The revision strategies I used to pass SQE1

When did you start and complete SQE1?​

September 2022 - January 2023

Who was your SQE provider?​

Barbri

Why did you choose the provider you did?​

Barbri was chosen by my firm.

What kind of support did your provider offer during the SQE?​

Lectures in each module, practice MCQs following each set of lectures, 2 textbooks and 1 revision guide, 4-6 mock tests and a learning coach

Please explain the structure of the SQE programme in your own words​

The BARBRI SQE programme is powered by an AI study tool, which is called a Personal Study Plan. In this tool, you are able to personalise your study schedule by blocking out your free/study days. The plan will then you give an automated schedule of the number of hours and tasks you must complete every day, in accordance to your information. If you do not complete the set tasks every day, this is not an issue, as you can carry them into the next study day. This provides a really good balance of flexibility but structured set tasks so you don't have to think about what to do next. It takes some type getting used to but is very helpful.

The course covers 15 modules - EU, legal system of England and Wales, legal services, tax, solicitor's accounts, land, property practice, business law and practice, dispute resolution, contract, trusts, wills and administration of estates, criminal law and practice, tort and ethics. Each module begins with a set of 4-5 video lectures, varying in length. Within these video lectures, there are interactive MCQs with explanations. After the videos, there is textbook reading and sets of MCQs called 'Learning Sets'. Then, you will move onto another module and repeat the same. After, you will go back onto the first module and continue the content from there. This is repeated across each module and modules will be taught together.

Once a group of modules have been taught, there will be sets of MCQs called 'Practice Sets'. There are also mock tests you can take. The teaching is entirely flexible and online, there is limited interaction with real-life learning coaches. However, the team do have a dedicated email address which is monitored by tutors who will answer any specific questions.

How did you study for SQE1?​

I found studying for the SQE1 very difficult, but manageable with the right tools!

Firstly, balancing the demands of the studying with part-time work was challenging; even though the programme I was on was part-time and the study plan could be amended, I constantly felt like I was behind schedule and playing catch-up. I found that although some colleagues had an idea what the SQE entailed, there was not much support and understanding of the actual academic demands. The sheer volume of the work was very overwhelming. To overcome this, I was transparent with my colleagues, especially if I had certain deadlines to meet, so they could anticipate when I would have more capacity/when I did not. I tried to keep one day of the weekend entirely free and would study for an average of 25 hours a week.

When it came to the end of December and I had one month left till the exam, I studied consistently for around 4-6 hours a day. I have previously used the Pomodoro method which was helpful (25 mins work, 5 mins break repeated) but tried another technique where I set a stopwatch on my phone. This helped me keep track of how long I had been studying for and an incentive not to stop!

The style of the SQE1 is unlike any assessment I have taken before and the question style takes some time getting used to. The MCQs are worded in very specific ways with specific terminology ('must' v 'may') and a significant amount of my time was taken to understand what the questions were actually asking. Although there are some sample questions provided by the SRA, they are extremely different to the real exam; the actual exam questions are much longer and complex, meaning I had a false sense of security regarding both the difficulty and timing of the questions before my exam.

The assessments are also very long and tiring so practicing questions in exam conditions and being strict with yourself on the timing is very important!I found the Barbri resources to be generally very useful and thorough, but I needed to make my own notes and flashcards alongside their resources. Flashcards were the most useful for revision, as the MCQs essentially test active recall and flashcards allowed me to practice quick fire questions. I also used sticky notes for key concepts/rules and stuck them around my flat. Mind-mapping was also helpful. It allowed me to pick out key concepts and understand how they relate to each other. My tip here is to set yourself 30 minutes and see how much information you can get down on a piece of paper! I also used tables to condense information, especially for learning deadlines for dispute resolution or tax principles.

Finally, I cannot emphasise how helpful making up mnemonics are! You need to use the methods that work the best for you - whether it's making up a funny saying or acronyms. If possible, find a small revision group and make a chat. This was helpful in discussing questions together and was valuable moral support.

Now that you have completed SQE1, what advice would you have for passing the exam?​

Revision Strategies - the most important thing is to use a variety of resources; textbook reading, flashcards, mnemonics, videos and practice MCQs. I also asked my friends to test me with the flashcards, which helped me stay accountable. There are a few free mock tests online but be wary of the varying difficulty!

I managed my time by following the Barbri personal study plan. However, in January, when it was solely my free revision time, I split up the topics into smaller sub-topics and aimed to revise a variety of sub-topics across the subjects per day. This not only broke down the content into more manageable chunks but also made me practice switching between different subjects - which you will have to do the assessment. If easier, you can split the subjects and combine them based on whether they will be in FLK1 or FLK2. The exact breakdown of the subjects in each module is on the SRA website.

External resources - I used the QLTS free mocks to practice in the weeks before the exams.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently to study or revise for the exam?​

I would have utilised the Barbri learning coaches more - I didn't speak to them at all but think it would have been valuable to have face-to-face time in a course that was otherwise, entirely remote! I would also begin writing flashcards as soon as I first learnt the content and then edit them as I go along. I would avoid summarising the textbook notes - I did this but didn't read any of them over after!

Were you employed alongside the SQE?​

Yes - part time work - 2 days a week. I would only recommend this if you have 3-4 free days to study during the week. The SQE exam should be prioritised 1-2 months before the exam so I would ensure you communicate this to work as soon as possible. I would also take off 2 weeks before the exam to dedicate to full time studying.

Is there anything else you feel that future SQE students should know?​

The exam day itself is very mentally draining and you will feel very uncertain about most of your answers. Do not spend valuable exam time counting up/thinking about how many questions you didn't get. In the exam, you have a whiteboard to jot down notes. The exam has a functionality which enables you to 'flag' questions which you want to return to. Before the exam, think about how you want to best use this. I split my whiteboard into 2 columns. I noted down the numbers for questions I had no idea about and numbers where I had whittled the answer down to 2-3 options. Then, when I had time after reviewing all questions once, I then went back to the questions I had whittled down answers to. Finally, practice the exam conditions and understanding the timing constraints. You have 90 questions to answer in 2h 33 and the time goes quickly! I aimed to do 30 questions in 30 minutes.
 
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