How Long Did You Study for SQE?

I am often asked how long I studied for SQE. I do not think the number of months tells you very much. Someone may study six hours a day for one month, while someone else studies two hours a day for three months. The total hours may be similar, but the pacing is different. That is why you should not panic when you hear that someone else studied for longer.

Reading was not enough

What mattered more for me was how I used the time. When I started, I thought covering the syllabus meant I was preparing. I read the notes, made summaries and tried to stay consistent. But reading can make you feel more prepared than you actually are. The material looked familiar on the page, but when I started doing questions, I could not always use it properly.

What actually helped

I made the most progress when I started doing questions, testing recall and reviewing mistakes. Questions show you the gaps very quickly, and they force you to recall the rules instead of just recognising them on the page. If I started again, I would do them much earlier.

Final thought

So instead of asking how long someone studied, it is more useful to ask whether the way they studied helped them remember the law and answer questions accurately.