SQE Articles
Real insights from someone who has been through it. Strategy, mindset, and the practical tactics that actually work when you are preparing for the SQE.
SQE: What You Need to Know Before You Start
Can you do SQE from a non-law background? What is SQE1 and how is it structured? A practical overview of everything you need to know before you start preparing.
Read articleWhat Studying for SQE 1 Taught Me About Real Preparation
When I started SQE 1, I genuinely thought covering the syllabus was the same as preparing for it. Read everything, make good notes, stay consistent, and you will be fine. I believed that for longer than I should have.
Read articleHow long did you study?
I am often asked how long I took to prepare for SQE 1. Candidates usually expect one definite answer: one month, three months, six months. In practice, time alone does not reflect how someone actually studied.
Read articleNotes That Actually Help You Pass
Most SQE candidates take extensive notes. They summarise manuals, highlight heavily, and rewrite large sections in their own words. By the end, they have pages of material that look thorough.
Read articleDepth Over Variety: Why Focused Learning Works Better
When preparing for SQE 1, one of the main difficulties is how unfocused learning can become over time.
Read articleHow 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.
Read articleNavigating Through Exam Week
Two principles governed my approach to exam week.
Read articleHow to Build Your Wrong Questions Bank
Here is exactly what I tracked during SQE 1 prep. This is not the only way to do it, but if you want a starting framework, this is what worked for me.
Read articleWhy Your Mock Scores Do Not Predict Your Real Score
You scored 58% on your last mock. You are panicking. That means you will fail the real exam, right? Wrong. Your mock score means almost nothing about what you will score on exam day.
Read articleThe Wrong Questions Bank
Most candidates do practice questions, get some right, get some wrong, and move on. That is not the most effective way to learn.
Read articleThe Practice Question Plateau: When You are Doing 100 Questions But Not Improving
You are doing the work. Thirty questions a night. Full mocks on weekends. Hundreds of questions logged. But your score is not moving.
Read articleHow I Passed SQE 1 on My First Attempt: The Strategy That Worked
I was working full-time, so I could not rely on long study hours. I had to be focused and selective on where my focus should be. This is the exact approach I used to pass in September 2024.
Read articleHow I Balanced SQE Prep with a Full-Time Job
When I started preparing for SQE 1, I was working full-time. Most days, I finished work exhausted. I did not study more hours than anyone else. I learned to make the hours I had count.
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