Liliya Nagornaya

Scholarship awardee, passed SQE1 and currently preparing for SQE with the College

I’m Liliya, and I work full-time with refugees, specifically Ukrainians arriving under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and the Ukrainian Commission Extension Scheme, working with both the individuals coming to the UK and the British people accommodating them. I hold two master's degrees, both from outside the UK, which added an extra layer of challenge to my SQE journey.

Awarded a scholarship by the College of Legal Practice, I used it to prepare for SQE1, which I passed in July 2024 in a sitting where the national pass rate was just 43%. I’m now preparing for SQE2, and am due to sit in July 2026. Here are my experiences.

Why did you choose to study with The College of Legal Practice?

As we all know, the price of becoming a solicitor is very high. When I came across the College's scholarship opportunity, I applied and I received it. 

Like many people, I wanted to be very, very quick in my preparation. I wanted to become a solicitor here and now. But the College was very open and honest with me. They explained that due to my commitments to a full-time job and other responsibilities, I need to be realistic about the course I was about to sign up for. And I realised that, yes, the 40 week course would be the best choice, because a full-time job leaves you a very limited amount of time to actually study.

What support did you receive from the College?

The programme itself is very clear. From day one, you open the calendar and you see what you need to do. You watch the video, you read the subunits, you do the tasks that are allocated, you have 10 questions a day, and this is all you need.

I never considered an offline format, because it's very hard when you have so many commitments to commute somewhere as well. The online course is the perfect option because you can study anywhere; the materials are always with you. You don't even need the internet, because you can pre-download everything, all the sessions, all the materials.

In the later stages of my preparation, I was on a plane listening to the videos, using them as a podcast instead of something on YouTube. And those sessions, even though I didn't manage to attend them live due to my full-time job, were all recorded. During revision I listened to them during sport, during walks. It was brilliant, because all the challenging topics were covered, and people would have a discussion at the end of each session, raising exactly the kinds of questions I had as well.

Reflections on the SQE1 prep course

The College provided me with everything that I needed. I didn't spend any time on extra research. Of course, I would go here and there to look into a specific concept, but everything that was in the manual, in the tests, in the activities - I used it and stuck to it. I didn't have time for external resources, and I didn't need them.

Two things in combination helped me pass: my legal background - even though my degrees were international, a lot of principles are still relevant to the UK system, so I had a solid foundation - and the preparation materials. Together, those two things got me through.

SQE1 is not only about legal knowledge. It's about endurance. It's about resilience. You're going to be very, very stressed, and if you put yourself under unnecessary time pressure, it won't play a good game with you.

Juggling work and study: strategies that worked for me

Keep a balance

It's not all about locking in and studying all the time. You need to see family. You need to see friends. You need time in fresh air. You need to sleep properly. Don't isolate yourself, because it's not going to work. You need to reduce your stress levels, not increase them.

Break up your study time

When it comes to actually studying, limit the time you give it. It's very tempting when you have four hours free to think you'll fit all your study in and catch up. But you end up almost wasting those four hours. If you set a specific time, what works for me is two hours, with focus mode on my phone, and the people close to you know that when you're in that mode you cannot be disturbed, that focused time will be far more productive than spending all your free time half-studying.

Don’t skip the hard stuff

Don't skip complex concepts. If you're reading after work and you feel exhausted and something isn't landing, don't park it and tell yourself you'll return to it. You never will. Spend the extra five minutes. Use whatever resource helps, and if English isn't your first language, try working through a difficult concept in your own language - it can help you understand it better.

Don’t waste time on one question - move on!

In the exam itself: never spend too much time on one question. You have one minute and forty seconds. If you don't know it, unfortunately you don't know it. Be mentally ready for a long day - at some point you will experience fatigue - so bring snacks and water for the breaks. And always pay close attention to the wording of the question. Don't be fooled by must and may. It matters.

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