Spoiler alert: it hasn’t
The Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) has announced changes to SQE1, cutting the number of questions from 360 to 340 after candidates raised concerns that the assessment can feel rushed and pressurised.
In the latest podcast episode, Legal Cheek writer Nadia Ismail sits down with editor Tom Connelly to discuss the changes, drawing on Nadia’s own experience of preparing for and sitting SQE1 under the existing format.
With candidates set to face 20 less questions from January 2027, the pair consider whether the changes go far enough and what actually makes SQE1 such a demanding assessment.
Does cutting the question count really make the exam easier? How much of the challenge comes from time pressure and the sheer volume of material rather than the number of questions itself? And should candidates be given greater flexibility over how they sit SQE1?
The discussion also turns to calls for candidates to be able to sit and pay for FLK1 and FLK2 separately, as well as the financial pressures facing those funding the qualification themselves.
You can listen to the podcast in full via the embed above, or on YouTube, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
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An extra six seconds per question in case anyone was wondering how much of an impact this reduction would have.
The math proves this is a significant adjustment, that extra six seconds adds 17 minutes of breathing room across the assessment. Plus, candidates now have the advantage of knowing the topic distribution for each half of the exam beforehand.
As someone who sat the SQE1 in July without these adjustments, I think the exam is fair if you commit to revision and studying. Making these changes in response to pressure feels like a cop-out. Legal practice is difficult and high-stress; you cannot ask a client or a partner to make a matter easier because you feel rushed. The exam should reflect the realities of the profession.
Other professions face difficult qualification filters, yet their regulators refuse to lower their criteria. For instance:
The CFA Institute maintains a Level 1 pass rate of around 40%, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants sees pass rates as low as 39% for its papers. The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries has pass rates of 28.6% for core modules (CM1 Sep 2025).
The reality of working in a law firm is that the job is incredibly demanding and high-pressure. Softening the gateway exam defeats the purpose of preparing future solicitors for real world legal work.