Complete Guide To SQE - Law Training Centre
Complete Guide To SQE - Law Training Centre
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Contents
What is the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE)? 4
What are the 4 steps of the SQE route to qualifying as a Solicitor? 4
What’s the difference between the SQE and the Legal Practice Course (LPC)?
How do they compare?
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The SQE has been developed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) as a single,
rigorous national licensing examination, which presents the opportunity for greater flexibility
of study methods, less cost, and alternative routes to qualification as a Solicitor with the
removal of the requirement for a training contract.
The SQE will mean that everyone who becomes a Solicitor will meet the same high standards
in a consistent way.
To allow flexibility in how you qualify, the SRA has not yet stated any order in which you must
complete the four requirements. Therefore, you can choose when and how you complete
each part to fit around your own commitments. For example, you can start to develop and
collate your work experience before you sit your SQE assessments, whilst other students
might decide to start the work experience alongside their SQE studies.
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The complete guide to the Solicitors Qualifying
Examination (SQE)
If you are already studying or training to become a Solicitor before the 1 September 2021, you
can continue to qualify through the existing routes, or choose to do the SQE. If you choose to
take the existing route, you will have until 31 December 2032 to qualify as a Solicitor through
that pathway, as long as courses still remain available.
In order to make an informed decision about the pathway that best suits you, it is helpful to
directly contrast the key differences between the SQE and LPC pathways.
The SQE allows learners with a degree in any subject to qualify without the need to
undertake an additional conversion course, therefore opening the door to those with no legal
education background.
However, the SQE also goes one step further, as learners do not need to hold a degree at
all – they can instead qualify by utilising a Level 6 degree-equivalent qualification in any subject.
You can find a more detailed breakdown and comparison of the costs of
qualifying here.
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3. Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) vs. training contract
The SQE route requires completion of Qualifying Work Experience (QWE), whereas the LPC
route requires aspiring Solicitors to complete a training contract in order to qualify.
For the year 2019-20, the Law Society revealed that, whilst 20,905 UK students were
accepted to study law at undergraduate level in England and Wales, only 6,344 new training
contracts were registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). This illustrates just
how competitive it is to apply for elusive training contracts.
Training contracts are limited two-year placements, normally carried out in a single law firm,
and they see aspiring lawyers progress through at least three areas of work at the law firm
(known as seats). Trainees must complete a contentious and non-contentious seat, and also
undertake a Professional Skills Course (PSC).
In contrast, the SQE QWE requirement is much more flexible. QWE can be completed before,
alongside, or after a candidate’s SQE studies and examinations and needs to equate to two
years full time equivalent.
However, QWE does not need to be one continuous two-year period - it can also be
completed in stages and in up to four different organisations. There are a wide range of
organisations in which QWE can be carried out, including law firms, law clinics, in-house, or
not for profit organisations. The organisation does not need to be registered or regulated by
the SRA, and the work itself can be paid or unpaid.
QWE must be confirmed by a Solicitor, though they do not need to hold a practising
certificate to do so, and in a law firm, it could be the Compliance Officer for Legal Practice
(COLP) who signs off on your QWE. Individuals can also choose to complete a traditional
training contract if they still wish to – this will count as QWE. You can find out more about
QWE in our online guide.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) competence statement sets out the rules that Solicitors
should follow and provides everyone with clear guidance of what to expect from a Solicitor.
This is what the SQE assessments tests. Whilst most LPCs are quite similar, the SQE ensures a
standardised assessment. Every applicant must pass the same rigorous assessment in order to
qualify, as the exams are regulated by SRA, and are set by one provider (Kaplan). This means that
the exams’ content and/or difficulty does not vary from provider to provider, which was formally
the case with the LPC.
5. The LPC aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice – the SQE assesses both
As mentioned above, the LPC is a course which is designed to be taken following completion
of your LLB or GDL/CPE to bridge the gap between legal theory and legal practice prior to, or
alongside, the completion of a training contract. The SQE, however, is a means of assessing
both your functioning legal knowledge and your ability to apply this knowledge in practice
assessed at the level of a newly qualified solicitor. Alongside the completion of qualifying work
experience, there are SQE Prep courses which are designed to prepare learners for the SQE
by equipping them with the knowledge and skills they need to sit the SQE assessments. Find
out more about Law Training Centre’s SQE1 Prep and SQE2 Prep courses.
The Legal Practice Course (LPC) is a postgraduate course, open to law graduates with
an LLB, those who have completed a Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), or those who have
completed a Common Professional Examination (CPE) following studies in an unrelated field.
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The complete guide to the Solicitors Qualifying
Examination (SQE)
SQE1 tests Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK), across 10 hours of SQE1 assessment. This
includes two exams (Functioning Legal Knowledge assessment 1 and Functioning Legal
Knowledge assessment 2) that are single best answer multiple choice assessments. There
are 180 questions per assessment.
The two SQE1 Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) assessments comprise the following
subject areas:
• FLK1
> Business Law and Practice
> Dispute Resolution
> Contract Law
> Tort Law
> Legal System of England and Wales
> Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law and Legal Services
• FLK2
> Property Practice
> Wills and the Administration of Estates
> Solicitors Accounts
> Land Law
> Trusts Law
> Criminal Law and Practice
The exams will be available to take across a wide geographic area at Pearson VUE test
centres and each Functioning Legal Knowledge assessment is taken on a separate day.
In order to pass SQE1, you must achieve the overall pass mark for both FLK1 and FLK2. You
will not pass SQE1 if you fail either FLK1 or FLK2.
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What is the structure of the
SQE2 assessment?
The SQE is split into two assessments - SQE1 and SQE2.
The SQE2 assesses practical legal skills across two parts: oral assessments and written
assessments. The assessments take place over five days: SQE2 oral assessments over two
half days and SQE2 written assessments over three half-days, with a total of 12 written legal
skills assessments.
Ethics and Professional Conduct are assessed throughout, with the assessments focussing
on the following six skills:
• Client Interview and Attendance Note/Legal Analysis
• Advocacy
• Case and Matter analysis
• Legal Research
• Legal Writing
• Legal Drafting
The practice areas in which these legal skills are assessed are:
• Criminal Litigation
• Dispute Resolution
• Property Practice
• Wills and Intestacy, Probate Administration and Practice
• Business organisations rules and procedures
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The complete guide to the Solicitors Qualifying
Examination (SQE)
The SRA will publish assessment dates approximately 12 months before each assessment.
They will also publicise when the booking window for each assessment opens, and email
when booking is open for an assessment.
The SRA requires you to complete three pre-booking steps. This must be done ahead of
booking each assessment but you do not have to wait until the booking window opens to do
them. They include:
• completing a diversity survey
• telling the SRA about exemptions you have, and
• requesting reasonable adjustments (if any) you need to sit your assessments
There are a limited number of places available for each assessment. They will be assigned
on a first come first served basis. If the test centre you choose is fully booked you will need
to choose an alternative centre, though it is possible to reschedule your test centre at a
later date if your preferred location becomes available. This can be done in the assessment
bookings section of your SRA SQE account.
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What do I do if I need a
reasonable adjustment?
The SRA are committed to making sure that a candidate is not disadvantaged by reason of
a disability in demonstrating their competence and welcome applications for reasonable
adjustments from candidates with disabilities or other conditions.
Adjustments will be made on a case-by-case basis, in line with the SRA’s Reasonable
Adjustments Policy and the supporting evidence you provide.
You must request any reasonable adjustments before you book each assessment, and
the SRA recommend providing as much notice as possible. You can request reasonable
adjustments during the pre-booking steps via your SQE account, where you will be asked to
complete and submit a reasonable adjustment request form, and provide evidence.
Do I get resits?
You will only be allowed three attempts at SQE1 and three attempts at SQE2. These have to
be taken within six years from the first attempt of an SQE assessment. The clock starts from
the first day of the first assessment you sit.
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The complete guide to the Solicitors Qualifying
Examination (SQE)
Someone already studying or training can continue to qualify through the existing routes, or
choose to do the SQE. This includes anyone who, before 1 September 2021, has completed,
started, accepted an offer of a place or paid a non-refundable deposit for one of the following:
• the Common Professional Examination / Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE)
• the Legal Practice Course
• a period of recognised training (also known as a training contract)
Anyone who falls within this group will have until 31 December 2032 to qualify as a Solicitor
under the existing routes, as long as courses still remain available.
When you apply for admission as a Solicitor, you will need to have achieved all four of the
requirements of the SQE pathway - Having a degree/degree equivalent, passing SQE1 and
SQE2, have 2 years QWE, and passing the SRA’s character and suitability requirements.
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The complete guide to the Solicitors Qualifying
Examination (SQE)
QWE can be completed before, alongside or after a candidate’s SQE studies and
examinations, and is intended to offer greater flexibility than the traditional training contract
it replaces, which can be seen to have historically created a substantial bottleneck for those
seeking to qualify as a Solicitor.
QWE is classed as any experience of providing legal services that offers you the opportunity
to develop some, or all, of the competences needed to practise as a Solicitor, and can be
paid or unpaid work.
QWE can be obtained within a law firm, or any other organisation that provides legal services
in England, Wales, or overseas. It can be gained in one block of time or in stages – so long as
it is in no more than four organisations in total.
The Solicitor does not have to hold a Practising Certificate. It cannot be a Barrister of
England and Wales unless they are also a Solicitor. It also cannot be a foreign qualified
lawyer, unless they are also a Solicitor of England and Wales.
The Solicitor confirming the QWE is not deciding whether the individual has met the
prescribed competences for Solicitors, as the SQE examination itself assesses whether
these standards are met.
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The complete guide to the Solicitors Qualifying
Examination (SQE)
Training providers cannot advise on criminal record matters and it is important you contact the
SRA to seek guidance.
Character and suitability are formally reviewed when you apply to be a solicitor, however, if you
would like to check any potential problems before then, you can complete an early Character
and Suitability Assessment at any time. This costs £39 – you can find out more here.
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Can I qualify via the SQE route
from overseas?
Yes - the degree or degree equivalent requirement of the SQE pathway can be fulfilled
utilising qualifications from overseas. Overseas qualifications need to be shown to be
equivalent to either a UK degree/equivalent qualification through a UK NARIC Statement
of Comparability, or be an accredited qualification at level 6 (or above) of the European
Qualifications Framework.
Learners can study for their SQE assessments through Law Training Centre’s online
SQE Prep courses from anywhere in the world.
SQE1 and SQE2 written assessments can be taken at Pearson VUE test centres in the UK
and internationally. If you would like to sit your assessment outside of the UK, you should
check the timing of your assessment when you book as there will be varied start times
for assessments held in international centres. The SQE2 oral assessments, however, are
currently only available in Cardiff, London, and Manchester within the UK, although the SRA
has announced that there will be more locations to choose from in the future.
The QWE requirement can also be met through experience obtained within a law firm, or
any other organisation that provides legal services, overseas. You will, however, need your
QWE to be signed off by a Solicitor of England and Wales – this cannot be done by a foreign
qualified lawyer, unless they are also a Solicitor of England and Wales.
SQE Prep courses are offered by various training providers and range from light refresher
courses aimed at individuals with highly developed existing experience and knowledge of the
legal sector, to in depth courses with an increased level of support, aimed at anyone at any
starting point.
You can find out more about why you should consider an SQE Prep Course for success here.
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The complete guide to the Solicitors Qualifying
Examination (SQE)
The SQE1 Prep is open to learners from any academic background, and a knowledge of the
law is not a pre-requisite to study this course.
Learners who have an existing knowledge of the law from other courses, e.g. CILEx, CLC,
NALP, LPC, degree or other equivalent qualifications, will be more familiar with the legal
principles tested. For those learners, the SQE1 prep will build on their existing knowledge and
further develop the skills required specifically for the SQE.
As the SQE does not require a law qualification for entry, the course is designed not only for
those who have an existing knowledge but also those who are studying law for the first time.
A foundations course is included as part of the SQE1 Prep to provide an introduction to law
and legal writing.
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Law Training Centre’s SQE1 Prep allows learners to enrol at any time, and is entirely
self-paced – with 15 months course access providing you with the flexibility to decide on the
sitting date that will be best for you, whilst also considering the registration window ahead of
the exam.
The cost of our SQE1 Prep Course is £2,890.00. We regularly provide further offers or
concessions, so please contact us to find out more about any discounts that may be available
upon your enrolment.
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The complete guide to the Solicitors Qualifying
Examination (SQE)
You can contact Law Training Centre to speak to a member of our team who will happily
discuss your options and help you find the best pathway for you.
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The complete guide to the Solicitors Qualifying
Examination (SQE)
1. Level 6 qualifications, including the CILEx Level 6 Diploma in Law and Practice, are
equivalent to a degree for the purposes of the SQE. Therefore, any CILEx member who
has completed their Level 6 qualification will already have achieved this requirement, and
do not need to apply to confirm this equivalence - you just need to submit details to the
SRA when you apply for your admission as a Solicitor.
2. CILEx Practitioners who have completed the CILEX required 5 years working in the legal
sector with 2 years in their specialist area, or Chartered Legal Executives Fellows who
have completed their period of 3 years Qualifying Employment and Work Based Learning
Portfolio, are not required to complete 2 years’ qualifying work experience, as the SRA will
recognise your existing qualification and the experience that you will have needed in order
to achieve that qualification.
Therefore, CILEx Practitioners or Chartered Legal Executives will only be required to pass
the SQE1 and SQE2 assessments and meet the SRA’s character and suitability requirements
in order to Qualify through
qualify as a Solicitor SQEandas
in England a
Wales.
CILEx practitioner or CILEx Fellow
Qualify through SQE as a CILEx
practitioner or CILEx fellow Qualified
Solicitor
Character
and suitability
assessment
Qualifying
Work Experience
SQE1 and
SQE2
Degree or
equivalent
CILEx practitioner
or CILEx Fellow
(Chartered Legal
Executive)
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I am already a qualified lawyer from
outside of the UK - what do I have
to do to qualify as a UK Solicitor
through the SQE?
The SRA have confirmed that ALL qualified Lawyers, from ALL jurisdictions, are exempt from
the two years’ QWE requirement. This removes one of the four steps required for qualification,
as well as verifying that foreign lawyers no longer need to be within a recognised jurisdiction –
unlike the legacy QLTS route to cross-qualification.
Given that it is highly likely foreign qualified Lawyers will also already hold a qualification that
meets the requirements to be considered a degree or equivalent, foreign qualified lawyers
could look to become dual qualified as a Solicitor of England and Wales by simply passing the
SQE assessments and meeting the SRA’s character and suitability requirements – reducing the
four-stage process down to two.
Qualify through SQE
as a foreign qualified lawyer
Qualify through SQE as a
foreign qualified lawyer Qualified
Solicitor of
England
and Wales
Character
and suitability
assessment
Qualifying
Work Experience
SQE1 and
SQE2
Degree or
equivalent
Foreign qualified
lawyer from any
jurisdiction
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The complete guide to the Solicitors Qualifying
Examination (SQE)
Please fill in the enrolment form and return it to [email protected]. To ensure your
enrolment is processed as quickly as possible, please make sure that you read the form
carefully, and fill out all the required boxes.
If you need any help or have any questions, our Student Services Team is there to assist you
on 0330 088 8495 or [email protected].
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Find out more
T: 0330 088 8495
E: [email protected]
www.ltckent.co.uk