What is SQE1?

Jan 30, 2024

Written By Helena Kudiabor

The SQE route to qualification has been dubbed the ‘super exam’, as it is made up of two sets of assessments, SQE1 and SQE2. The SQE1 will be the first exams to be taken, and should take place after you finish your law degree or any preparation courses.

What does SQE1 involve?

The SQE1 is designed to assess your ‘functioning legal knowledge’, and involves 360 multiple choice questions over two days of testing. The exam will be carried out using computers at an assessment centre, and will be assessed on a pass/fail basis. It will cost you £1,798 in total.

What exactly is functioning legal knowledge?

Candidates will be asked to apply their knowledge of the law to demonstrate the skills required of a newly qualified solicitor. These skills include: resisting pressure to ignore unethical behaviour, recognising when they have made mistakes or are struggling, and applying legal principles to factual situations to come up with solutions.

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How will SQE1 be assessed?

The SQE1 is divided further into two parts: FLK1 and FLK2. Each one assesses different aspects of law. You will need to pass both parts to pass SQE1 as a whole.

FLK1 will assess: Business Law and practice, Dispute Resolution, Contract, Tort, The Legal System of England and Wales, Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law and Legal Services, and Ethics and Professional Conduct (examined in both).

FLK2 will assess: Property Practice, Wills and the Administration of Estates, Solicitors Accounts, Land Law, Trusts, Criminal Law and Practice, as well as Ethics and Professional Conduct (examined in both).

Can I fail the exam?

Unlike aptitude tests like the Watson Glaser test, the SQE is marked on a pass/fail basis. Results will be released six to ten weeks after taking the exam. They will include your overall mark as a percentage, whether you passed or failed, the pass mark for the exam, and candidate quintiles so you can compare your performance to everyone else who took the exam. You need to pass both FLK1 and FLK2 to progress to the next stage.

If you fail the exam, you will need to pay £1,798 to retake the whole thing, or £899 if you failed just FLK1 or FLK2. If you fail any portion of the exam three times, you will have to wait six years from the day of your first exam to retake.

What happens after I pass SQE1?

Once you pass SQE1, you can begin preparing for the SQE2, the next set of exams. You will also need to do two years of legal work experience - you can do this either before, during or after the SQE2. You can even do it before the SQE1. Once you have passed SQE2, you will be able to apply to be admitted to the roll of solicitors.

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