all the dates of deemed service, how to calculate whether service was within the time frame, and the consequences of Part 36 offer. One thing I wish I spent more time here is understanding the Case Management Conference details and when claims could be struck out. You also must make sure you know what amounts leads to the County Court and High Court.
• BLP: make sure you spend time on partnerships
• Legal Services/Legal systems: the names of judges and especially FSMA/COB rules
• Constitutional: take your time with human rights and retained EU law

On to FLK2!