90%+ Average Pass Rate from QLTS OSCE in 2018 to SQE2 in 2024: It’s not about the brand; it’s about ‘know-how’

SQE1 Preparation for Foreign Candidates

Two Types of Foreign Aspiring Lawyers: Qualified Foreign Lawyers & Foreign Students

In the video below, we outline the key information about the SQE exams — tailored specifically for you:

↓ (Press ▷ To Start)

Bite-sized lectures
Smart Notes
Exam-focused MCQ
Live-classes
1-to-1 Tutoring
Mentorship

Common Challenges Faced by Foreign SQE1 Candidates

Want to Understand These Challenges in More Depth?
*You can read a full analysis of the key barriers facing foreign and international SQE1 candidates — at the bottom of this page.

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Different Legal System

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Legal Education Gaps

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Language Barriers

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No Exposure to Practice Exams

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Lack of Exam Technique

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SQE Prep Not Designed for Foreigners

SQE for foreign lawyers: ‘The visual materials – especially the mind maps for Business Law and Dispute Resolution, advocacy framework – were crafted with a clarity that only a true professional could achieve. These resources still stick with me today. I highly recommend to anyone seeking focused, effective SQE exam preparation.’

Oleksandra Storozhukz - Dual qualified solicitor (England and Wales & Ukraine)

SQE1 Preparation Designed for Foreign Candidates

At the Academy of Smart Lawyers, we don’t just offer SQE prep – we offer tailored support for international candidates. Unlike most providers, we’ve built our programme with the specific challenges of foreign-qualified lawyers and non-UK educated candidates in mind. Here’s how we’re different:

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✔️ Lectures Tailored for Foreign Candidates: Language & Clarity First

 

Most SQE prep providers assume a UK-native audience. We don’t.

Our lectures are delivered by tutors who are:

  • Foreign-qualified solicitors now working in the UK, or

  • Native speakers trained to teach with clarity and at a pace designed for non-native English speakers

This means no overwhelming pace, no skipped steps, no assumptions about your background, and no heavy accents or broken English — just clear, accessible teaching you can follow and reta. 

👉 Explore Our SQE Lectures

Bite-sized, practical, and easy to follow. Delivered by two practising solicitors in plain English with subtitles – highly recommended by aspiring solicitors  for focused SQE prep.

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✔️ Smart SQE Notes: Built to Understand and Memorise

 

We created Smart Synopsis Notes — not just summaries, but structured study maps.

These notes:

  • Target key legal concepts and confusing areas often tested on the SQE1

  • Use visuals, structure, and logical layout to help you see how rules and exceptions fit together

  • Include built-in simplified explanations for tricky concepts that often confuse international candidates

👉 Explore Our SQE Notes

Many of our students say they can “see” the notes in their minds during the exam — that’s the power of visual learning, made for memory.

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✔️ Specialist MCQs + Real Exam Technique for Foreign Candidates

 

We don’t just give you questions. We train you to think like a UK examiner.

Our MCQ bundles are designed with SQE for foreign aspiring lawyers in mind:

  • Highlight common traps that catch foreign candidates out

  • Explain non-legal English terms (like “bouncer”) that may appear in exam scenarios

  • Focus on exam application skills — something native candidates often learn instinctively, but foreign candidates must develop consciously

This isn’t just revision. It’s technique training — the missing link for many international lawyers.

👉 Explore Our SQE MCQs

Register on our SUPERexam platform to access free sample SQE1 MCQs in training and exam formats, with a realistic interface, calculator, and question-flagging.

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✔️ Live SQE Classes: Monthly Revision with Practising Solicitors

We designed our Live Classes not just as lectures, but as interactive revision sessions to reinforce your knowledge.

These classes:

  1. Focus on revising key SQE topics, clarifying common points of confusion
  2. Are delivered in plain English by two practising solicitors, making even complex areas accessible
  3. Run monthly (excluding July, October, December, and April — which are dedicated to SQE1 mentorship and SQE2 group simulations, Legal Theatre)

*Note: We also invite SQE candidates with SQE2 exemptions to observe our Legal Theatre — Interview and Advocacy sessions — to help them grasp the practical skills they’re exempted from but still need to understand.

👉 Explore the SQE Events Schedule

Many of our students say these sessions bring everything together — making the law clearer, connecting the dots, and boosting their confidence before the exam.

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✔️ 1-to-1 Law Tutoring: Personalised Law Lessons with a Qualified Tutor

We offer 1-to-1 Law Lessons, fully tailored to your needs — just you and a qualified solicitor or barrister focusing on what matters most to you. These sessions are not part of our standard SQE1 courses or packages, but are available on demand.

These sessions:

  1. Let you choose and submit up to three specific topics within your chosen subject
  2. Include tutor preparation in advance — we ask you to submit topics at least 24 hours beforehand so your tutor can prepare properly
  3. Are delivered as a 60-minute oral call with a practising solicitor or barrister, giving you focused, professional insight
  4. Are ideal for law students and aspiring lawyers who want clarity and confidence on specific areas of the law

👉 Explore, Register & Book

These sessions are perfect if you want personal attention, clear answers, and tailored guidance — exactly when you need it.

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✔️ Mentorship Programmes: Guidance Beyond the Books

Our mentorship programmes are designed to support aspiring solicitors beyond just legal knowledge — offering advice, motivation, and community.

  • Especially valuable for young, aspiring lawyers who benefit from ongoing guidance and encouragement throughout their journey
  • For more experienced qualified foreign lawyers, we also offer dedicated study groups tailored to your jurisdiction and background

We’re currently enrolling to the following specialised groups:

👉 Explore SQE Indian Mentorship Programme

👉 Explore SQE Francophone Mentorship Programme

👉 Explore SQE Ukrainian Mentorship Programme

These programmes connect you with mentors, peers, and resources that make the path to qualification clearer — and much less lonely.

Why Do Foreign Lawyers and International Candidates Underperform?

 

1. Different Legal Systems

One of the main reasons is the difference between legal systems. Most international lawyers come from civil law jurisdictions, where legal reasoning, sources of law, and educational methods are fundamentally different. In many areas, civil and common law systems are not just distinct – they are nearly opposite.

These foundational differences make it much harder to interpret and apply English law in the way the SQE1 demands – particularly when answering scenario-based MCQs under time pressure.

2. Legal Education Gaps

Civil law legal education tends to be highly theoretical and essay-based, while the SQE focuses on the application of law to facts and practical exams. This shift – from memorising codes to applying statutes and case-law precedents to real-world scenarios – is extremely challenging, especially without prior UK education and training.

Without a UK LLB or equivalent, many foreign candidates struggle to grasp the format, expectations, and core content of English legal education. An LLM can be helpful as it provides a good sense of the educational approach — but it’s not the same, unless it’s an SQE LLM.

3. Language Barriers & Lack of English Legal Terminology

Foreign lawyers often have to mentally translate English law concepts or terminology before they can answer SQE1 questions. This slows down reading and increases the risk of misunderstanding. Reading speed and comprehension also impact performance under time pressure.

We’ve worked with candidates whose legal education originated in civil law jurisdictions but who were already qualified in a common law system — typically via the New York Bar. These individuals generally found it easier to requalify in England and Wales via SQE, even if their first law degree was from a civil law country, because they had already learned to distinguish and navigate different legal frameworks.

4. No Exposure to Practice Exams

In many countries — particularly those with civil law systems — legal education focuses heavily on theoretical knowledge. Even when multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are used, they typically test abstract concepts rather than practical application. This is fundamentally different from the SQE1 exam, where single-best-answer MCQs are built around practical, scenario-based situations that reflect the decisions a solicitor must make in real life.

Essay-style exams in civil law jurisdictions may involve some case-based analysis, but they still fall short of simulating day-to-day legal tasks. This lack of exposure becomes even more problematic for the SQE2, which is entirely made up of realistic simulations such as client interviews, advocacy, legal drafting, and case analysis — designed to test whether the candidate can perform as a solicitor in England and Wales.

This gap in experience means that foreign lawyers and students often face a steep learning curve, both in understanding how English law is applied in practice and in mastering the format of SQE assessments.

5. Lack of Exam Technique

SQE1 is not just about knowing the law — it’s about spotting key facts, eliminating wrong answers, and managing time. Many foreign candidates haven’t encountered single-best-answer MCQs or similar to SQE computer-based assessments in legal settings, especially those from civil law backgrounds.

The SQE1 assessment is live and evolving. Since its introduction, Kaplan — the exam provider — has actively refined its approach. The questions have become more nuanced and significantly more difficult than those seen in the early sittings. Candidates can no longer expect straightforward recall SQE 1 or MCT QLTS questions — they now face often complex scenario-based questions that require subtle legal reasoning, critical thinking, and practical application of the law.

This makes SQE1 very different from the earlier QLTS MCT assessments, which some foreign-qualified lawyers may be familiar with. We strongly recommend reading our full article “SQE vs QLTS Explained: Key Differences for International Lawyers” to understand how the new structure impacts foreign candidates.

Finally, remember: if you’re exempt from SQE2, SQE1 is the only exam you’ll face — and the SRA wants to ensure it’s sufficiently robust. As such, it’s increasingly becoming the more demanding stage.

With the right strategy, and exam training specifically tailored for foreign lawyers, success is possible — but the exam must be taken seriously.

6. SQE Prep Not Designed for Foreigners

Today, the SQE market is crowded with providers. Almost all UK universities now offer SQE preparation courses or SQE-based degrees — but these are overwhelmingly designed with domestic candidates in mind. For foreign lawyers and international students, the content often remains inaccessible, unadjusted for language barriers, and assumes familiarity with UK legal education and practice.

This makes preparation more challenging — though not impossible. An SQE1 LLM is generally a good option for some foreign candidates; while expensive, it at least provides a recognised UK law degree alongside exam preparation. Many of the international candidates we support have chosen this route — and still find they benefit enormously from our foreigner-tailored SQE materials to supplement their studies and bridge the gaps left by standard courses.

Moreover, the SRA does not regulate SQE providers: anyone — even those who are not solicitors — can set themselves up as a provider. Indeed, there are many private tutors and small outfits advertising SQE training who are not on the solicitors’ roll (something you can and should check). With dozens of providers now in the market, it can feel overwhelming to choose wisely.

China

The group sessions with the solicitors were particularly insightful. They presented real cases and then facilitated discussions on how to address the issues, move forward, and so forth. It was a practical way to learn and think. Moreover, interacting with other students allowed me to see different perspectives on these topics, which I may not have considered initially.

Celeste Chen
Neha Sachde SQE2
India

Whatever we do in the Indian legal system is more based on your memory skills. You just memorise and write your answers. But here the entire way this examination is held is based on your actual skills. The amount of pressure that you have while you do the examination is something that is really difficult, and this is where you need help, guidance, all kind of tips and tricks, and expertise. This is where The Acedemy of Smart Lawyers comes in.

Neha Sachde
Ukraine

Human response is one thing but the other thing is the professional assessment which the Academy tutors are very qualified to provide, and those responses to me were really relevant… They went through this examination, and they all live your examination together with you over and over again, and they really enjoy the job they’re doing. And that job is amasing. You go there confidently and you see how you improved your skills just in weeks.

Dmytro Bogdan