How SQE2 Preparation Is Different: What I Had to Change

I sat for SQE2 in July 2025. I assumed the preparation would be similar to SQE 1. I was wrong.

SQE2 is not SQE1 with essays. It is a different exam testing different things. Here is what I had to change.

The Format Forces Different Skills

The assessment structure makes this clear: 16 stations across five days. Four oral assessments (two client interview and attendance note and two advocacy exercises). Twelve written assessments covering legal research, legal writing, legal drafting, and case and matter analysis.

Every station requires output. You cannot skip a question. You cannot guess. You have to interview a client, draft a document, present an argument, write a report. Under time pressure.

This is the timing breakdown:

Knowing these timings helped me practice under realistic pressure. Ten minutes to prepare for a client interview is not long. Forty-five minutes to draft a document is tight when you are also analyzing the legal issues.

Active Recall, Not Passive Reading

SQE1 let me get away with recognition memory. See a question, recognize the right answer. SQE2 demands production memory. You have to generate legal principles from nothing, structure them logically, and apply them to facts you have just read.

I could not prepare for this by rereading notes. I had to test myself. After covering a topic, I would close the materials and write out the key principles from memory. Then check what I missed. This was slower and harder than passive review, but it was the only method that worked when I had to produce answers under exam pressure.

Your Legal Knowledge Still Matters

Some candidates assume SQE2 is purely about skills and dump all their legal knowledge after passing SQE1. This is a mistake.

You cannot draft a contract clause if you do not understand consideration. You cannot advise a client on limitation periods if you do not know the timeframes. You cannot make a bail application if you cannot explain the legal test.

Keep your functioning legal knowledge sharp.

Skills Carry Serious Weight

The Solicitors Regulation Authority publishes assessment criteria for each skill. I went through them. They are specific about what carries marks. For advocacy, you are assessed on whether you use appropriate language, adopt a clear structure, present persuasive reasoning, engage the court properly, and include relevant facts. For attendance notes, you need to record all necessary information, identify next steps, and provide client-focused advice.

These criteria matter as much as getting the law right. You can know the legal test perfectly but lose marks if your structure is unclear or you fail to engage with the client's actual objectives.

Refer to the Solicitors Regulation Authority website to understand what is being assessed for each skill: SQE2 Assessment Specification

Practical Realities

Finishing a station early does not mean you failed. I was often one of the first out of the interview room. You do not need to fill time.

Advocacy preparation is personal. Some wrote full scripts. Others prefer flexible frameworks. Try different approaches and use what works for you.

You cannot bring your own stationery. Everything is provided. Wear formal business attire for oral assessments.

Final Thought

Five days of assessment is exhausting. SQE1 was two days of intensity. SQE2 spreads that intensity over five days. But know that you are not alone.

SQE2 is different from SQE1, so you need to adapt your preparation. The shift from knowledge to performance, from recognition to production, from answering questions to creating output requires changing how you prepare. Understand the format, practice producing answers under time pressure, and take the skills criteria seriously.