Hi all,
I’m an Oxford law graduate starting my BARBRI SQE1 course next Monday.
I’ve heard great things about BARBRI, although, in all fairness, the main reason I am studying with them is that my future law firm has chosen them as my SQE provider. That said, from everything I have read and heard, I feel very fortunate that this is the provider I’ll be studying with.
For now, I don’t have much to report. However, I have spoken to quite a few people who have taken the SQE before me, and their advice can broadly be distilled into three points. I thought these would be a good place to start my first entry with:
1. Consistency is key
Everyone knows that there is an enormous amount of material to get through, and the SQE is demanding for a number of reasons. The worst thing you can therefore do is take it too easy at the beginning and then try to compensate by overworking yourself towards the end.
If you can establish a consistent routine and put in a reasonable number of hours every day, you will thank yourself for it later.
One thing I particularly like about BARBRI is that you can keep track of the progress you have made. Being able to see how much you have already completed can apparently be incredibly rewarding when you have managed to work consistently. At least, that is what I have been told. I’ll let you know in due time whether I agree!
2. Find out what works for you
This might sound obvious, but if you ask ten people how to prepare for the SQE, you will probably receive ten different answers.
Some people swear by flashcards. Others prefer writing everything out by hand. Some focus heavily on practice questions, while others rely more on repetition and memorisation. I have also heard very positive things about various apps and other study tools.
The point is that there does not seem to be one correct method. Particularly during the first few weeks, or perhaps even the first month or two, I think it is important to give yourself some room to experiment. Try different systems, work out what actually helps you retain information, and do not blindly follow somebody else’s method simply because it worked for them.
I intend to do exactly that, and I’ll share the different methods I try along the way, including what works for me and what very much does not.
3. Don’t lose sight of the goal
This was probably the piece of advice I found most helpful.
At the beginning, the SQE can feel incredibly overwhelming. You know that somewhere ahead of you is an exam lasting around ten hours, covering an enormous amount of material that you will spend months preparing for. Looking at the whole thing at once can make it feel like an impossible mountain to climb.
The advice I received was essentially not to think about it that way.
If you work consistently, cover the material properly and follow the course, the exam is achievable. It is never going to be easy, nor is it supposed to be, but there is little benefit in repeatedly telling yourself how difficult it is.
Equally, there is no point in underestimating it. In fact, there is probably very little point in constantly trying to estimate how difficult it is at all.
Break it down. Compartmentalise. Do what you need to do today, then do the same tomorrow. Eventually, all of those individual days add up.
So, in short, the advice I am taking into the course is: be consistent, find the study method that works for you, and take the SQE one step at a time rather than allowing the size of the overall task to overwhelm you.
Over the coming months, I intend to use this thread as something of an SQE diary. I’ll share the different study methods I try, what works and what doesn’t, how I find BARBRI, my progress through the course, the inevitable mental anguish that comes with preparing for the SQE, and anything else that might be useful to someone taking it in the future.
If you have already taken the SQE, please feel free to add any advice below. Equally, if anyone has questions about anything I mention in this thread as I go along, feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer them promptly.
Entry one complete. Let’s see how this goes.
I’m an Oxford law graduate starting my BARBRI SQE1 course next Monday.
I’ve heard great things about BARBRI, although, in all fairness, the main reason I am studying with them is that my future law firm has chosen them as my SQE provider. That said, from everything I have read and heard, I feel very fortunate that this is the provider I’ll be studying with.
For now, I don’t have much to report. However, I have spoken to quite a few people who have taken the SQE before me, and their advice can broadly be distilled into three points. I thought these would be a good place to start my first entry with:
1. Consistency is key
Everyone knows that there is an enormous amount of material to get through, and the SQE is demanding for a number of reasons. The worst thing you can therefore do is take it too easy at the beginning and then try to compensate by overworking yourself towards the end.
If you can establish a consistent routine and put in a reasonable number of hours every day, you will thank yourself for it later.
One thing I particularly like about BARBRI is that you can keep track of the progress you have made. Being able to see how much you have already completed can apparently be incredibly rewarding when you have managed to work consistently. At least, that is what I have been told. I’ll let you know in due time whether I agree!
2. Find out what works for you
This might sound obvious, but if you ask ten people how to prepare for the SQE, you will probably receive ten different answers.
Some people swear by flashcards. Others prefer writing everything out by hand. Some focus heavily on practice questions, while others rely more on repetition and memorisation. I have also heard very positive things about various apps and other study tools.
The point is that there does not seem to be one correct method. Particularly during the first few weeks, or perhaps even the first month or two, I think it is important to give yourself some room to experiment. Try different systems, work out what actually helps you retain information, and do not blindly follow somebody else’s method simply because it worked for them.
I intend to do exactly that, and I’ll share the different methods I try along the way, including what works for me and what very much does not.
3. Don’t lose sight of the goal
This was probably the piece of advice I found most helpful.
At the beginning, the SQE can feel incredibly overwhelming. You know that somewhere ahead of you is an exam lasting around ten hours, covering an enormous amount of material that you will spend months preparing for. Looking at the whole thing at once can make it feel like an impossible mountain to climb.
The advice I received was essentially not to think about it that way.
If you work consistently, cover the material properly and follow the course, the exam is achievable. It is never going to be easy, nor is it supposed to be, but there is little benefit in repeatedly telling yourself how difficult it is.
Equally, there is no point in underestimating it. In fact, there is probably very little point in constantly trying to estimate how difficult it is at all.
Break it down. Compartmentalise. Do what you need to do today, then do the same tomorrow. Eventually, all of those individual days add up.
So, in short, the advice I am taking into the course is: be consistent, find the study method that works for you, and take the SQE one step at a time rather than allowing the size of the overall task to overwhelm you.
Over the coming months, I intend to use this thread as something of an SQE diary. I’ll share the different study methods I try, what works and what doesn’t, how I find BARBRI, my progress through the course, the inevitable mental anguish that comes with preparing for the SQE, and anything else that might be useful to someone taking it in the future.
If you have already taken the SQE, please feel free to add any advice below. Equally, if anyone has questions about anything I mention in this thread as I go along, feel free to ask and I’ll do my best to answer them promptly.
Entry one complete. Let’s see how this goes.
