Solicitor-hopeful seeks guidance
In our latest Career Conundrums submission, an aspiring solicitor is seeking guidance from those who chose to self-study for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).
“Dear Editorial Team. I am about to start my SQE journey and I’ve chosen to self-study using SQE materials from an online provider. I want to hear about the experiences of those who have also chosen the self-study route – how they found it and whether they passed first time. I am very nervous given the low pass rates and wondering whether my decision to self-study will make an already difficult exam even more difficult!”
If you have a career conundrum, email us at tips@legalcheek.com.
Hey,
definitely possible.
You just need to find a study method and rhythm that works for you.
I self studied for six months next to my job and passed first time.
Read the ULAW books on the weekend. Used there mock question app and then two mock exams in the week before the exam.
No flashcards, no online course provider. No myriad of mock exams.
FLK1 Q2 and FLK2 Q1.
Fingers crossed for you and you can do it!
Best,
My tip? When looking for material online, do not trust people who sell you stuff without identifying themselves or showing you their work first. This is why all my stuff has my name on it and is on socials!
I self-studied for SQE1 while working full time and passed first attempt, so yes it’s definately possible and don’t let the scaremongering put you off.
For the actual learning, I used the Revise SQE books as my main source and honestly they’re brilliant for the price. Concise, straight to the point, covers everything on the spec. I supplemented with ULaw books for a few of the practice subjects (Dispute Res, Criminal Lit, Property) where I felt like I needed a bit more depth. I used Lawdrills for my practice questions and MCQs and highly recommend. I also did all the free mocks I could find, and did the one hundred mocks which tested niche topics well.
Honestly probably 60% of my prep was just doing questions and reviewing what I got wrong. Give yourself enough time, don’t burn out or psych yourself out. You can do it
How did you balance the self-study with work? I would be interested to know your study routine (e.g. mornings and evenings before work or at the weekend, and roughly how many hours per week). I am a Scottish trainee who might self-study the SQE for the additional qualification.
Given the pass rate I’d advise using a prep course!
I passed with a score of 80% by self-study.
SQE1 is a combination of recall and intelligence. There’s so much to learn across different topics that, providing you have a basic grasp of how English law works, formal tuition is not essential. (A good bank of practice questions is clearly far more useful.)
For SQE2 I achieve a lower mark, 71%, and I would say that self-study is harder there (although the exam is statistically probably easier).
Hey,
It’s definitely possible to pass first time through self-study. I think the main thing is to understand your learning style – based on how you studied during your degree or generally how you learn best. That matters more than whether you take a prep course.
I took SQE1 in July 2023 and passed both parts first time (FLK1 Q3 and FLK2 Q2), studying without a prep course.
My approach was very intense and probably not ideal for many, as I only started studying at the beginning of July, so it was very last minute. But I’m also a foreign qualified lawyer with years of experience, and I felt that because the exam is so memory-based, last minute cramming could work for me.
I studied around 10-12 hours a day, skipped some topics on purpose, and used only summaries from one provider. I also didn’t do practice questions or mocks at all, and the first questions I saw were in the actual exam.
It was rough, but it worked for me.
So yes, self-study can absolutely work, it just depends on what suits you best.
Good luck!