What is the SQE? A practical guide for future solicitors

The Solicitors Qualifying Examination, usually called the SQE, is the central assessment route for people who want to qualify as solicitors in England and Wales. It is not the whole qualification process by itself. It sits alongside education or equivalent experience, qualifying work experience and the Solicitors Regulation Authority's character and suitability requirements.

For candidates, the SQE matters because it gives the route a common assessment standard. Whether you studied law at university, converted from another subject or are building experience through work, the SQE is designed to test whether you can meet the required standard for a newly qualified solicitor.

Who this article is for

This guide is for future solicitors who are trying to understand the route before committing to a course, study plan or exam window. It is also useful if you are comparing SQE with older qualification routes or trying to work out where SQE1 preparation fits into your wider career plan. If you are still weighing the route, whether the SQE is worth it for your career is the better first read.

It is not a substitute for official SRA guidance. Fees, assessment windows, exemptions, booking rules and admission requirements can change, so those details should always be checked directly with the SRA and the SQE candidate website before you make a decision.

What you need to know

The SQE has two assessment stages. SQE1 tests functioning legal knowledge. It is split into two assessments, FLK1 and FLK2. These are single best answer multiple choice tests that require candidates to apply legal knowledge to practical scenarios.

SQE2 is different. It assesses practical legal skills and the application of legal knowledge through written and oral tasks. This matters for route planning, but it should not distract from the immediate SQE1 job if that is your next assessment.

Passing the assessments is only one part of qualification. The SRA route also requires a degree or equivalent qualification or experience, two years of qualifying work experience and satisfaction of character and suitability requirements. Qualifying work experience can be built in different settings, but it must be confirmed and registered in line with SRA rules.

Qualifico covers both assessed stages. For SQE1 that means building and testing functioning legal knowledge across FLK1 and FLK2. For SQE2 it means Written Response practice against the written skills tasks, marked against each question's own mark scheme. Candidates are not choosing a tool that stops working halfway through the route.

Key points

• The SQE is the assessment route for qualification as a solicitor in England and Wales.

• SQE1 tests functioning legal knowledge through FLK1 and FLK2.

• SQE2 tests practical legal skills and applied legal knowledge.

• Passing SQE1 and SQE2 is necessary, but not the only requirement for admission.

• Qualifico covers SQE1 across FLK1 and FLK2, and SQE2 through Written Response practice.

How to prepare or use this guidance

Start by separating the qualification route from the study task in front of you. The route is broad: eligibility, assessments, work experience and admission. Your immediate study task may be narrower, especially if you are preparing for SQE1.

If you are at the beginning, map your position first. Check whether you meet the education or equivalent experience requirement, whether you may need advice on exemptions and how you might build qualifying work experience. Then look at the assessments. SQE1 preparation is usually about breadth, application and regular practice. SQE2 preparation is a separate skills-focused stage and should be planned with official SQE2 guidance.

For SQE1, do not plan around reading alone. The official sample question guidance makes clear that SQE1 uses single best answer questions based on realistic scenarios. That means you need to practise identifying the issue, applying the rule and selecting the best answer from plausible options.

If your next step is SQE1, give yourself three early tasks: read the SQE1 specification, split FLK1 and FLK2 into a topic checklist, and do a small set of single best answer questions before you have finished all your notes. That first question set is not there to predict your result. It is there to show how the assessment asks you to use the law.

How Qualifico helps

Qualifico helps SQE candidates across both assessments. It is designed to make frequent revision easier by combining question practice, explanations, flashcards and progress tracking in one place for SQE1, with Written Response practice for the SQE2 tasks.

That can help if your study time is fragmented around work, commuting or other commitments. Instead of waiting for a perfect long study block, you can keep returning to the legal rules and scenario patterns that SQE1 candidates need to handle confidently.

Qualifico should be used alongside official SRA materials and any tuition or textbooks you rely on. It is a practice companion, not a replacement for checking the SQE rules or assessment specifications.

Next steps

If SQE1 is your next assessment, a practical SQE study plan sets out how to cover FLK1 and FLK2 without leaving one side too late, and the SQE resource hub collects the format, technique and planning guides.