Robert Dudley reflects on findings from BARBRI’s exclusive research into the challenges facing today’s law students
Legal Cheek Careers speaks to Robert Dudley, head of employability and engagement at BARBRI, about the findings of the law school giant’s new research report, Five years on from the SQE: Where are we now?
One of the headline findings from the survey was that 42% of respondents found balancing SQE prep with other commitments quite or extremely challenging. For Dudley, this reflects the reality of today’s SQE cohort, many of whom are balancing full-time work or personal commitments, such as caring responsibilities, alongside study. For those students, flexibility in their prep courses is fundamental, not only to help juggle everything but also to prevent overwhelm and burnout.
BARBRI’s courses are delivered predominantly online, which Dudley says creates the flexibility candidates need. Courses come in different durations leading into exam sittings, with the intention of being “as manageable and accessible as possible”. “We understand that our students have lives outside of the law school,” he adds, and the structure is designed to fit around that.
Central to this is BARBRI’s Personal Study Plan (PSP), an AI-powered learning management system that tracks progress and adapts when life inevitably gets in the way. “If students need to block out time due to work conflicts or personal commitments (or simply need a day off), the system reschedules content to help them stay on track without feeling overwhelmed,” Dudley tells us.
That flexibility is paired with intensive support. Beyond the study plan itself, students receive tailored SQE content written by qualified solicitors and barristers, unlimited access to learning coaches, and support from performance coaches who focus on habits, wellbeing and resilience. Dudley stresses that this is about “building sustainable routines rather than encouraging students to sprint towards the exams”. With 15 subjects to cover in the SQE1 alone, the assessments are a marathon: “consistent study, regular practice and planned time off are far more effective than last-minute cramming,” Dudley stresses.
BARBRI also provides access to a dedicated wellbeing and mental health support team, mental health first aiders and a diagnostic app called ‘BARBRI Be Well’, designed to help students manage issues such as anxiety or sleep problems. Dudley highlights the “importance of peer support too”, pointing to student committees, forums and study groups that help build a sense of community and shared experience. “For our students who study remotely, that support and network are vital for building their confidence and success,” he adds.
When it comes to what distinguishes successful SQE candidates, Dudley is refreshingly blunt. “Students who do the work they are given, and do it consistently, perform significantly better. BARBRI provides thousands of practice questions and mock exams, and data shows a strong correlation between completion of their Personal Study Plan (PSP) and their success in passing the exam.” Dudley says. “Learning coaches can see exactly how students are progressing and intervene early if someone is falling behind, while students themselves can track their strengths and weaknesses. Practice, repetition and engagement, rather than buying extra materials or chasing shortcuts, are what make the difference.”
Of course, in addition to passing the exams, 24 months of qualifying work experience is required to qualify as a solicitor. The report highlighted just how difficult it can be for students to complete the full two years. This is where programmes like BARBRI’s ‘QWE Bridge to Practice’ come in. The six-month programme focuses on “real cases and real work” completed remotely through its partnership with Sequentus. “Students start with an initial six weeks of skills training before moving into casework,” Dudley tells us. “Over the programme, they can build three months’ worth of full-time equivalent QWE”. He finds that the difficulty for many SQE candidates is simply “getting their foot in the door”, but once students have accrued even a small amount of QWE and developed their skills, it can help them more easily access and find further QWE to complete the full 24 months.
The report also quizzed candidates about their confidence in different skills expected of a newly-qualified solicitor. One area where students felt particularly less confident was using legal tech and AI. “Legal practice has changed dramatically,” Dudley says, and it is “only a matter of time” before all firms adopt in-house AI systems. Aspiring solicitors “need to be comfortable with AI”, while he suggests the SQE currently “only really tests their knowledge and their competencies”. In the future, this may mean that training and assessment need to align more closely with modern realities. To help students prepare for this digital future, BARBRI integrates legal tech awareness through industry partnerships and initiatives such as hackathons, while also encouraging students to see the breadth of roles available beyond traditional fee-earning pathways.
The survey highlighted mixed feelings about the other skills assessed in SQE2, chiefly drafting, advocacy, negotiation, communication and relationship management. “BARBRI’s programmes are built around practical, scenario-based learning, supplemented by commercial awareness workshops led by legal employers,” Dudley explains. He finds that “teaching students in a more practical way, using real-world examples, makes concepts feel less abstract and more grounded in reality, helping to bolster assessment outcomes”. Regular mock assessments also play a key role in supporting BARBRI’s pass rates, building confidence and resilience through repetition and feedback, and helping students develop the specific mindset required for SQE exams.
The unfortunate reality, however, is that not everybody passes first time. The survey found that around one in five candidates did not pass either SQE1 or SQE2 at their first sitting, while a further one in five failed just one of the two assessments. Asked how BARBRI supports students who need to resit, Dudley points to the BARBRI ‘SQE Guarantee’, which acts as a “safety net” for those who need it. “The Guarantee allows those who don’t pass first time to re-enrol on another BARBRI SQE prep course free of charge within 12 months of receiving their exam results”, removing the added pressure of having to fund another course if they need to resit.
Finally, the report suggests the SQE is opening pathways for candidates from underrepresented backgrounds, with around 40% of respondents coming from non-selective state schools and around 10% identifying as neurodivergent and/or disabled. Progress has been made, particularly because QWE has made qualification possible for people who would previously have needed a training contract. But Dudley is cautious about declaring “the job done”, arguing there is “still work to do on adjusting the assessment format for neurodivergent and disabled candidates, and on whether multiple QWE experiences will be valued as much as the traditional training contract”. Looking ahead, success will mean not just a more diverse intake, but a profession where that diversity is supported and reflected in progression beyond qualification.
For law schools and training providers, the responsibility goes beyond academics. Supporting wellbeing, resilience, employability and realistic expectations of practice is all part of the job. As Dudley puts it, “qualification is not just an assessment but a whole journey into the profession, one that requires holistic support, adaptability and an understanding that one size does not fit all”.
Join us on the afternoon of Thursday 12 February for ‘The SQE balancing act: Funding, wellbeing and work experience’, a virtual student event in partnership with BARBRI. This event will explore some of themes from the report. Apply now!
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