Results and resits

You will only be allowed three attempts at SQE1 and three attempts at SQE2. These have to be taken within six years from the first attempt of an SQE assessment. The clock starts from the first day of the first assessment you sit.

You will get your results approximately 5-6 weeks after sitting SQE1, and approximately 14-18 weeks after sitting SQE2. The actual date of your results will be confirmed closer to your assessment.

We will send you an email notifying you that the results are available in your SQE account. Results will only be posted within your account on the SQE website and will not be sent out to you. You will be able to save them as a PDF. 

Please note that, unless you have an exemption from sitting SQE1, you cannot book SQE2 until you have received your results for SQE1. Similarly, you cannot book to re-sit an assessment until you have received your results for your previous attempt at that assessment.

Marking SQE1

SQE1 is a single-best-answer multiple-choice test. Each question will have one answer that is considered to be correct and will score a mark of 1 if you choose it. All other responses, including where multiple responses are recorded, will be awarded a score of 0. Your total score for the assessment is a percentage based on the proportion of correct responses across the assessment.

Learn more: Marking and standard setting policy

Understanding what’s included in your SQE1 results

We have some resources that will help you understand more about what’s included your SQE1 results.

Learn more: Understanding what’s included in your SQE1 results

Post-SQE1 processes

A number of steps take place after an SQE1 sitting. Results data must be transferred from all Pearson VUE test centres to Kaplan and then checked for completeness to ensure we have results for all of the candidates. We then combine this with EDI data provided in the pre-booking survey. This is cross checked to ensure all candidate information required for the psychometric analysis to take place has been received.

A detailed analysis of the assessment is undertaken by the Kaplan psychometric team and an independent psychometrician. Cross checks are carried out continuously to ensure the integrity of the data and its interpretations. Analysis includes calculating test and item levels statistics, and performance across a range of measures to support the validation of the exam. If we find any issues such as a question performing in an unexpected way, this information is passed to the academic team to be investigated. When all the data checks have been concluded a provisional pass mark is set before the analysis moves to calculating the pass rates by different key demographic measures such as sex, ethnic background, disability, age, experience and various socio-economic factors. You can see this breakdown in the SQE1 Statistical Report.

Information is then prepared for the assessment board. Their role is to confirm if the outcomes of the assessment are valid and set the pass marks for FLK1 and FLK2. The quintiles are then calculated with final results checked for accuracy before they are released to candidates.

SQE1 results and assessment report

You may find it helpful to review the SQE1 Statistical Reports to help you better understand your results. They set out some feedback on the SQE1 assessments, consisting of FLK1 and FLK2, and their performance.

Learn more: SQE reports

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Marking SQE2

You will be assessed on six different legal skills in six types of exercise across 16 stations or exercises, 12 written stations and 4 oral stations. The 12 written stations assess the candidate's skills of case and matter analysis, legal research, legal writing and legal drafting, while the four oral stations test skills across the areas of advocacy, interviewing and attendance note/legal analysis. Each station is an individual ‘assessment’ or ‘exercise’ that candidates take as part of SQE2. Advocacy (Dispute Resolution) is one station, legal drafting (Business organisations, rules and procedures) is another station, and so on.Your interview will be marked by the assessor playing the role of the client and will be marked on skills only. The attendance note and all other exercises will be marked by a solicitor who will assess you on both skills and application of law.

Learn more: SQE2 assessment specification

Performance in each of the exercises or stations will be assessed on a scale from A to F, with trained assessors making global professional judgments. Their judgements are related to the standard of competency of the assessment as set out in the SQE2 Assessment Specification, namely that of the just competent Day One solicitor (defined as level three of the SRA’s Threshold Standard).

Each station has assessment criteria which are set out in the SQE2 Assessment Specification. Marking is based on performance on each of the assessment criteria for that station judged on a scale from A-F as follows:

• Superior performance: well above the competency requirements of the assessment
• Clearly satisfactory: clearly meets the competency requirements of the assessment
• Marginal pass: on balance, just meets the competency requirements of the assessment
• Marginal fail: on balance, just fails to meet the competency requirements of the assessment
• Clearly unsatisfactory: clearly does not meet the competency requirements of the assessment
• Poor performance: well below the competency requirements of the assessment

This grading will then be converted into numerical marks so that A = 5 marks and F = 0 marks. Candidates will see the numerical marks on their results page rather than the letter equivalents. A candidate can receive a score of 0 even if they have attempted a question. A score of 0 indicates that they have been judged to be well below the competency requirements for that assessment criterion or criteria, not that their answer has not been considered or not been marked. Please see the short explanatory video for more information on this.

The marking criteria for each of the exercises has been divided into marks for skills and marks for application of law. Each station has a percentage score calculated from the marks awarded for application of law, and for skills. Therefore the marks relating to legal skills are averaged into a single ‘skills’ score, and marks for the application of legal knowledge into a single ‘law’ score. These are combined with equal weighting to provide a total score for each station. The final candidate percentage score is an average of the 16 station totals. This is to make sure that adequate weighting is given to the quality of the advice provided.

Learn more: Marking and standard setting policy

Understanding what’s included in your SQE2 results

We have some resources that will help you understand more about what’s included your SQE2 results.

Learn more: Understanding what’s included in your SQE2 results

SQE2 pass marks

Overall SQE2 pass marks are calculated using the station scores for each group of candidates who sit the same assessment. Although the written questions are common for all candidates, the oral ones will differ depending on the date on which they are taken. This is to ensure that the assessment exercises for each day remain confidential, so that all candidates are treated fairly.

Despite different questions on each day, they are all set at a similar difficulty level and test the same skills and application of legal knowledge.

Because questions vary from day to day, a pass mark will be calculated for each set of dates and unique combination of stations. This is based on the common written questions and the specific oral questions which have been attempted.

As a result, the pass mark for SQE2 may differ across dates to reflect any small changes in the difficulty levels of the stations. To maintain equivalent standards, and to be fair to candidates, station scores adjust to compensate for any changes in difficulty.

The same approach is taken in successive sittings of both SQE1 and SQE2. This means the pass mark reflects the level of difficulty of actual questions used, so as to ensure a consistent standard and fairness between candidates, and over time.

Please see the Assessment Specification for more on the stations and scoring methods. Find out more about how the pass mark is set in the Marking and Standard Setting Policy.

There are also links to other information provided at the bottom of your online results page. This will help you to book your next assessment or resit, understand how the pass mark is set for the assessment, review the assessment regulations and appeals policy, understand how you can apply to the SRA for admission to the roll of solicitors of England and Wales, and contact us if you have any queries.

SQE2 results and assessment report

You may find it helpful to review the SQE2 Statistical Reports to help you better understand your results. They set out some feedback on the SQE2 assessments and their performance.

Learn more: SQE reports

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Clerical checks

Since the SQE was introduced, the clerical check process has not found any error in the calculation and collation of marks for any candidate that has made a request since. We follow a rigorous approach to the calculation and collation of candidate marks and the quality assurance process associated with this.

We therefore updated the approach to clerical checks by amending the Appeals policy in June 2023. We removed the option for candidates to request a clerical check for future assessments. If a candidate does make an appeal, a clerical check will be completed as part of the process of the appeal.

This change does not impact a candidate’s right to request information about their marks in accordance with the UK GDPR. 

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Mitigating circumstances

Changes to the mitigating circumstances timeline for SQE1

Following feedback from stakeholders, we have amended the SQE1 results release and mitigating circumstances processes to facilitate the earlier release of SQE1 results.

This means that SQE1 results can be released earlier, approximately 5-6 weeks after an assessment. The time for the results of a mitigating circumstances claim will remain at approximately 8-9 weeks. This time is needed to ensure the thorough investigation of claims, including evidence gathering. There is no change to the mitigating circumstances process for SQE2.

This change came into effect for the January 2023 SQE1 sitting.

What are mitigating circumstances?

If something has happened that you believe has impacted your performance during an assessment, this could be a mitigating circumstance.

Mitigating Circumstances has two elements:

1. An intervening event:
   1. a mistake or irregularity in the administration or conduct of the assessment; and/or
   2. evidence of bias in the conduct of the assessment; and/or
   3. subject to the Fit to Sit Policy and SQE Assessment Regulations, a candidate's illness or other personal circumstances beyond their reasonable control
2. which have, or are likely to, materially and adversely affect a candidate's marks or performance in the assessment.

Mitigating circumstances timeline and process for SQE1

• Where mitigating circumstances arise at a test centre, you must report this to an invigilator as soon as possible and at the latest before leaving the test centre so that a record can be made. If possible, you should as for a case reference number.
• Even if something has occurred which affects a group of candidates, you should still make your own individual mitigating circumstances application.
• You should make a claim within five working days of the end of the relevant assessment window using the Mitigating Circumstances Form which is in your candidate account
• You will receive your SQE1 results on the same day as all other candidates:
  • If you have made a mitigating circumstances claim and have passed SQE1, your claim will be automatically rejected, since the circumstances will not be deemed to have materially and adversely affected your marks or performance in the assessment. You will receive you passing result and be informed that your claim has come to an end and no further action is needed
  • If you have made a mitigating circumstances claim but have not passed SQE1, you will be notified of this on the results day and given the date that you will receive the outcome of your claim. This date will be approximately 2-3 weeks later. The candidate services team will be able to support you during this time if you have any questions. However, the result of your claim will not be issued before the date given to you and the candidate services team will not be able to provide any more information on the possible outcome of your claim during this period. If the booking window for the next SQE1 is open, you will be able to make a booking for a resit pending the result of the claim at no cost and without obligation. Therefore, you will know that you have a space without incurring further cost and can decide whether to proceed to resit at that next sitting once you the outcome of your mitigating circumstances claim.

Mitigating circumstances timeline and process for SQE2

• Where mitigating circumstances arise at a test centre, you must report this to an invigilator as soon as possible and at the latest before leaving the test centre so that record can be made.
• You should make a claim within 5 days after the end of the relevant assessment using the Mitigating Circumstances form that can be found in your Candidate account.
• You will receive the result of your mitigating circumstances claim on the same day that you receive your SQE2 results.

Examples of what could be mitigating circumstances

The following is an indicative list of what could be accepted as “mitigating circumstances”. This is for guidance only and each claim is assessed on a case by case basis:

• a candidate feeling very unwell after an assessment has started
• a candidate leaving the assessment due to illness
• a candidate experiencing specific difficulties related to a condition during an assessment (e.g. a flare up)
• a candidate experiencing illness or a bereavement between the FLK1 and FLK2 assessments, or in between the assessment days for SQE2 so, in accordance with the Fit to Sit Policy, the candidate does not sit an assessment or assessments
• a technical issue that caused a significant and major disruption to the assessment day.

Examples of what could be regarded as not amounting to mitigating circumstances

The following is an indicative list of what could typically not be regarded as “mitigating circumstances”. This is for guidance only and each claim is assessed on a case by case basis:

• transport issues
• holiday/family events
• misreading the assessment timetable
• employment
• an assessment starting later than planned
• a minor disruption in an assessment, such as noise disturbance or the movement of other candidates in the test centre
• a candidate experiencing illness after one assessment in the window and continuing to sit the remaining assessments despite illness or other personal circumstances
• events that occur after the assessments have finished
• assessment questions being different from a preparation course.

Summary of the successful outcomes of a mitigating circumstances claim

• SQE1. The attempt will be discounted (i.e. it won’t count towards your three attempts to pass SQE1). For the avoidance of doubt, a mitigating circumstances claim cannot lead to the increase or adjustments of your marks. Therefore, a candidate that has failed will need to retake the relevant assessment and, depending on the circumstances, a free sitting maybe offered.
• SQE2. The attempt will be discounted (i.e. it won’t count towards your three attempts to pass SQE2). Candidates should note that even though SQE2 comprises 16 individual assessment stations, SQE2 is a single assessment of competence. Where mitigating circumstances are accepted for any of the assessment stations comprising SQE2, a candidate that has failed will be required to retake all of the assessment stations comprising SQE2 and, depending on the circumstances, a free sitting maybe offered.

Learn more: Mitigating circumstances policy 

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Appeals

You can appeal against the decision of the Assessment Board if you fail your assessment.

Learn more: Appeals - fees

You may make a first stage appeal on one or more of the following grounds only:

• there are mitigating circumstances which could not have been put before the Assessment Board before it made its decision
• the decision of the Assessment Board, or the manner in which that decision was reached involved material irregularity and/or was manifestly unreasonable and/or irrational
• you dispute the Assessment Board’s finding of malpractice or improper conduct

Following a first stage appeal you may make a final appeal on the following ground only:

• the decision of the First Appeal Panel, or the manner in which that decision was reached involved material irregularity and/or was manifestly unreasonable and/or irrational

If you wish to make a first stage or a final appeal you must do so in writing via the Appeals Form which is available in your candidate account.

If you have concerns or questions, please contact us.

Learn more: Appeals policy

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Results for apprentices

Once you’ve passed SQE2, your End Point Assessment, Kaplan SQE will request a certificate from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (EFSA) that states that you have completed your apprenticeship. Your results alone do not prove that you’ve completed your apprenticeship.

We will send your results to your training provider and/or employer.

Learn more: SQE for apprentices

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Resits

You have six years from the date you first sat an SQE assessment to complete the entire SQE. The clock starts from day one of the first sitting of your first assessment.

If you fail FLK1 and/or FLK2 at the first attempt, you will have two further opportunities to take the assessment(s) you failed (FLK1 and/or FLK2).

If you fail FLK1 and/or FLK2 three times during this six-year period, you must wait until that six year period expires before re-applying, and previous passes will not be carried forward.

If you fail SQE2 at the first attempt you will have two further opportunities to take that assessment within six years from the date you first sat an SQE assessment.

If you fail SQE2 three times during this six year period, you must wait until that six year period expires before re-applying, and previous passes will not be carried forward.

You cannot book to re-sit an assessment until you have received your results for your previous attempt at that assessment (i.e. if you want to re-sit SQE2, you need to have received your results for your previous attempt of SQE2).

You cannot resit an assessment you have passed to improve your marks under any circumstances.

Learn more: Resits fees