Candidates who sat the January SQE1 and intend to take the April SQE2

April SQE2 booking changes for candidates who sat the January SQE1

The booking process for the April 2024 SQE2 will operate in a different way for candidates who sit and pass the January 2024 SQE1. Following feedback from candidates and training providers, we are making changes to support candidates who wish to progress from the January SQE1 to sitting the April SQE2 assessment. We are aiming to provide a quicker and simpler way for candidates to book a seat. There will be no queueing system for candidates that pass the January SQE1 and we will use a short on-line seat reservation form so that we can reserve you a seat. We also hope to reduce the questions posed to training providers and employers that support their candidates.

Updated process

• Seat reservation form. We will email all January SQE1 candidates a seat reservation form at approximately 6pm (UK time) on 5 February. The form will remain open until 5pm (UK time) on Sunday, 11 February. It will contain full instructions and only take only a few minutes to complete. It will ask you to confirm if you want to sit the SQE2 in April (should you pass SQE1) and information on your preferred assessment locations. You must complete the form if you want us to reserve you a seat for the April SQE2. There is no queuing system to complete the form but we will adopt a process of allocating seats on a first come first served basis. You will receive confirmation of submission of your form by email. If you do not intend to sit the April SQE2 assessment you do not need to complete the form.
• Booking window. To facilitate the administration of this, we will pause the booking window from 5pm (UK time) on 5 March until 10am (UK time) on 18 March. January SQE1 results will be released on 14 March, and we will email candidates that complete the seat reservation form and pass the January SQE1 between 15-17 March to confirm that a seat has been reserved for you. You MUST also complete the pre-booking steps, as usual for any assessment, once you have received your SQE1 results. If you do not complete these steps before you make payment, you will not be able to complete your booking.
• Completing your booking. Between 18-20 March you can see the seat reserved for you in your candidate account and we will ask you to make payment to complete your booking. You do not need to accept the seat. If you do not take any further action or do not make payment by 5pm (UK time) on 20 March your reservation will lapse. Once you have secured your seat by making payment, you can reschedule your booking via your candidate account up until 5pm (UK time) on 25 March if you find a seat you feel is more suitable.
• Booking window closure. The booking window will remain open until the extended period of 5pm (UK time) on 25 March if you want to make your own booking between 18-25 March. You can use the self-service booking system as usual via your candidate account if you want to book a seat (subject to availability). We will update the Timings page to reflect these changes.

Our aim

We will endeavour to allocate a seat to every candidate that completes the seat reservation form. The seats will be allocated on a first come first served basis on this occasion. There will be no queueing process to complete the registration form and no need for you to manually search for a convenient test centre location. We believe that these changes to the booking process will provide a quicker and simpler way for candidates to book a seat and we will assess the impact of this new approach and seek feedback from stakeholders.

Candidates that require a reasonable adjustment for April SQE2

Candidates that pass SQE1 and intend to sit the April SQE2 with a reasonable adjustment plan should also complete the form, even if you have already been engaging with our Equality & Quality team. You will not need to submit any supporting documents as part of the form. Candidates that require reasonable adjustments will be contacted within 10 working days from the deadline (11 February) for submission of the form, by the Equality and Quality team with information on the next steps for your booking process.

We will also email all candidates who sat the January SQE1 the above information.

For candidates that do not pass the October 2023 SQE2

Results and resits

Candidates that completed the October 2023 SQE2 will receive their results on 20 February after 11am (UK time). If you do not pass, and want to resit the SQE2 in April, you can book via your candidate account as the booking window will be open. Should it prove necessary, a queuing system will be in place to allow for fair access to the booking process. If this facility is used, the waiting page will indicate your approximate waiting time and as soon as you reach the front of the queue, you will be redirected to log in and book.

Making a booking

In light of the changes to the booking window referred to above, if you want to resit the SQE2 in April, we recommend that you make a booking before the booking window is paused on 5 March.

Reasonable adjustments

If you require a reasonable adjustment plan to resit SQE2, please contact the Equality & Quality Team as soon as possible for a seat to be reserved and reasonable adjustments agreed.

Pre-booking steps

In order to book for SQE2, you MUST have completed the pre-booking steps, as usual for any assessment. If you do not complete these steps, you risk delaying being able to book. The Candidate Services Team will only be able to help you with queries relating to booking if you are logged in to your candidate account.

Test centres for SQE2 oral assessments

You will see the test centres available for the oral assessment sittings in the booking page.

Further SQE2 sittings

There will be further sittings of SQE2 in July and October 2024 Please see the SQE timings page for more information.

Bookings are subject to availability.