Students: Most feel SQE1 is unfair
Confidence in the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE) among employers has risen over the past three years but is still not particularly strong – and declined significantly among candidates, according to new research.
The report, commissioned by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), found that qualifying work experience (QWE) has been the most successful element of the regulator’s training reforms.
Stakeholders were asked by IFF Research the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with 10 statements on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree) – 3 represented a neutral view.
Legal employers felt the SQE was performing better against its objectives, reporting average confidence scores above 3; among law firms specifically, perceptions have risen from 2.9 in 2022, when similar research was conducted early in the SQE’s life, to 3.4 in 2025.
But candidates’ combined confidence score fell from 3.1 in 2022 to 2.7 in 2025 – notably the decline was biggest among those who had passed the exam.
A little over a third of employers and just under half of training providers agreed that the SQE was a fair assessment. Only 28% of candidates considered it fair, while 63% did not, much worse than in 2022.
“Almost all the criticism of the exam’s fairness was focused on the question wording within SQE1 specifically, including perceptions among more negative candidates that some of the questions and answers had been designed to trick the candidate, with dense and difficult wording,” said IFF.
“Some candidates were also concerned that the multiple-choice format of SQE1 itself was not fair.
“They felt that there were fine margins between passing and failing on each sitting, and for those who just manage to pass, or those who were only a couple of marks off passing, this margin was largely decided by how lucky they got when guessing the answers to the questions they did not know or understand.”
The SRA acknowledged that multiple-choice questions (MCQs) have not been widely used in professional legal assessments in England and Wales, “though they are widely used in other high stakes professional exams and in legal professional exams in other countries”.
It added: “We recognise that we could have done more to explain the reasons for and advantages of using MCQs when we launched the SQE. Therefore, we have taken steps to enhance understanding and familiarity with this assessment format among training providers and candidates.”
In September, it issued a detailed rationale for single-best-answer MCQs.
The SRA insisted that all the evidence showed the assessments were functioning well and providing fair and reliable results.
“However, in line with our evaluation plan, we are commissioning a technical review of the SQE. This review will examine the validity, fairness and reliability of the assessment. It will evaluate, among other things, its format, design and structure.”
IFF found costs a significant concern for candidates, with only 17% agreeing that SQE training options were affordable and just 10% considering exam fees reasonable.
At the same time, 59% of candidates spent less than £5,000 on SQE training and associated materials. The report confirmed that a diverse range of training options existed at varying price points, including part-time, online and self-study routes, providing opportunities to work and study at the same time.
The solicitor apprenticeship was widely viewed by stakeholders as a “highly beneficial” route to qualification.
Most (87%) students reported satisfaction with the QWE they had completed, with 78% positive about the supervision they received too.
Nearly a third of candidates found it easy to secure QWE opportunities. Those who struggled did so owing to “competition for opportunities, limited understanding of QWE among legal service providers, and insufficient guidance on independently navigating the job market for QWE opportunities”.
Candidates can undertake QWE at more than one employer. Law firms (81%) were still by far the most common employer, but candidates also highlighted private sector or commercial organisations (30%), public sector or not-for-profit organisations (16%) and student law clinics (9%).
Only 8% of candidates reported taking unpaid QWE, which was most likely among ethnic minority candidates.
IFF concluded that stakeholders overall believe the SQE reforms were on track to provide greater assurance of consistent high standards at the point of admission as a solicitor, and new and diverse pathways to qualifying as a solicitor.
Julie Swan, the SRA’s director of education and training, said: “We understand candidate concerns over costs. Firstly, to address that, we are supporting a diverse training market. And we are encouraged that this has developed with a lot of choice for candidates, including more affordable options.
“In terms of the cost of the assessment, as a high stakes professional exam, our priority is making sure that it is fair, reliable and secure. The written assessment can be taken across the world, while candidates also have a choice of multiple venues in England and Wales for the live oral assessments.
“That does come at a significant cost, but we are making sure it is delivered as efficiently as possible.”
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