The latest SQE1 exam results highlight a troubling trend. A significant number of candidates fail the SQE exams multiple times. ☹️ Understanding the reasons behind this can help avoid common pitfalls.
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Why do many candidates fail SQE1 repeatedly?
1. Many candidates come underprepared – especially foreign candidates.
This is often due to persuasive sales techniques by some providers, who may downplay the length and intensity of proper preparation. In reality, the SQE1 covers a vast syllabus, equivalent to three full-time years of an LLB plus one full-time year of the LPC.
How can anyone reasonably expect to memorise and understand all that law in 6 or even 8 months of part-time study? Let’s be honest – this is a commercial market, and preparation providers are competing for sales. If you’re a foreign candidate, you may need substantially more time, and ideally, tailored materials designed for non-native English speakers and civil law backgrounds.
2. The SQE1 exam does not simply test your memory – it tests your ability to apply legal knowledge.
You will face complex, practical scenarios, with plausible options that are carefully designed to test deep understanding. These options may include:
○ Faulty legal reasoning
○ Common misconceptions
○ Partially true statements
To identify the correct single best answer, you need both solid legal knowledge and strong problem-solving skills. It’s not enough to memorise – you must understand the law at a practical, conceptual level.
3. The real SQE1 MCQs are harder than most provider or SRA sample questions.
Since 2024, many providers have had to redraft their practice questions due to the increased complexity of the exam. Kaplan recently issued new drafting guidance at a roundtable with training providers. This may signal further changes ahead – though the good news is that questions are expected to be shorter and more focused.
Kaplan has now instructed providers to:
- Avoid irrelevant detail or unnecessary background
- Include only the information necessary to support the options
Currently, many SQE1 MCQs in the exam are lengthy, and candidates often spend over 1.7 minutes just reading the question. This is particularly challenging for non-native speakers.
The problem is, you have a limited number of SQE exam attempts. Watch the video below explaining: How Many Times Can I Resit the SQE?
Our SQE Exam Preparation Method
Here’s how we resolve the above – and what makes our course different:
🧠 We focus on understanding the SQE exam law, not just learning it.
Our materials include structured lecture slides, synopsis-style smart SQE notes, and rich visual illustrations that break down legal concepts clearly – especially helpful for those from non-common law backgrounds.
👩⚖️ You’re taught by practising solicitors – not unqualified tutors or academic theorists.
We ensure you’re guided by professionals who’ve actually passed the route and work in legal practice, not by those who may never have sat the SQE themselves.
💬 We offer interactive SQE live classes, led by experienced solicitors who explain English legal terminology in plain language and make constant links between civil and common law reasoning.
🧩 We train you to think like the exam.
We work on exam strategy from day one – showing you how to spot distractors, apply legal logic, and answer MCQs under pressure. We even invite students to draft their own questions using our specially trained AI tool, which strengthens your ability to spot the logic behind each best answer.
📝 Practice exams and SQE mocks mirror the real SQE1 format, including MCQs crafted in line with the latest guidance from Kaplan, but it is ongoing process.
The Academy of Smart Lawyers offers a tailored SQE1 course designed specifically for foreign-trained lawyers, including:
- Clear explanations of English legal terminology
- Bridging civil and common law systems
- Interactive live sessions with expert tutors
- Practice exams closely mirroring the real SQE1 format
But more importantly, we go beyond just content delivery. We focus on deep understanding – not memorisation. Our SQE1 course is built not just to teach law – but to equip you with the legal reasoning, confidence, and tools to pass SQE1. Built specifically as SQE prep for foreign candidates, helping you develop legal reasoning, confidence, and the tools to pass SQE1.
📊 SQE1 FLKs Data: Under‑performance by SQE1 Exam Sittings
Based on SRA statistical reports for SQE1 exam sittings in January 2023, July 2023, January 2024, and July 2024, here’s a summary of pass rates and trends by FLK component:
Key takeaway: Across all sittings, FLK2 consistently registers lower pass rates than FLK1, indicating it as a relatively weak spot for many candidates.
📊 How Candidates Perform in Each Subject Across the SQE1 exam Sittings
📐 Calculation Methodology
Every year, the SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority) publishes reports that show how students performed in the SQE exams. These reports include average scores for each subject (or “practice area”) tested in the SQE1 exam.
Each subject is marked out of 500 points. The pass mark is 300. This score stays consistent across different SQE exam sittings thanks to a method the SRA uses to adjust for differences in exam difficulty. This ensures that the results are fair no matter when the SQE exam was taken.
If a subject has a high average score, it means most candidates did well in that area. If the average is low, it suggests that many found the subject more difficult.
The reports often break the SQE1 results down further to show:
- How all candidates performed,
- How passing and failing candidates did,
- And how results differed between first-time test takers and resitters.
This data helps us clearly see which subjects are usually easier or harder for students, and where extra focus may be needed when preparing for the exam.
📘 FLK1 and FLK2: Mean Scaled Scores by Practice Area
| Practice AreaFLK1 | 2023 Mean Score | 2024 Mean Score | Practice AreaFLK2 | 2023 Mean Score | 2024 Mean Score |
| Ethics | ~70.7 | ~362 | Ethics | ~63.5 | ~354 |
| Contract Law | ~63.2 | ~335 | Criminal Liability | ~60.3 | ~317 |
| Legal Services | ~51.6 | ~302 | Land Law | ~55.0 | ~303 |
| Legal System (E&W) | ~57.3 | ~294 | Trust Law | ~55.1 | ~300 |
| Tort | ~57.5 | ~299 | Criminal Law & Practice | ~53.0 | ~290 |
| Business Law & Practice | ~55.8 | ~279 | Property Practice | ~50.7 | ~278 |
| Dispute Resolution | ~52.3 | ~278 | Wills & Intestacy | ~49.9 | ~265 |
* The statistical report from before scaled scoring was introduced in 2024. Read more about SQE1 scaled scoring.
SQE1 Exam Performance Summary:
Best‑Performing Areas:
- FLK1 SQE1: Ethics, Contract Law, Legal System, Tort
- FLK2 SQE1: Ethics, Criminal Liability, Land Law, Trust Law
Weakest Areas:
- FLK1 SQE1: Business Law & Practice, Dispute Resolution
- FLK2 SQE1: Property Practice, Wills & Intestacy
These consistently lower mean scores indicate that these SQE1 exam practice areas are more challenging for candidates and require extra preparation and focus.
Why SQE1 Exam’s Statistics Matters
- Mean scaled scores highlight absolute performance gaps – ideal for identifying persistent weaknesses in the SQE exam law.
- Candidates who scored higher on first attempts also performed better in the same strong areas, suggesting consistent performance patterns across abilities in FLK1 and FLK2 in the SQE1 exam.
- To maximise SQE exams success, revision strategies should prioritise weakest subjects first, while reinforcing strong foundations in high-scoring areas.
📌 Final Summary & Why Our Course Works
The SQE1 exam demands far more than memorisation. It tests your ability to apply legal reasoning across both FLK1 and FLK2 – with FLK2 consistently proving more difficult for candidates.
At the Academy of Smart Lawyers, we help you bridge that gap through structured understanding and strategy – not last-minute cramming. From practical legal reasoning training and AI-assisted MCQ construction, to targeted revision and exam-focused time management, our course is built as a direct response to the most common reasons candidates fail, as shown in the SRA’s own data.
Next Steps – Discover Smart SQE1 Exam Prep With Us
Ready to stop guessing and start preparing with a plan?
Here’s how you can get started:
- Register on SUPERexam
🔗 Create a free account to access sample materials, live class recordings, and smart note previews. You don’t need to pay anything unless you decide to purchase a course — but like on any platform, you’ll be asked to accept our Terms and Privacy Policy when registering. - Explore Our SQE1 Course and Special Mentorship Groups
We offer full, structured preparation tailored to your background — including dedicated mentorship groups for the following jurisdictions:
These groups help candidates connect, revise together, and benefit from mentor-led guidance specific to their legal systems and language needs.
This is really insightful article. Thank you for breaking down the data from the SRA so clearly. It’s interesting to see which areas candidates are finding most challenging in the SQE exams. I’d be curious to hear others’ experiences – do you agree with the data, or have you find different areas more difficult in your own prep?