Steve Johnson, SQE1 module leader at The College of Legal Practice on SQE misconceptions, revision discipline and surviving the grind
“We are here to train you to think like a lawyer and not like a law student,” says Steve Johnson from The College of Legal Practice, summing up in one line what he sees as the central misunderstanding surrounding the SQE. It is a theme he returns to repeatedly, and one grounded in experience. In a sit-down with Legal Cheek Careers, he discusses what aspiring solicitors get wrong about the SQE, how to prepare for its demands and why students should stop treating it like an undergraduate law course.
Before moving into full-time legal education, Steve spent 25 years as a practising barrister, working initially in common law before also specialising in crime. After a decade at Manchester Metropolitan University, a brief spell at City University and five years helping to build online bar course materials at the ICCA, he joined The College of Legal Practice, where he is now SQE1 module leader.
That breadth of experience perhaps explains why Steve is so clear about what incoming SQE students tend to get wrong. The most common misconception, he says, is that the course resembles a traditional degree, with plenty of time to get to grips with subjects in a leisurely, academic way. In reality, the SQE demands something different. “Rather than analysing competing arguments for their own sake, students need to take core legal principles and exceptions and apply them to a realistic scenario in order to advise a client,” Steve explains. “If candidates find themselves constantly asking “what if”, Steve suggests they may already be drifting off course. Lawyers, after all, are trained to extract the relevant facts from the irrelevant and work from there.
That practical mindset has to begin before the course even starts. Asked what attitude students should bring with them, Steve is frank. “Every student finds the SQE1 difficult,” he says, “and because it is so time-consuming, candidates need to accept that life is going to look different for a while.” One of the smartest things prospective students can do is communicate this early to the people around them. Friends, family and employers all need to understand that study time will have to be protected. But alongside realism, Steve also urges perspective. “I’m pretty certain no one in the history of the SQE1 has ever achieved 100%,” he notes, adding that the “raw pass mark is often cited at around 56% to 58%.”
That same realism should feed into the choice of provider, Steve says students should think much more broadly than generic pass rates. “Cost is an obvious factor, particularly given the price of the SQE1 assessment itself, for example the College’s prep courses start from only £2,200” he says, and location may matter too, especially for students hoping to keep costs down by living at home. “Beyond that, the key question is what kind of learner you are. Some students want regular face-to-face tuition, others are happier working online, flexibly and independently.” The degree of personal support on offer is also important, particularly during what he describes as a “gruelling period of preparation”. And candidates should be honest with themselves about their other commitments. “There’s little point enrolling on a course length that looks good on paper but is unrealistic alongside full-time work or family responsibilities,” he tells us.
Once the course begins, balance becomes crucial. With around 13 modules across SQE1, students can easily feel swamped by the sheer amount of material. Steve’s advice is to lean on the knowledge you already have. “Most candidates arrive with a law degree or GDL behind them, so familiar subjects like contract or criminal law may need less attention than topics you’ve never studied before,” he says. Because the assessment is closed-book, memorisation matters, but so does routine. The first few weeks, he continues, should be used to build a study pattern that includes revision from the outset. “The worst thing you can do is leave it to the very end. Trust the weekly course structure and keep reinforcing your knowledge as you go.”
That approach becomes even more important when it comes to the single best answer (SBA) format. Steve is unequivocal, saying students should practise SBA questions “from the outset and throughout”. “Knowing the law is one thing. Applying it quickly under timed conditions is another,” he says. Constant exposure to these questions helps candidates understand how the format works and how to move efficiently through a long factual scenario. Steve says students who sat SQE1 in January were especially clear on this point. “Do as many of the questions as possible, and keep doing them.”
The skills tested in SQE2 bring their own anxieties. “Students are often most nervous about the oral exercises, advocacy and client interviewing,” Steve says. One common mistake is to write out everything you want to say and then read it back. But “advocacy is about talking and speaking, not reading”, he stresses. The way through is to listen to the feedback from your College supervisor and then practice, whether with friends, with family or with anyone willing to listen. “The goal isn’t to memorise a script so much as to develop a bulletproof route map that lets you recover your thread if nerves kick in.” Legal research, meanwhile, can be difficult for a different reason, namely the amount of material candidates are expected to handle inside 60 minutes. “I’d turn first to secondary sources, commentary and articles, to put the primary materials in context,” he advises, while staying alert to “red herrings” planted among the authorities.
At The College of Legal Practice, individual support is delivered through scheduled one-to-ones and group sessions, with personal supervision forming a crucial part of the model. “That support is available to all our students, including those sponsored by firms,” Steve says, though he notes that training contract holders will often arrange additional study sessions within their firms. Even so, the core pressures of the SQE remain broadly the same for everyone, and having an individual supervisor to advise you on whether you are ready to take the exam, need to study more or prioritise better can help make you much more likely to pass the exams first time around. However, Steve returns again and again to “planning and perspective” being key rather than any supposed silver bullet. That is especially true when it comes to wellbeing, where Steve’s advice is straightforward. “Map out your study time, don’t leave it to chance, and negotiate that time in advance with the people around you,” he says. “If the detail starts to feel overwhelming, step back and focus on the core concepts you actually need. Time management and communication are absolutely essential for your wellbeing.”
As our conversation wraps up, Steve offers what he describes as two final pieces of advice. “First, don’t underestimate how much time you’ll need. This isn’t an exam you can cram for, because the challenge lies in retrieval under pressure,” he tells us. “Second, do as many SBA’s as possible and begin revision early.” Perhaps the clearest takeaway is that success in the SQE begins when students stop approaching it like an academic subject and start treating it as professional training. Or, as Steve puts it, “focus less on extracurricular academic reading, and more on practising questions in a time-pressured situation”.
Virtual student event, Wednesday 1 July: ‘SQE — How to prepare, what to expect, and what it really takes,’ with Reed Smith and The College of Legal Practice. APPLY NOW.
@collegalpract What’s it really like to study at The College of Legal Practice? From SQE1 and SQE2 to the GDL and LLM in Legal Practice, our students have come from all backgrounds and stages of their legal journeys. We asked them to share their journeys, what they valued most about their experience studying at the College, and how our flexible, supportive approach helped them succeed. We're proud to say: ✔️ 84% of SQE2 students in 2024 would recommend us ✔️ 90% of our LLM students rate their tutors positively ✔️ We're one of the most affordable accredited providers in the market Whether you're just starting your legal training or preparing for your final exams, our students prove that success looks different for everyone – and with the right support, it's possible. Explore more student stories via the link in our bio
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