The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is the two-stage professional assessment (SQE1 and SQE2) that individuals must pass in order to qualify as solicitors in England and Wales. Introduced in 2021, the SQE replaced the previous route to qualification, which involved completing a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL), then the Legal Practice Course (LPC), and finally a two-year Training Contract. The purpose of the SQE is to ensure that individuals who qualify as solicitors possess the necessary knowledge and skills to practice law effectively.
Composed of 360 multiple-choice questions in total, SQE1 is divided into two parts focusing on different sets of functioning legal knowledge (FLK). FLK1 covers Business Law and Practice, Dispute Resolution, Contract, Tort, Legal System of England and Wales, Public Law, Retained EU Law, and Legal Services. FLK2 covers Property Practice, Wills and the Administration of Estates, Solicitors Accounts, Land Law, Trusts, Criminal Law, and Criminal Practice.
FLK1 consists of 180 questions in total, divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Each session lasts for 2 hours and 33 minutes, and there are 90 questions in each session. This means you have an average of 1 minute and 42 seconds to answer each question. FLK2 is held on a separate day, following a similar format. It is also divided into morning and afternoon sessions, with 90 questions in each session, and a duration of 2 hours and 33 minutes for each session. SQE1 covers more topics than what you can learn in an LLB programme, so additional preparation is required.
SQE2 is a three-day assessment focusing on practical legal skills, divided into oral and written components. It assesses your ability to apply your legal knowledge in real-life scenarios. SQE2 includes a range of practical exercises, such as client interviewing and advising, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research, drafting, and legal writing. The assessments in SQE2 are designed to simulate the tasks solicitors typically undertake during their practice. These assessments are conducted in controlled assessment centres under exam-like conditions. The topics and tasks in SQE2 are comparable to the previous LPC programme though there are differences.
It should be noted that you can take SQE2 only after passing SQE1. You have six years to complete both SQE1 and SQE2. The six-year period starts from the first day you sit your first SQE1. You have up to three attempts at SQE1 and SQE2 within this period. If you fail SQE1, either FLK1 or FLK2, three times during this period, you must wait until the six-year period expires before re-sitting, and previous passes, if any, will not be carried forward. If you pass FLK1 but fail FLK2 or vice versa, you can resit one of them during this period, subject to the three-attempt limitation. Similarly, if you fail SQE2 three times during this period, you must wait until the six-year period expires before re-sitting, and previous passes, including SQE1, will not be carried forward.
In addition to passing the SQE assessments, you must also complete at least two years of qualifying work experience (QWE) to become fully qualified solicitors in England and Wales. QWE can be gained through working at a law firm, in-house legal department, or other suitable legal environments. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) provides guidelines on the type of work that can count towards QWE. Your work experience must fall within the solicitor competence, threshold standard and legal knowledge defined by the SRA in order to be counted towards your QWE. All your QWE must be verified by a solicitor or Compliance Officer for Legal Practice. QWE is comparable to the previous Training Contract which also requires two years to complete.
Once you have successfully completed both SQE1 and SQE2, as well as the required period of QWE, you can apply to the SRA for admission as a solicitor. The SRA will assess your application and, if satisfied, grant admission to the roll of solicitors. Only then will you officially become a solicitor in England and Wales.
