Down from 79%
The latest round of results for part two of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE2) has been released, with the overall pass rate of students dropping down to 64%.
The fifth round of SQE2 assessments, which ran in two sittings between 23 October and 2 November 2023, saw a significant drop in the percentage of students passing, with the most recent previous cohort of budding solicitors clocking a 79% pass rate.
Those sitting the exam for the first time fared better, with 69% passing, although this is still a significant decrease from the 82% of first-time passers in the last round of assessments.
In order to pass, the 642 candidates were required to average a mark of between 61-62%, depending on whether they sat in the first or second sitting.
A student’s overall mark is an average of their performance across 16 stations — 12 written stations and four oral stations — that assess both skills and application of legal knowledge. In order to undertake SQE2, students must first pass SQE1, an assessment of their understanding of black letter law across two multiple-choice exams.
These most recent assessments saw a significant disparity between those at the top of their cohort, the best of whom scored 90%, and those at the tail end, dipping below the 30% mark.
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