July 2025 SQE1 Statistical Report published

Oct 1, 2025

The post-assessment statistical report has been published. It contains the assessment related information such as the pass rates, including statistics, on the SQE1 assessments.

SQE1 results July 2025 explained

To help you interpret the results, below is a summary of the pass rates and findings on cohort strength.

Pass rates for SQE1 overall

The pass rates for the July 2025 SQE1 were:

  • 46% for candidates sitting for the first time
  • 41% for all candidates, including those who were re-sitting (both FLK1 and FLK2).

The pass rates for the previous four SQE1 sittings were:

Pass rates and proportion of resitting candidates for SQE1

The charts below set out the pass rates for all candidates and the proportion of resitters over the past four SQE1 assessments. Charts setting out the individual breakdown for FLK1 and FLK2 are set out further below.

SQE1 standard and cohort strength

The standard of performance a candidate needs to pass SQE1 is the same for every sitting.

This is why there is no pre-determined pass mark for the assessment. The pass mark is set independently for each paper to allow for differences in difficulty. All papers are intended to be equally challenging. However, if there is evidence that one paper was slightly harder than others, a slightly lower pass mark will be set for that paper. For more information on how the SQE1 standard setting process works, please see the video How the pass mark for SQE1 is set, which was originally delivered as part of the April 2025 SQE annual conference.

One of the ways we make sure the standard is maintained is through the use of common questions. We analyse how candidates sitting at different times, and also between different papers in the same sitting, performed in those questions.

The analysis of the performance on the common questions in the July 2025 assessment showed that the July 2025 cohort is weaker than previous cohorts, including the July 2024 cohort.

The 2024 and 2025 July SQE1 cohorts included more re-sitting candidates than the equivalent January cohorts. This was particularly so for July 2025. Of the July 2025 SQE1 cohort (those taking both FLK1 and FLK2), 19% were re-sitting – this is the highest proportion of re-sitting candidates we have yet seen for a SQE1 sitting. Re-sitting candidates have lower pass rates than those sitting for the first time. This is the case for SQE1 and SQE2 and follows the pattern seen in other professional exams too.

The statistical report for the July 2025 SQE1 includes more detail on candidate performance.

Pass rates and proportion of resitting candidates by FLK

The charts below set out the pass rates and proportion of resitters over the past four SQE1 assessments by FLK1 and FLK2. The charts capture re-sitters that may have been sitting either FLK1 or FLK2 only (having passed the other on a previous sitting).

FLK1

FLK2

Learn more: SQE reports