Ouch
The percentage of students passing the first part of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE1) has fallen to a record low.
According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s latest statistical report, published today, only 41% of candidates sitting SQE1 in July achieved a passing mark. This represents a sharp drop from the 56% pass rate recorded in January and breaks the previous record low of 44% set in July last year.
While the overall pass rate of 41% includes both first-time and re-sit candidates (across Function Legal Knowledge 1 and 2), first-time sitters fared slightly better, with 46% achieving a pass.
The SRA explained that there is no fixed pass mark for SQE1. Instead, each paper is assessed independently to account for differences in difficulty, with the pass mark adjusted slightly downwards if a paper is found to be harder than intended.
The regulator also highlighted the unusually high number of re-sit candidates in this sitting — 19% of the July 2025 cohort were re-sitters, the highest proportion recorded to date. Unsurprisingly, these candidates tended to perform worse than first-time sitters, a trend seen across both SQE1 and SQE2 as well as in other professional exams.
The record low pass rate comes just a week after the SRA released an explainer defending the use of single best answer multiple-choice questions (MCQs) on SQE1, stating that it “does not test simple recall” but rather assesses aspiring lawyers’ ability to apply legal knowledge in a practical way.