SQE1 guide
How to revise for SQE1
SQE1 is a stamina exam: 360 single-best-answer questions across two days covering 15 legal subjects. Passing first-time is a scheduling problem as much as a knowledge one. Below, a 12-week plan that works for law and non-law candidates.
Set the total hours
Law graduates: 400–500 hours. Non-law graduates (post-PGDL): 700+. Budget backwards from your exam window and lock daily blocks — 2–3 hours weekdays, 5–6 weekends is a typical part-time cadence.
Split FLK1 and FLK2
Study both together — the exam schedules them in the same window. Alternate FLK1 and FLK2 days to interleave rather than block a single paper for weeks.
MCQ volume is the pass predictor
Aim for 3,000–5,000 SBAQs across the plan. Do them under the clock (1.7 minutes each) from week two — not week ten. Every wrong answer becomes a flashcard.
Spaced-repetition for rule statements
Rules of law, limitation periods, and tax numbers belong on flashcards. Review daily, not weekly. A deck of 1,500 cards is typical for a full SQE1 candidate.
Mocks in the last 4 weeks
Sit at least two full-day mocks per FLK under timed conditions. Score them, then rebuild your weakest subject before exam day.
FAQs
- How long is a typical SQE1 revision plan?
- 12–18 weeks for law graduates, 20–30 weeks for non-law graduates alongside part-time work.
- Should I revise FLK1 and FLK2 separately?
- No. Interleave them — the exam sits both in the same window and interleaving beats blocking for retention.
- When should I start doing SBAQs?
- Week two. Reading first and drilling later is the classic pattern that leaves candidates under-practised and out of time.
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