Preparing for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is not just an academic challenge – it is a financial, strategic, and psychological one. Many candidates focus solely on the headline SQE price or advertised course fees, without fully understanding how SQE prep fees, additional training, resits, and hidden costs can quickly accumulate.
On SUPERexam LMS, we designed our Bulk Discounts and Smart Credits system with one clear purpose:
to make high-quality SQE preparation more affordable without lowering standards.
When it comes to 1-to-1 classes, whether for SQE1 law or SQE2 mocks, we are not cheap. We are professional SQE educators and coaches. Over eight years working across QLTS and SQE, we have seen that cheap preparation often becomes the most expensive option when it leads to failure. At the same time, we recognise that many domestic candidates are underpaid and cannot easily afford traditional 1-to-1 SQE coaching. That is why we have designed a system that makes high-quality 1-to-1 training more affordable, without compromising standards or results.
SQE1 Course
SQE2 Mock Exams
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Retake SQE
This article explains:
The Real Cost of SQE Preparation: Why Planning Matters
When candidates search for “SQE preparation price” or “SQE prep fees”, they are often presented with:
- large, all-inclusive bundles,
- unclear pricing structures, or
- attractive upfront offers that later require expensive add-ons.
In reality, no two SQE journeys are the same.
Some candidates need deep law revision. Others need SQE additional training in advocacy, drafting, or legal writing. Resitters may need targeted feedback rather than another full course.
A rigid, one-price-fits-all model does not reflect how candidates actually prepare – and often leads to overspending, under-preparing, or both.
Axiom 1 (from experience):
Cheap is not always cheap.
If preparation is useless – or worse, misleading – it is extremely expensive.
Why SQE Prep Quality Matters More Than Price
Over eight years in the QLTS and SQE space, we have observed consistent patterns:
- Candidates in a rush tend to delay real preparation, not accelerate it.
- Easy, passive learning feels comfortable – but delivers little under exam pressure.
Axiom 2:
Those who rush usually arrive last – if at all.
Many candidates who fail twice or three times initially believed they were “saving time”.
Axiom 3:
Study is a voluntary hardship.
If preparation feels easy or effortless, it is usually a warning sign that something is going wrong.
This is why we do not compete on being “cheap”. Instead, we focus on making professional-grade training financially sustainable through planning and cumulative rewards.
The Purpose of Our SQE Pricing System
Our system was built to achieve four key goals:
- Encourage strategic planning, not impulse buying
- Allow candidates to build their own SQE preparation pathway
- Reward long-term commitment and progression
- Keep the SQE preparation price transparent and fair
Instead of forcing candidates to buy everything upfront, we allow them to progress step by step – while benefiting from cumulative discounts as their preparation evolves.
This reflects how real learning works:
you diagnose, adjust, deepen, and refine.
How the SUPERexam SQE Bulk Discounts System Works
SUPERexam operates a cumulative discount model:
- Every qualifying purchase contributes to your total spend
- As your total spend increases, you unlock higher discount bands
- Discounts apply to future purchases, not retrospectively
This mirrors how candidates actually prepare:
most add training incrementally, based on feedback and performance.
Importantly, this system rewards commitment to quality, not one-off impulse spending.
Two Ways to Pay for SQE Preparation
- Direct Purchase
You may purchase:
- SQE1 or SQE2 courses
- resit courses
- individual mocks or specialist training
These purchases:
- count towards your discount thresholds, and
- reduce the effective SQE preparation price over time.
Here is a polished, concise, and clear version, keeping the rationale strong and user-focused:
Direct purchase also includes buying a course as a package, with a substantial built-in discount.
Each course contains only the essential, compulsory components we have identified as necessary for effective preparation. This ensures you do not pay for content you do not need.
You may, however, purchase additional training or mocks if and when you choose, and at the same time benefit from our bulk purchase discounts (see below) 👇🏼.
2. Smart Credits (Where Discounts Are Most Flexible)
Alternatively, you may top up your wallet using Smart Credits:
- £1 = 1 Smart Credit
- Credits are spent flexibly across eligible training
This is where bulk discounts apply, allowing you to:
- buy more training capacity for less money, and
- allocate it precisely where it matters most.
This is particularly valuable for SQE additional training, such as:
- advocacy mocks,
- legal writing feedback,
- client interview practice, or
- drafting and CMA assessments.
Discount Thresholds Explained
| Cumulative Spend | Discount |
|---|---|
| £500–£999 | 5% |
| £1,000–£1,499 | 10% |
| £1,500–£1,999 | 15% |
| £2,000+ | 20% (maximum) |
Practical Examples: Saving on SQE Prep Without Cutting Corners
Example 1: From SQE1 to SQE2
- SQE1 course: £1,400
- Cumulative spend exceeds £2,000
- SQE2 Basic Course (£680)
With a 20% discount:
- £544 instead of £680
The same applies to 1-to-1 mocks:
- Advocacy: £96 instead of £120
- Client Interview: £84 instead of £105
This is not cheaper training ➽ it is the same professional training, accessed more intelligently.
Example 2: SQE2 Resitter Adding Mocks
- SQE2 Resit Course: £650
- Additional mocks: £465
Cumulative spend exceeds £1,000 → 10% discount:
- £418.50 instead of £465
This allows focused correction – not repetition of ineffective study.
SQE Discounts, Refunds, and Transparency
Discounts are optional and must be selected at checkout.
Once applied:
- they apply to all future purchases, and
- they cannot be switched off.
Refunds on discounted purchases are calculated on the amount paid, not the original price.
Smart Credit refunds are subject to a 30% arrangement fee.
This ensures sustainability and fairness across the system.
Other SQE Costs (Often Ignored)
When calculating the real SQE price, candidates should factor in:
- SQE exam fees
- SQE prep fees
- additional training and mocks
- travel to test centres
- accommodation (often multi-day)
- unpaid leave or reduced work hours
Current SQE Exam Fees: Jan 2026
- SQE1: £1,934
- SQE2: £2,974
- Total cost: £4,908
Preparation quality determines whether this investment is made once – or repeatedly.
Final Thoughts: Cheap SQE Training Is Often the Most Expensive
The true cost of SQE preparation is not the cheapest course — it is the number of attempts it takes you to pass.
Our Bulk Discounts system exists to:
- reward commitment to proper preparation,
- support planning over panic, and
- make expert training more accessible without lowering standards.
Strategic preparation costs less in the long run – financially, emotionally, and professionally.
If you are unsure how to structure your SQE preparation or manage SQE prep fees wisely, our team is always happy to help you plan a pathway that prioritises quality, clarity, and success.
Of course, one of the core roles of an SQE training provider is to facilitate preparation. That is precisely what candidates are paying for – otherwise, there are countless law resources available that are far cheaper than any course. However, facilitation only adds value if it is academically sound!
SQE1 preparation
For example, reading summary materials presented as plain text or attending the whole day law revision class may feel easy – but what do you actually retain? Effective learning requires more than passive exposure; it requires active cognitive processing. To support this, we use Synopsis Notes as a deliberate learning tool. They are concise, condensed, and structured as charts and mind maps. When candidates first encounter them, they must invest extra effort to understand them. You do not simply read these notes – you observe, interpret, and make sense of them. This is how information is processed, understood, and ultimately memorised.
By contrast, many traditional law summaries are cognitively much easier to read – but this is often where candidates start spinning their wheels: “staring at a book and seeing nothing.”
Final Axiom:
Those who try to “wing it” often never pass.
Studying smart means results-oriented, exam-focused preparation – not studying less, and not chasing “magic” materials. There is no panacea. Do not be fooled.
SQE2 preparation
The same principle applies to SQE2 preparation its costs. You may complete hundreds of mocks, but without feedback, it is easy to lose direction. What are you actually doing – trying to reverse-engineer a suggested answer written by someone else? In the real exam, there are no model answers. While there are legally correct points, legal comprehensiveness can legitimately take different directions.
This is precisely why SQE2 uses human assessors, applying discretion and academic judgement. And this is why we believe candidates often need reasonable, expert guidance early on – to ensure they are on the right track from the start, rather than realising too late that they have deviated.
Passive self-practice is not only ineffective – in some cases, it can be actively harmful, depending on the quality and assumptions behind the suggested answers.
