Planning to complete the SQE? Introduce yourself here.

[svb]

I'm taking SQE 2 in July/ August and would like to share notes/ flashcards/ practice the oral exams if anyone is looking for a study partner!

 

[Jaysen]

I honestly think it's wrong for students to be jeopardised in these early stages when prep courses are largely not up to scratch yet! The providers are learning as they go and making small improvements with each intake but there should definitely be some sort of grace period until we can guarantee the right things are being taught and there are more accessible past papers! The CLLS are doing great work fighting for us students to ensure firms keep an open mind with this but hopefully these are just teething problems and the SQE process will improve!

I appreciate you being so open about this OB. I expect this SQE forum will raise awareness of these types of situations and help law firms to understand what it's like from the perspective of students.

 

[RANDOTRON]

I honestly think it's wrong for students to be jeopardised in these early stages when prep courses are largely not up to scratch yet! The providers are learning as they go and making small improvements with each intake but there should definitely be some sort of grace period until we can guarantee the right things are being taught and there are more accessible past papers! The CLLS are doing great work fighting for us students to ensure firms keep an open mind with this but hopefully these are just teething problems and the SQE process will improve!

Yes, and I think it's so new that the firms themselves are trying to figure out what to do. But still I think it's wrong to abandon a future trainee simply because they failed their first time – everyone deserves a second chance. By the way, I've linked the CLLS article (which @OB hinted at) here in case anyone is interested. Curious to see if the SRA will change their policy on not releasing past papers in the next few years as the SQE becomes more understood.

 

[College of Legal Practice team]

Hi all, I am Lena. Just completed LLM and looking to start preparing for SQE1 as soon as possible. Any advice where to begin would be much appreciated. I would love to sit SQE exam in Feb 2024.

Hi Lena, where to start. We suggest learning more about the SQE assessment itself first, so you can understand what the exam is that you need to prepare for. You can visit the SRA's website for sample questions and their exam environment. We also have a set of FAQs on the SQE that might be worth a look.

 

[Law1099]

I honestly think it's wrong for students to be jeopardised in these early stages when prep courses are largely not up to scratch yet! The providers are learning as they go and making small improvements with each intake but there should definitely be some sort of grace period until we can guarantee the right things are being taught and there are more accessible past papers! The CLLS are doing great work fighting for us students to ensure firms keep an open mind with this but hopefully these are just teething problems and the SQE process will improve!

I completely agree. I also think that there is such a jump in difficulty from the lpc to the sqe that should’ve been explained to prospective students so that they could still choose whilst they had the chance.

 

[t.loader]

Hello all - I will be starting the SQE in the coming September full-time. Unfortunately I have to miss the induction week due to a family commitment. What exactly occurs during the induction week: it would be great to know from anyone who has recently completed the course at either ULaw or BPP.

 

[OB]

Hello all - I will be starting the SQE in the coming September full-time. Unfortunately I have to miss the induction week due to a family commitment. What exactly occurs during the induction week: it would be great to know from anyone who has recently completed the course at either ULaw or BPP.

I'm at ULaw but often there'll be an online/weekend version of whole course sessions like inductions so worth emailing student info if you can attend virtually/if the sessions will be recorded so you don't miss out. It'll probably just be an overview of how the SQE works, what to expect from classes etc. Biggest advice is keep checking when you get access to your reading lists etc and get started asap so you don't fall behind (ULaw in particular likes to not give you much chance to stay on top of it all lol)

 

[meganc]

Hello everyone! I am looking to do the SQE course, and I am wondering whether anyone had successfully gotten an exemption for SQE2 by the SRA?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello everyone! I am looking to do the SQE course, and I am wondering whether anyone had successfully gotten an exemption for SQE2 by the SRA?

On what basis are you hoping to get the exemption? Most people in our forums won’t be eligible for an exemption as they are unlikely to be qualified lawyers in another jurisdiction with the relevant experience/qualifications.

This page on the SRA’s website gives a good indication of whether you would be eligible for a SQE2 exemption:

SQE exemptions

These are the qualifications we have already considered, or are considering, for an agreed exemption.

www.sra.org.uk

 

[meganc]

On what basis are you hoping to get the exemption? Most people in our forums won’t be eligible for an exemption as they are unlikely to be qualified lawyers in another jurisdiction with the relevant experience/qualifications.

This page on the SRA’s website gives a good indication of whether you would be eligible for a SQE2 exemption:

SQE exemptions

These are the qualifications we have already considered, or are considering, for an agreed exemption.

www.sra.org.uk

Hi Jessica!

I am a qualified lawyer with two years of working experience in Malaysia, hence, I am eligible for an exemption for the SQE2. I have looked at SRA's website, but I am unsure as to under which category I would fall under. However, I am unsure about the specific category I would fall under according to the SRA's website. Therefore, I was hoping to connect with individuals who have successfully obtained an exemption for SQE2, in order to gain some insights and guidance. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica!

I am a qualified lawyer with two years of working experience in Malaysia, hence, I am eligible for an exemption for the SQE2. I have looked at SRA's website, but I am unsure as to under which category I would fall under. However, I am unsure about the specific category I would fall under according to the SRA's website. Therefore, I was hoping to connect with individuals who have successfully obtained an exemption for SQE2, in order to gain some insights and guidance. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Honestly, I don’t think we will have many people on here in that situation, and even if they have their circumstances will be different to yours. I would speak to the SRA about this, or find a dual qualified lawyer on LinkedIn who has recently passed the SQE.

 

[RJ29]

Hi everyone,

My name is RJ, and I am scheduled to start the Law Foundations Course in Jan 2025 and the SQE in September 2025.

I'm looking forward to building this community and learning tips from others who have completed the LFC and SQE☺️.

 

[aspiringlawyerr]

Hi! Is anyone doing the Barbri SQE course this September?

 

[sunnyd]

Hi everyone, my name is Sunny and I am starting the SQE/LLM course at the University of Law this September.

I had a question regarding the external assessments which I was hoping to get some help with please

I have been informed that the SQE1 has a low pass rate and is an extremely demanding set of assessments that require significant preparation time.

ULaw's course structure for the full-time September 2023 intake states that the SQE1 assessments take place in January, which gives me 4ish months to prepare (between September and January). I was wondering if this is enough time to practice for the assessments? I was hoping to get some advice regarding this as no other course (part-time etc) is suitable for me due to financial restrictions.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[j.s.cox]

Hi everyone, my name is Sunny and I am starting the SQE/LLM course at the University of Law this September.

I had a question regarding the external assessments which I was hoping to get some help with please

I have been informed that the SQE1 has a low pass rate and is an extremely demanding set of assessments that require significant preparation time.

ULaw's course structure for the full-time September 2023 intake states that the SQE1 assessments take place in January, which gives me 4ish months to prepare (between September and January). I was wondering if this is enough time to practice for the assessments? I was hoping to get some advice regarding this as no other course (part-time etc) is suitable for me due to financial restrictions.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated

I've not taken the exams yet, but there's no rule to say you have to do them in January. You could do the prep course and then revise for the next few months doing practice assessments until the next set of exams (July 2024). That is unless there is a certain reason that you are choosing to take exams in January.

 

[Mike Wazaoski]

Hi everyone, my name is Ali. I am currently in the process of applications and deciding on which SQE provider to select and go ahead with. Does anyone have any pointers to look out for when deciding which provider to go with?

 

[anxiouslawyer]

ULaw's course structure for the full-time September 2023 intake states that the SQE1 assessments take place in January, which gives me 4ish months to prepare (between September and January). I was wondering if this is enough time to practice for the assessments?

BPP's full-time September intake is structured in exactly the same way, I started Sept 2022 took the January 2023 SQE 1 exams and passed in the first quintile. Learnt all of the content between Sept to December and then had all of Jan to revise. If you recently did the GDL or LLB it will be even easier for you. It is enough time but expect that it will be intense and you will need to work hard consistently from day one. Very important not to procrastinate / slack as it's quite easy to fall behind.

 

[anxiouslawyer]

Hi. Sorry to hear you failed FLK1 by 1%! Can I ask how your firm reacted/ the process for delaying your tc because of this?

My contract says that if I fail the SQE my TC will be rescinded. Just wondering if that’s a normal thing

In addition to what someone else has said earlier about it being firm-dependent, I think it's also an individual thing - the firm might not be so kind to you if you skip a lot of classes (they do have records of your attendance) or they get reports from your tutors that you aren't doing your class work. If you've been ill or have any other mitigating circumstance then this should be communicated promptly.

My firm's TC agreement did have the clause in it that said we are expected to pass all elements of the SQE programme in the first go. However, I do personally know a few people who failed and had to resit one or both SQE 1 papers and they kept their TCs but had to defer their start dates for 6 months to do the resit. Some firms were definitely more supportive about it than others.

 

[Palilegal]

Hey everyone, I'll be joining Barbri at the end of this month for my SQE1 prep. I'm not sure if there's a WhatsApp group already (let me know if there is!), but I would be happy to make one so that we can all support each other

I'll also be based in London / Doha and I'm open to joining library study sessions, PM me.

 

[Ifeoluwa26]

Hello Everyone, My name is Ife.
A recent graduate from the University of Kent starting her SQE preparation courses at BPP in September and hoping to sit the SQE 1 in January.
Hoping to secure a TC or a Paralegal role and make lasting connections.