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Jay Heer
25 January 2025

How do you know when you’re ready to take the SQE?

Jay Heer
Published on 25 January 2025

Guest written by Jays law life.

One of the most difficult decisions students face when taking the Solicitors Qualifying Exams (SQE) is deciding when to actually sit the exams. With high exam fees and low pass rates, this is a decision you need to carefully consider to give yourself the best chance at passing these exams.

This article explains my 3 indicators you should look out for when deciding if you are ready to sit the SQE…


Contents

Indicator 1: checked the spec?

Indicator 2: practice tests

Indicator 3: ask yourself


Indicator 1: checked the spec?

One of the best ways to figure out whether you are ready to sit the SQE is to check if you have actually studied everything on the SQE specification (the ‘spec’).

The SRA literally tells you what you should know for the SQE exams in the SQE spec so this should definitely be your first step when considering if you are ready to sit the SQE.

Therefore, I advise every SQE student to go through the SQE spec and tick off whether they have covered each topic it lists.

When going through the spec, if you find you have many topics which you haven’t covered yet, you might not be ready to sit the SQE, and you should probably spend time going through the spec and revising each topic.


Indicator 2: practice tests

If you are studying for the SQE with a course provider (as I strongly recommend), then they will likely give you access to a large question bank you can use to practice for your SQE exams.

Utilising these is a great way to determine if you’re ready to sit the SQE.

Doing practice tests in timed conditions will help you answer two important questions:

  • Firstly, are you finishing the test with time to spare?
  • Secondly, are you scoring high enough to pass the SQE?

With SQE1, you have 1 minute and 42 seconds on average per question. In SQE2, your timings vary depending on the exam.

In your practice tests, you should aim to use as little time as possible when answering these questions, so that you have time to go over flagged questions or to proof-read your work to ensure it makes sense.

Preparing with less time in practice exams, compared to what you will have in your SQE exams, will mean you should have extra time in your actual SQE exams to go over your work (which was a lifesaver for me!)

When it comes to your scores in practice tests, it is hard to know what exactly are high enough practice scores for the SQE.

The SQE marking scheme is not the clearest. For example, with SQE1, you don’t actually know what the “raw score” you need to get to pass is for your exam until the results come out.

So it is not possible to give a definite number as when you are ready to sit the exam. But in my personal experience, I aimed for consistent 65-75% scores as a minimum in the run up to my SQE exams.

It is also important to remember that SQE1 is a 5-hour exam. Concentrating for such a long time is difficult, and I know by the 3rd or 4th hour I was really struggling to focus. So by practicing with less time and aiming for higher scores, you are giving yourself this leeway that you may very well need for the actual SQE exams.

Consistency is key with this, if you get 80% in one exam and 20% in another, it is likely you need to spend longer going over the topics you struggled with in that practice exam.


Indicator 3: ask yourself

Finally, you need to ask yourself if you feel ready to take these exams.

Do you feel like you have put in a lot of work, you are starting to understand the topics you struggled with, and feel like you now can take on the SQE?

If the answer to those questions is yes, then you might be ready to sit the SQE.

Figuring out if you feel ready can be extremely difficult (trust me, I know!). The first two indicators (the spec/ practice questions) should help you in coming to this decision - I.e. if you are consistently scoring 90-100% in practice exams, the likelihood is you will feel more confident going into the SQE exams.

But the truth is, for some people with some personality types, may naturally feel intimidated by these exams and doubt if you are able to pass them (even if you have put in the work).

If you are in this position, I would advise you consider the first two indicators - have you checked off the topics on the spec and are you *consistently* doing well in your practice exams?

If the answers to both of those questions are yes, but you still feel unconfident - you might have to have some faith in yourself and give it your best shot.

I know I was NOT mentally ready to sit SQE1 even though I could answer yes to the first two indicators - and this was purely a self-imposed mental block due to the pressure I was feeling with the exams.

However, I had to have faith in myself to give it my best shot and sit the exams, and if you are in this position, you too may need to believe in yourself and the work you have put in.


So, are you ready?

The truth is, this is a very difficult question to answer, and it can only be answered by you. No one is able to tell you for definite whether you are/ are not ready to sit the SQE. You are going to have to make the decision for yourself.

It can be a tough decision to make but when making your decision, consider the three indicators I have mentioned here and reflect critically on your progress so far.

Be honest with yourself - whether that means telling yourself you have done a lot and are ready, or maybe saying you need an extra few months.

Make sure you keep an eye on the SQE booking window, as you now have a much bigger window to actually book your SQE exams, which allows you to take the time to figure out if you are actually ready to sit the exams (using these indicators) before you book the exam.

Good luck with the SQE when you do eventually get to it.

Explore the SQE

Jay's law life

Jay's Law Life

My name is Jay, and I am a Future Trainee Solicitor on a mission to de-mystify the world of law! I recently passed the Solicitor's Qualifying Exam (SQE) first time and share my thoughts and legal tips on my Instagram and TikTok.