SQE1 diary: starting prep in September, sitting January 2027

[Louis_Litt]

Hi all,

Starting my SQE prep course in September and sitting SQE1 in January, so thought I'd start a thread here to keep myself accountable and hopefully pick up a few tips along the way.

Everyone I've spoken to says the exam is genuinely tough, both in volume and in how long the day itself is. Trying not to let that overwhelm me too early, but it's hard not to think about it a bit.

Before the course kicks off, my plan is to make flashcards for the academic subjects the prep course doesn't cover in much depth, so I'm not starting from scratch on those once things get busier.

I'm also building a spreadsheet mapping every point in the spec, partly as a checklist and partly so nothing slips through while I'm heads down on whatever topic is in front of me that week.

Will keep updating as I go, mistakes included. Would love to hear from anyone further along, especially on how you approached the pre-course prep.

 

[Laurelle]

Hi!
Going along with you on the same September to Jan, though I'm self-studying! I did start a prep course last year with the intention of sitting the July 2026 exam, but I wasn't able to sit in the end. Are you using a prep provider?

 

[Louis_Litt]

Hi!
Going along with you on the same September to Jan, though I'm self-studying! I did start a prep course last year with the intention of sitting the July 2026 exam, but I wasn't able to sit in the end. Are you using a prep provider?

Yes, I am using ULaw, looking forward to starting next week! Hope your prep is going well.

 

[Louis_Litt]

Hi all,

Update from this week: I've gotten access to the ULaw online manuals and started working through Contract Law first, mostly because it was my strongest module at uni and I thought it would be a gentle way back in.

That theory hasn't quite held up. I'm making a fair few silly mistakes on the questions at the end of each section, nothing to do with actually understanding the law, more that my brain has clearly gone soft over the holidays. Hoping that sharpens up quickly once I'm back into a proper rhythm.

On the plus side, I'm really liking the question style so far. Problem questions were always my strong suit at uni, and these feel like mini versions of that, so it's a format I actually enjoy working through rather than dread. Just need to get through 360 of them on exam day, so we'll see how enthusiastic I still am a few months from now.

 

[MatthewObiuwevbi]

Hi all,

Update from this week: I've gotten access to the ULaw online manuals and started working through Contract Law first, mostly because it was my strongest module at uni and I thought it would be a gentle way back in.

That theory hasn't quite held up. I'm making a fair few silly mistakes on the questions at the end of each section, nothing to do with actually understanding the law, more that my brain has clearly gone soft over the holidays. Hoping that sharpens up quickly once I'm back into a proper rhythm.

On the plus side, I'm really liking the question style so far. Problem questions were always my strong suit at uni, and these feel like mini versions of that, so it's a format I actually enjoy working through rather than dread. Just need to get through 360 of them on exam day, so we'll see how enthusiastic I still am a few months from now.

Hi Louis, I am also going to ULAW would you like to speak soon to discuss approach ?

 

[Jaysen]

Hi all,

Update from this week: I've gotten access to the ULaw online manuals and started working through Contract Law first, mostly because it was my strongest module at uni and I thought it would be a gentle way back in.

That theory hasn't quite held up. I'm making a fair few silly mistakes on the questions at the end of each section, nothing to do with actually understanding the law, more that my brain has clearly gone soft over the holidays. Hoping that sharpens up quickly once I'm back into a proper rhythm.

On the plus side, I'm really liking the question style so far. Problem questions were always my strong suit at uni, and these feel like mini versions of that, so it's a format I actually enjoy working through rather than dread. Just need to get through 360 of them on exam day, so we'll see how enthusiastic I still am a few months from now.

Aha, it slowly wears you out!

But a good sign that you enjoy these problem questions. I used to enjoy them too, and I think contract is particularly quite nice once you get used to the style of questions. Looking forward to following @Louis_Litt.

 

[ray_ray]

The new format of the SQE1 exam effective from the January 2027 sitting - https://sqe.sra.org.uk/assessments/sqe1-assessments/sqe1-specification

 

[Louis_Litt]

Hi all,

Small update this week. The novelty of the problem questions has faded a bit faster than I expected, turns out doing enough of them will do that regardless of how much you enjoyed the format at uni. @Jaysen. We'll see if that enthusiasm comes back once I'm actually at ULaw. Starting there tomorrow, so at least there's some new material and new concepts to apply rather than just grinding through what I already half know.

Also saw the new SQE1 spec changes for the January 2027 sitting @ray_ray, thanks for the link, Six extra seconds per question, so basically a whole extra breath before panicking. Jokes aside, I actually think it should make the exam less tiring overall, since you can mentally prepare to switch between sets of topics rather than being on edge for every single question not knowing what's coming next.

@MatthewObiuwevbi good to see another ULaw starter. I've sent you a message, would be good to share strategies.