SQE2: Latest pass rate sits at 77%

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By Emily Hinkley on

10

Up slightly

The latest results for part two of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) have been released today, with 77% of candidates making the grade.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published a report which includes pass rate data for the 996 candidates who sat this third round of SQE2 assessments.

The SRA describes the SQE as “a single rigorous assessment for all aspiring solicitors”. SQE1 is the first part and tests candidates’ functioning legal knowledge, and only once this is passed can candidates move on to SQE2 to test their practical legal skills and knowledge.

This latest round of stats show that over the course of four exam sittings between April and May, 77% of candidates passed overall, and of those attempting the exam for the first time the pass rate came in at an impressive 80%.

In 2022 there were two rounds of SQE2 exams, the spring round gave an overall pass rate of 77%, before a slight dip to 71% in the autumn.

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Across the board, the SQE2 results are more positive than those published for the SQE1 exam which in March 2023 reported an overall pass rate of 51%.

Good undergraduate grades were a strong indicator of success this year, with SQE2 passed by 95% of candidates with a first-class undergraduate degree, 83% with a 2:1 degree, and 63% with a 2:2.

Social class was not a predicting factor, with pass rates indistinguishable between candidates from professional and working-class backgrounds. There were only minor differences between candidates from state schools (86%), selective schools (87%) and fee-paying schools (84%).

10 Comments

Jane

The increase may be due to the first cohorts of City Consortium future trainees etc starting to some through with the wholesale move to SQE for their cohorts. I am not too concerned about SQE which in part is like the LPC “skills” part of the course. I have more concerns about SQE1 replacing an LLB or GDL in effect with 100% multiple choice questions when writing and stating arguments is such an important part of being a solicitor, particularly now we have discovered making it 100% MCQ has not achieved one stated aim of making those with poor English do better.

Judy

The first cohort of City Consortium students did the SQE2 during the recent July/Aug 2023 sitting though.

I reckon the increase in pass rates might be due to the fact that there are more SQE1 successful candidates in this sitting compared to the previous 2 as most of the QLTS transitional candidates would have sat for the earlier SQE2 exams.

C

That’s pretty good pass rate! Those that did SQE 2, how you find it?

Judy

The first cohort of City Consortium students did the SQE2 during the recent July/Aug 2023 sitting though.

I reckon the increase in pass rates might be due to the fact that there are more SQE1 successful candidates in this sitting compared to the previous 2 as most of the QLTS transitional candidates would have sat for the earlier SQE2 exams.

2025 US Trainee

I have a question…

For those who mentioned the “City Consortium” is part of these tests which may indicate the results, does that suggest that the CC group have an upper hand even over US/UK sponsored students on the SQE LLM1/2 at either BPP or ULAW?

Former City Consortium Student.

1. The Consortium did not sit the exams in the report and therefore their involvement is not a factor. (Their first set of exams was this month and the results haven’t been released.)

2. I don’t think we had an upper hand over other sponsored students who were studying full time. On the contrary, BPP were pretty unhelpful/incompetent, on the whole.

Uncharitable fellow

All sponsored students – whether City Consortium, US or non-City UK – are likely to do better than the average candidate since it’s a group that’s bright enough to impress an interviewer at a law firm.

Jane

Yes, that was the point I was trying (badly) to make above.

White Shoe wannabe

Good. This should be a rigorous exam like the ACA or the CFA.

You what mate

ACA? Rigorous? Pull the other one.

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