SQE 1 - At a Glance

What is SQE 1?

The Solicitors’ Qualifying Exam (or SQE as it’s often referred to) is the assessment required to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales from 1 September 2021 for candidates wishing to take the new route.

SQE 1 is assessed by single best answer multiple choice questions over a two-day period (totalling 10 hours). This requires you, the candidate, to draw upon your knowledge of the law (your ‘functioning legal knowledge’) and use the same systematic problem-solving skills that qualified solicitors employ in practice.

Essentially, the SRA are testing whether you have the ability to solve a variety of legal problems in different practice areas. By using multiple choice questions, the SRA can ask you many more questions than they could in an essay examination.

All this means that you will need to have a good strategy for answering multiple choice questions. You can find our guide to answering the questions effectively here.

How is the SQE 1 Structured?

QE1 consists of two separate assessments covering functioning legal knowledge, which are broken out into functioning legal knowledge 1 and funtioning legal knowledge 2 (also referred to as 'FLK1' and 'FLK2'):

FLK1

• Business Law and Practice

• Dispute Resolution

• Contract

• Tort

• Constitutional and Administrative Law

• Legal Services

• Legal System of England and Wales

• Ethics and Professional Conduct

FLK2

• Property Practice

• Wills and the Administration of Estates

• Solicitors Accounts

• Land Law

• Trusts

• Criminal Law

• Criminal Practice

• Ethics and Professional Conduct

How Many Questions Are There?

Each FLK assessment contains:

• 180 multiple-choice questions

• Split across two sessions

• 90 questions per session

  
  

Across both FLK1 and FLK2, candidates answer 360 questions in total. This makes SQE1 as much a test of stamina and concentration as legal knowledge.

What Are the Questions Like?

Each question presents:

• A legal scenario

• A specific question

• Five possible answers

  
  

Candidates must select the single best answer. For example, a contract law question may require you to:

• Identify whether a contract has been formed

• Apply the rules on acceptance

• Consider whether an exclusion clause is effective

• Select the most legally accurate outcome

  
  

The answer options are often deliberately similar, meaning that superficial knowledge is rarely enough.

What is the Exam Day Like?

Many candidates underestimate the physical and mental demands of the assessment. Candidates typically attend a Pearson VUE test centre and should arrive early to allow time for:

• Identity checks

• Security procedures

• Locker storage

• Registration

  
  

Personal items are not permitted in the testing room.

Morning Session

You will complete:

• 90 questions

• Approximately 2 hours 33 minutes of testing time

  
  

Questions appear one at a time on screen.

You can:

• Flag questions for review

• Move backwards and forwards within the session

• Change answers before submitting

Break

After the first session there is a scheduled break.

Most candidates use this time to:

• Eat

• Hydrate

• Clear their minds

Afternoon Session

You then complete:

• Another 90 questions

• The same time allocation

  
  

Maintaining concentration during the final hour can be surprisingly challenging, particularly after several months of revision.

The process is then repeated for the second assessment day (FLK2).

The Biggest Challenge - Time Pressure

One of the defining features of SQE1 is the pace.

Although the exam is open only to one answer per question, candidates must:

1. Read the facts carefully.

2. Identify the legal issue.

3. Rule out incorrect answers.

4. Select the best answer.

   
   

Many questions can be answered relatively quickly, but others require detailed analysis.

This means time management is critical. Spending too long on a difficult question can create problems later in the paper.

How Should You Approach the Exam?

A successful SQE1 candidate typically:

✅ Knows the core legal principles thoroughly

✅ Understands how different areas of law fit together

✅ Applies legal rules to realistic facts

✅ Develops a disciplined approach to answering SBAs

✅ Manages time effectively

✅ Maintains concentration over long assessment days

Final Thoughts

SQE1 is undoubtedly a challenging assessment. With 360 questions covering a vast range of legal topics, it requires both comprehensive legal knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge under pressure.

The good news is that the exam is highly predictable in one respect: candidates who practise large numbers of realistic questions, learn from their mistakes, and develop a structured approach to legal problem solving place themselves in the strongest possible position to succeed.

As daunting as SQE1 may appear, understanding the format and knowing what to expect on exam day is the first step towards tackling it with confidence.