SQE1 Preparation Guide - FLK1, FLK2 and Study Method

SQE1 tests whether a candidate can apply functioning legal knowledge at the level required of a newly qualified solicitor of England and Wales. Its breadth is substantial, but recall alone is not enough: the official specification repeatedly frames the task as applying legal rules and principles to realistic client-based and ethical situations.

Source verification: 8 August 2026. Format, content, scoring, qualification and booking statements were checked against the current SRA and SQE pages listed at the end. The assessment specification is reviewed annually; use the version that applies to your sitting.

What SQE1 is for and where eligibility sits

SQE1 is the first assessment stage of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. It contains Functioning Legal Knowledge 1 and Functioning Legal Knowledge 2, usually shortened to FLK1 and FLK2.

Passing SQE1 does not by itself qualify someone as a solicitor. Under the SRA's SQE route, admission also requires:

• passing SQE2;
• a degree in any subject, an equivalent qualification or accepted equivalent experience;
• two years of qualifying work experience, or the applicable equivalent; and
• meeting the SRA's character and suitability requirements.

The SRA's questions and answers distinguish eligibility to sit from eligibility for admission: a law degree is not a prerequisite for sitting SQE1, but the degree-or-equivalent requirement must be met for admission. Qualified lawyers and candidates on other pathways may have different exemption or evidence arrangements. Confirm your own pathway with the SRA before committing to training or an assessment booking.

Current SQE1 format

SQE1 has two closed-book assessments:

• FLK1: 180 single-best-answer questions;
• FLK2: 180 single-best-answer questions.

Each FLK takes place on a separate assessment day. Each day is divided into two sessions of 90 questions. The standard time for each session is 2 hours 33 minutes, with a 60-minute break between sessions.

Every question has five answer options and one best answer. The official sample-question page notes an average of about 1.7 minutes per question, but individual questions may take more or less time. That average is a planning reference, not a requirement to spend the same time on every item.

The SRA publishes an assessment specification for a defined period. The current site identifies one version applicable from 1 September 2025 and links changes applicable from 1 September 2026. Candidates should read the complete specification and annexes that apply to their assessment date, because the law and practice coverage is reviewed.

How SQE1 marking and results work

A correct answer receives one raw mark. Any other response receives zero, and there is no negative marking.

FLK1 and FLK2 each have their own pass mark and result. The number of correct answers is the raw score. Because different papers can differ slightly in difficulty, raw scores are converted to scaled scores. The scaled score required to pass is always 300 out of 500 for each FLK, but the number of correct answers needed to reach that standard is not fixed in advance across sittings.

This distinction prevents two common errors:

• 300 is 60 per cent of the 0–500 reporting scale, but it does not mean 60 per cent raw correct. The raw number correct needed to reach 300 can vary by paper.
• A past raw pass mark is not a guaranteed future cut-off. The assessment board sets the pass marks for the papers after psychometric review and standard setting.

The results page reports FLK1 and FLK2 separately and includes the raw number correct, scaled score, pass outcome, quintile and practice-area breakdown. The official guidance warns that a practice-area breakdown is based on a relatively small number of questions and should be treated cautiously. SQE1 is compensatory within each FLK: weaker performance in one practice area does not automatically decide the whole FLK result.

Official result versus a practice estimate

Only the official SQE results process produces a scaled score and pass outcome. A practice provider can report accuracy or estimate readiness, but it cannot know the exact raw pass mark for a future paper or reproduce the official scaling process.

Use practice data to answer narrower questions:

• What is your raw accuracy under the correct session timing?
• Which FLK and practice areas produce repeat errors?
• Can you distinguish a nearly correct statement from the single best answer?
• Does performance remain stable in the second 90-question session?
• Are errors caused by law, application, reading, calculation or pacing?

Avoid converting one practice percentage into a promised 300-plus result.

What FLK1 covers

The official specification groups FLK1 into:

• Business Law and Practice;
• Dispute Resolution;
• Contract Law;
• Tort;
• the Legal System of England and Wales, including Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law; and
• Legal Services.

Questions can combine subject areas in a realistic matter. Principles of taxation are examined in relevant practice contexts rather than as a detached tax paper. Ethics and professional conduct run across both FLKs rather than sitting in one isolated topic.

What FLK2 covers

FLK2 includes:

• Property Law and Practice;
• Wills and the Administration of Estates;
• Solicitors Accounts in the context of Property and Wills;
• Land Law;
• Trusts Law;
• Criminal Liability; and
• Criminal Law and Practice.

Again, a question may cross doctrinal and practice boundaries. A property scenario may require the candidate to identify a substantive rule, a procedural step, a client consequence and an ethical issue within the same chain of reasoning.

Understand the level of knowledge required

SQE1 is closed book and tests fundamental legal principles that a newly qualified solicitor should be able to apply without referring to books and notes. The specification says it is not designed to test specialist details that a newly qualified solicitor would normally look up.

That does not make the assessment shallow. “Functioning legal knowledge” requires candidates to:

• identify the relevant rule from a client scenario;
• apply it to the material facts;
• recognise the lawful or procedurally correct outcome;
• distinguish closely related alternatives;
• perform required calculations; and
• recognise ethical and professional-conduct duties.

Candidates normally do not need to recall case names or statutory provisions unless the name or provision is itself the usual way practitioners identify the principle or procedural step.

The examinable law has a cut-off date: four calendar months before the first assessment in the relevant window. Build your final consolidation from the official specification and the law applicable at that cut-off, not from an undated outline.

Start with an evidence-led diagnostic

Use current official sample questions from both FLK1 and FLK2. Choose enough questions to expose process problems, but do not consume all official samples before learning how to review them.

For each response, record:

• FLK and practice area;
• legal rule or procedural stage;
• decisive facts;
• answer chosen and credited answer;
• why each close distractor is inferior;
• error type;
• source used to correct the rule; and
• date and result of a later retest.

Separate knowledge from application. If you could state the rule but attached it to the wrong fact, rereading the rule is unlikely to fix the problem. If you did not know the rule, repeated question practice without rebuilding the legal framework may only reinforce guessing.

Build an evidence-led study plan

Phase one - map the specification

Turn every specification area into an auditable checklist. Mark each as:

• not yet studied;
• understood but not retrievable;
• retrievable but weak in application;
• stable in mixed questions; or
• due for spaced review.

Coverage should follow the official specification, not the chapter order of one textbook.

Phase two - build rule and process frameworks

For each area, create compact structures:

• rule and elements;
• exceptions and defences;
• procedural sequence;
• limitation or deadline logic;
• remedies or consequences;
• calculations; and
• professional-conduct overlays.

Then retrieve the framework without notes. Closed-book readiness cannot be inferred from recognising a highlighted page.

Phase three - apply through single-best-answer questions

Begin with small topic sets. Explain the decisive distinction before checking the answer. When accuracy becomes stable, mix related areas so the question no longer tells you which rule to retrieve.

Phase four - build session endurance

Progress from short timed sets to 90-question sessions. Later, reproduce both sessions and the break. Track whether reading precision, decision time or recall deteriorates after the midpoint.

Phase five - integrate FLK days

Practise FLK1 and FLK2 as separate papers while maintaining both in the revision cycle. Both need a passing outcome, so a strong FLK1 cannot compensate for failing FLK2.

Use a single-best-answer review method

For every substantial error:

1. Identify the legal task. Is the question asking for a rule, next step, remedy, calculation, ethical response or most likely outcome?
2. Extract material facts. Separate legally decisive facts from narrative detail.
3. State the rule before options. If you cannot, mark a knowledge gap.
4. Apply element by element. Do not jump from a familiar phrase to an answer.
5. Compare the final two options. Explain why one is more complete, precise or procedurally appropriate.
6. Correct from an authoritative source. Update the rule framework, not just the answer key.
7. Retest in a new scenario. Recall of the old answer is not evidence of transfer.

Use specific error labels:

• rule not known;
• exception missed;
• date or threshold confused;
• wrong procedural order;
• material fact overlooked;
• ethics issue missed;
• calculation error;
• answer too broad or incomplete;
• correct reasoning overridden; or
• rushed guess.

Decide when you are ready

Readiness evidence should include:

• complete coverage of the specification applicable to your sitting;
• current law aligned with the published cut-off date;
• stable performance across mixed FLK questions;
• a documented method for close distractors;
• completed 90-question sessions under standard timing;
• at least one two-session rehearsal for each FLK;
• an error log with falling recurrence, not merely rising question volume; and
• no neglected ethics, calculations or cross-subject scenarios.

Do not use one provider's pass prediction as the sole booking decision. Look for convergence across timed accuracy, breadth, endurance and error recurrence.

Booking and assessment-day checklist

• Create and activate an SQE candidate account.
• Verify your identity using the current official process.
• Complete the required pre-booking tasks, including submitting the diversity survey; answering its individual questions is optional.
• Submit any reasonable-adjustment request through the prescribed route before the relevant deadline.
• Confirm any exemption that affects your pathway or booking.
• Check the official booking window and seat-reservation instructions for your intended sitting.
• Review the allocated dates and locations for both FLK assessments before paying.
• Make sure the name on your registration matches your accepted identification.
• Check the current ID page for the original documents required at the written assessments.
• Read the assessment regulations, prohibited-items rules and reporting-time instructions.
• Plan travel and recovery for two separate, long FLK assessment days.
• Recheck the specification version and legal cut-off date for your sitting.

Booking windows, locations and procedures can change. Use your confirmation emails and candidate account as the final operational record.

Quick answers

Is SQE1 one exam?

SQE1 consists of two assessments, FLK1 and FLK2. Each has 180 questions and takes place on a separate day.

Is SQE1 open book?

No. The official specification describes both FLK assessments as closed book.

Is there negative marking?

No. The best answer receives one mark; any other response receives zero.

Is the pass mark 60 per cent?

Not as a fixed raw percentage. The passing scaled score is always 300 out of 500 for each FLK, while the raw number correct needed to reach it can vary with the paper and standard-setting process.

Must I pass both FLK1 and FLK2?

Yes. Results are reported separately and both FLKs must be passed as part of completing SQE1.

Does passing SQE1 make me a solicitor?

No. SQE1 is one component of the qualification route. The SRA also requires SQE2, the applicable degree-or-equivalent condition, qualifying work experience, and character and suitability.

Can a practice platform issue an official SQE1 result?

No. Practice can show raw accuracy and provide a readiness estimate. Only the official assessment and results process can issue the scaled FLK scores and pass outcomes.