Drawing on her experience supporting neurodiverse learners and delivering specialist neurodiversity training for College supervisors, tutor and former immigration barrister Katherine Langley offers her insights into why SQE preparation can feel uniquely challenging for students with ADHD and offers practical strategies that can make a meaningful difference.
Preparing for the SQE is demanding for every learner, but we recognise that for students with ADHD the combination of pace, volume and cognitive load can feel particularly overwhelming. In my work supporting neurodiverse students across higher education, and here at the College, I regularly see how these pressures build, not because of a lack of ability, but because of how ADHD affects focus, energy and stamina in a high demand study environment.
I’ve seen how these demands often interact with fluctuating concentration, mental fatigue and challenges with task initiation. When preparation isn’t structured in a way that takes these patterns into account, progress can start to feel inconsistent and confidence can dip, even when understanding is strong.
Drawing on that experience, I wanted to share with you why SQE preparation can feel particularly challenging if you have ADHD, and offer some guidance on how you can study in ways that better support your focus, energy and motivation, helping your preparation feel more manageable and sustainable.
Why SQE can feel especially challenging with ADHD
SQE preparation asks you to juggle pace, volume and sustained concentration over time. If you have ADHD, that can mean you’re doing the same work as everyone else, but with additional friction in the areas the SQE relies on most. The points below are common experiences, and if you recognise yourself in them, it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong – it simply means that you need strategies that work with the way your focus and energy operate.
1. Sustained attention is required, repeatedly
You’re not being tested once; you’re being tested again and again across long study periods and long assessment sittings. Even if you can focus deeply at times, maintaining concentration across multiple topics and long sessions can feel draining.
2. Starting and prioritising can be harder than the learning itself
If you’ve ever sat down thinking, “I don’t even know where to begin,” that is a very real ADHD experience. When everything feels urgent, task initiation can become the biggest barrier, not because you’re not trying, but because your brain is overloaded before you’ve even started.
3. Falling behind can quickly feel bigger than it is
If you miss a workshop, lose a few days, or struggle with one topic, it can start to feel like everything is slipping. That “I’m behind” feeling often triggers anxiety, avoidance and procrastination, which then makes the gap feel even bigger.
4. Mental fatigue can hit suddenly
Some days you may start well, then hit a wall much earlier than expected. That doesn’t mean you’re inconsistent or undisciplined, it often means your cognitive energy has been used up faster than your plan allowed for.
Study strategies I’ve seen work well
These strategies are not about changing who you are or forcing yourself into a “perfect” study routine. They are about shaping SQE study so it supports your attention, energy and motivation and gives you a realistic way to keep moving forward.
1. Short, focused study bursts
If 90 minutes feels impossible, don’t aim for it. Aim for 10–20 minutes of real focus. Use a timer, keep the task small, and stop when you’ve completed it. Short bursts often produce better retention than long sessions where attention drifts.
2. Break study into “startable” steps
ADHD often makes starting the hardest part so remove the barrier by making the first step extremely small. For example, instead of “revise tort,” try:
- open the relevant unit
- read one page
- answer five MCQs
- write two short notes on any you got wrong
When the task feels startable, it becomes far easier to continue.
3. Use visual structure to reduce overwhelm
Mind maps, tables, flowcharts and colour-coding help because they turn dense content into a shape you can navigate. If you feel overwhelmed by blocks of text, try rewriting a topic as a diagram or checklist so your brain can see the structure.
4. Teach the material out loud
Explaining a concept out loud — to a friend, your phone voice note, or even to your dog — forces clarity. If you can explain it simply, you understand it. If you can’t, you’ve just identified exactly what to revisit, without spending hours rereading.
5. Choose active learning over volume reading
The SQE rewards application. You will usually get more benefit from practice questions, timed drills and short “explain it back” exercises than from long reading sessions. Reading has a place but it shouldn’t be your only method.
6. Managing fatigue, anxiety and burnout
If you notice yourself disengaging (avoiding Canvas, missing sessions, feeling frozen by the workload) treat that as information and not failure. It usually means the workload has become psychologically too big.
What helps most is a reset that is small enough to be achievable:
- choose one task that takes 10 minutes
- complete it
- stop
- then choose the next 10‑minute task
One completed action often reduces anxiety more effectively than trying to push through exhaustion. The goal is to restart movement, not to “catch up” in a single heroic day.
How the College Supports Students with ADHD
One of the strengths of the College’s approach is that it does not expect you to learn in one fixed way. The programme design aims to reduce uncertainty and support flexibility, which can be particularly valuable when your focus and energy vary.
Support available includes:
- Clear, structured module design, with materials available on Canvas in advance, helping you plan your week and reduce last‑minute pressure
- Recorded workshops and transcripts, so you can revisit content when you’re most focused and learn in the format that works best for you
- Predictable weekly pacing, giving you a consistent rhythm while still allowing flexibility around energy dips
- Regular one‑to‑one supervision, where you can talk through workload, planning, exam technique and what’s getting in the way
- Wellbeing support through Spectrum Life, including a free online wellbeing hub with resources and access to confidential online counselling
- Student Services support, with staff trained in Mental Health First Aid who can guide you toward support early and confidentially
- Individual Study Adjustments (ISAs), tailored through Student Services (for example: extra time, rest breaks, early access to materials or alternative formats), and aligned with SRA adjustments wherever possible
The key point is that support works best when it starts early. If you think adjustments or a different study approach would help, raise it sooner rather than later.
If SQE preparation feels harder than you expected, that does not mean you are failing. It means you are working towards a qualification that places sustained pressure on attention, stamina and organisation, areas that ADHD can make more demanding, even when your understanding is strong.
It’s also important to recognise that the responsibility for making SQE study accessible does not sit with you alone. Learning providers, tutors, supervisors and assessment bodies all play a role in creating environments that support different learning needs. You should not have to “work around” the system in isolation.
One of the most important steps you can take is to apply for reasonable adjustments early, both within the College while you are studying, and with the SRA when booking your SQE assessments. Early applications give you the best chance of having appropriate support in place when it matters most, and they help ensure that your preparation and exam experience reflect your actual needs.
With the right strategies, timely support and shared understanding from those around you, it is entirely possible to prepare for the SQE in a way that is manageable, sustainable and aligned with how you learn best.
Additional resources
The College provides a range of support to help students succeed, from academic guidance to practical study strategies.
If you require reasonable adjustments, it’s important to apply as soon as possible to ensure you get the support you need throughout your studies.