SRA makes changes
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has updated its candidate confidentiality policy for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), narrowing the scope of what students are required to keep under wraps following feedback that the previous rules were too sweeping.
The key change makes clear that confidentiality obligations apply specifically to the “content of the assessment questions:, rather than to the assessment experience more broadly.
The old policy prohibited candidates from disclosing or discussing “any of the assessment content”, a phrasing the SRA now recognises was wider than intended. The updated wording restricts this to the “specific content of the assessment questions”.
The regulator says it understands students may want to discuss other aspects of sitting the SQE, such as the practicalities of the assessment arrangements, how they found the difficulty level, how they prepared, or how they managed exam pressure. Under the updated policy, that kind of conversation is now explicitly permitted.
The changes come after candidates fed back that the original policy was too broad, with the SRA stressing that the purpose of the rules is simply to prevent anyone gaining an unfair advantage by sharing information about what comes up in the exam.
The updated policy also now cross-references detailed guidance published late last year, which sets out what behaviour is and is not permitted, the consequences of a breach, and recommended actions for candidates who are unsure about the rules.
The new policy applies from yesterday (23 February) and will first come into effect for the April 2026 SQE2 assessment.
