Skip to content

What to expect on the SQE (from someone who’s passed it)

Avatar photo

By Legal Cheek on

Notes, nerves and MCQs

For many aspiring solicitors, starting SQE1 means getting to grips with a vast syllabus, a demanding timetable and an unfamiliar exam format.

As the new SQE intake approaches, so do the inevitable nerves about what lies ahead.

Legal Cheek writers Nadia Ismail and Ryan Scott sit down to discuss what students can expect from SQE1, with Ismai sharing her experience of preparing for and sitting the assessment.

The Legal Cheek Podcast is sponsored by Simpson Thacher, home of the private equity training contract

For those yet to begin, much of the uncertainty comes from not knowing what the weekly workload will involve or how the real assessment will feel. The episode offers a first-hand account of both, along with practical reassurance for anyone already feeling the pressure.

How do you manage the sheer volume of content? What does studying for SQE1 actually look like week to week? And what should you expect from the exam itself?

The SQE Hub: Your ultimate resource for all things SQE

The pair explore study techniques, practice questions, mock scores and the pressure of feeling behind, before turning to last-minute revision and the realities of exam day.

You can listen to the podcast in full via the embed above, or on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

The Legal Cheek Podcast is proudly independent. Thanks to our sponsor Simpson Thacher, home of the private equity training contract, for making that possible


Simpson Thacher early careers

guest

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted

Related Stories

news SQE Hub

‘I passed SQE1. 6 practical tips so you can too’

Having successfully navigated one of the most challenging exams in legal training, Legal Cheek's Nadia Ismail shares what helped her along the way

Aug 5 2026 8:48am
3
news SQE Hub

ULaw expands SQE reach with Lancaster Uni deal

From September

Jul 1 2026 8:47am
news SQE Hub

Spell-check tool to be trialled in SQE2

Follows independent reviewer's recommendation

Jun 1 2026 7:05am
3