SQE1 exam format and pace test

How many questions are in SQE1, and how long is it?

From January 2027 SQE1 has 340 questions, 170 in FLK1 and 170 in FLK2. Each FLK is sat as two sessions of 85 questions lasting 2 hours 33 minutes, which is 5 hours 6 minutes of assessment time, with a 60-minute break between the sessions.

SQE1 is a computer-based, closed-book assessment of functioning legal knowledge, set by the SRA and run for it by Kaplan SQE. It is sat at Pearson VUE test centres. It consists of two assessments, FLK1 and FLK2, each sat on a separate day within the same assessment window. Every question is a single best answer question with five options.

Dates, fees and booking windows are set by the SRA and change over time. The SRA website is the authoritative source for the current sitting, and the SQE1 study plan builds a week-by-week schedule to your sitting.

The two assessments

FLK1 covers Business Law and Practice, Dispute Resolution, Contract, Tort, the Legal System of England and Wales with Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law, and Legal Services. FLK2 covers Property Practice, Wills and the Administration of Estates, Land Law, Trusts, Criminal Liability, and Criminal Law and Practice, with Solicitors Accounts examined in the context of property and wills. Ethics and professional conduct is examined across both.

Each assessment is marked separately with its own pass mark, and both must be passed. The FLK1 topics and weighting and FLK2 topics and weighting guides describe the subjects with the SRA's 2019 blueprint ranges.

The sessions

Each assessment is split into two sessions of 85 questions, each lasting 2 hours 33 minutes, with a 60-minute break between them. From January 2027 each session covers a fixed group of subjects, and the questions are randomised within the session. FLK1 session 1 covers Business Law and Practice, Dispute Resolution and Legal Services. FLK2 session 1 covers Wills and the Administration of Estates, Solicitors Accounts in the context of wills, Trusts and Land Law. The remaining subjects of each FLK make up session 2.

The time allowance works out at about 1.8 minutes, or 108 seconds, a question. That is enough to read a scenario of several sentences, identify the issue and choose between five options, provided the candidate does not stall. Most candidates find that pacing, rather than the total time, is the challenge.

The single best answer question

Each question has three parts. A scenario sets out facts as a client might present them, and a question asks something specific, such as which advice is correct or what a court is most likely to decide. Five options follow, of which one is the single best answer.

The word best matters. More than one option may contain a correct statement of law, but only one applies the correct law to the facts and answers the question asked. The SRA publishes sample questions on its website, and the SQE1 practice questions page has a free set in the same format with a rationale for every option.

On the day

Candidates book each assessment through their account on the SRA's SQE website. Identification requirements, permitted items and the check-in process are set out in the candidate guidance, which should be read in full before the day, because the rules are applied strictly.

The assessment is delivered on screen. An erasable whiteboard notepad and pen are provided for working, which matters for Solicitors Accounts and tax calculations. During the 60-minute break candidates may leave the centre, and must return within 50 minutes. Candidates who need reasonable adjustments are asked about them before a seat is reserved, and should apply in advance.

Results and resits

Results are released five to six weeks after the assessment. Each FLK receives a pass or fail and a scaled score from 0 to 500, with a quintile showing where the score sits among the other candidates and a breakdown by practice area. A candidate who fails one assessment resits that one only, within the limit of three attempts in six years. The pass mark guide explains how the pass mark is set and what the scaled score means, and the SQE1 pass rate page has the results of every sitting.

Preparing for the format

The format rewards two things beyond knowledge of the law. The first is fluency with scenario-based questions, which comes from practising single best answer questions with full explanations. The second is stamina, which comes from timed sessions of the full length.

The free diagnostic uses the same five-option format across subjects from both assessments. It gives a first read on every subject in 13 questions and about 15 minutes, before any longer practice.