If I had a pound for every time a student asked me “Olga, what percentage do I need to pass SQE1?”, I could probably fund a study group myself. It is the most natural question in the world, and it is also slightly the wrong one. Let me explain why, without the jargon.
SQE1 does not have a fixed pass percentage
Here is the part that surprises people: the SQE1 pass mark is not a tidy 60% carved in stone. Each sitting is standard-set and the raw scores are converted onto a scaled score, so the number of questions you need right can shift slightly between sittings depending on how difficult that paper was. The idea is fairness, that a January cohort and a July cohort are held to the same standard even if one paper was a touch harder. You can read the mechanics in our guide to SQE marking and pass marks.
The practical upshot: stop chasing a magic percentage. Aim to be comfortably and consistently accurate, not to scrape a specific line.
How the questions actually score
SQE1 is single best answer, and there is no negative marking. A blank is worth exactly the same as a wrong answer, which means you should never leave a question empty, ever. Even an educated guess between two options is free expected value. I have seen careful candidates lose marks purely by running out of time and leaving the last handful blank.
It is also split across FLK1 and FLK2, and you generally need to reach the standard on the assessment overall. Lopsided knowledge, brilliant on one and shaky on the other, is a classic way to come unstuck.
SQE2 is a different animal
SQE2 is not multiple choice. It is marked by trained assessors against defined criteria across your written and oral skills. There is no scaled-scoring trick to game here; there is only whether your client interview, your advocacy and your drafting meet the standard. That is why feedback from someone who has marked to those criteria is worth more than any amount of solo practice.
So what actually gets you over the line?
After years of watching who passes and who resits, my honest answer is boring: consistency beats intensity. Regular, active practice across every subject, spaced out, beats a heroic three-week cram. The candidates who pass comfortably are almost never the ones who studied the most hours; they are the ones who studied the right way, steadily.
If you want that steadiness without the spreadsheet misery, our free SQE Planner maps your hours per subject across the weeks you have left. New to all of this? Start with the SQE explained.
Quick questions I hear a lot
Is the SQE1 pass mark the same every year?
No. It is set per sitting through standard-setting, so the exact scaled threshold can move. Prepare to be reliably accurate rather than to hit one fixed number.
Does guessing hurt my score?
No. There is no negative marking, so a guess can only help. Answer every question.
Can I pass SQE1 while being weak in one FLK?
It is risky. The assessment rewards broad competence, so shore up your weaker subjects rather than over-polishing your strong ones.
Want a plan built around how you actually learn? Have a look at our SQE1 and SQE2 courses, or just start with the planner and see where you stand.
— Dr Olga Pogrebennyk