360 ➡️ 340
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is cutting the number of questions in SQE1 from 360 to 340 following feedback from candidates that the assessment can feel rushed and pressurised.
From the January 2027 sitting, each Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) assessment will contain 170 questions rather than 180, meaning candidates will face 85 questions in each session instead of 90.
The amount of time candidates are given will remain unchanged at two hours and 33 minutes per session, meaning they will now have roughly 108 seconds per question, compared with 102 seconds currently.
The regulator says the change follows feedback from candidates and other stakeholders, as well as a review of data from previous SQE1 sittings.
The SRA says some students have reported that the exam can feel “rushed and pressurised” because of the amount of time available to answer each question. Legal Cheek has also previously reported on the challenges facing SQE1 candidates, with students citing high levels of stress and anxiety caused by the intensive MCQ format, while pass rates have fallen as low as 44%.
Alongside trimming the question count, the regulator is also changing how subjects are divided between the four SQE1 sessions.
At present, all subject areas within each FLK can appear across both sessions. From January 2027, subjects will instead be split between the two sessions, meaning candidates will have fewer areas of law to focus on at any one time.
Questions will not, however, appear in neat subject-by-subject blocks. They will continue to be randomised within each session, while ethics and professional conduct questions can still crop up across any subject area.
The SRA says dividing the subjects in this way should make the assessment less challenging for candidates, while retaining randomisation to protect exam security.
The regulator said it waited until it had data from a sufficient number of SQE1 sittings before reducing the question count, giving it confidence that the move would improve the candidate experience without affecting the “accuracy” and reliability of the assessment.
The changes will apply to both first-time candidates and those resitting SQE1 from January 2027 onwards.
Some have already called for the SRA to go further. The College of Legal Practice has welcomed the changes but argues candidates should be allowed to sit and pay for FLK1 and FLK2 separately at their first attempt, saying the current structure still forces students to prepare for two demanding assessments within the same window.
Dr Giles Proctor, CEO of CoLP, said reducing the number of questions should not be mistaken for a solution to the broader challenges facing students. “The difference between 102 seconds and 108 seconds per question is welcome,” he said. “The difference between preparing for one FLK assessment and preparing for two simultaneously would be transformational.”