We have published an updated candidate confidentiality policy.

We have made changes to address feedback from candidates that the policy is very broad. The purpose of the policy is to prevent a candidate or other party obtaining an unfair advantage. It is not fair on other candidates for someone to share information about the assessment questions.

We understand that candidates may however want to talk about other elements of the assessment such as sharing practical information about the assessment arrangements or experiences, talking about the assessment in a general way, such as commenting on the level of challenge, how they prepared, dealt with the exam pressure or managed their time.

Summary of the changes

A summary of the changes to the policy is below, but we encourage all candidates to read the policy in full:

• We have made it clear that the requirement for confidentiality relates to the content of the assessment questions. We have done this by amending the requirement that “candidates will not disclose or discuss any of the assessment content to any other party” to “candidates will not discuss or share information about the specific content of the assessment questions”.
• The policy also now includes a reference to the detailed guidance for candidates, which was updated in November.

Guidance for candidates

The updated guidance we published in November helps candidates understand the nature of the requirements.

It sets out:

• the approach to confidentiality and fairness
• information on the policies and standards that apply, including the candidate confidentiality policy
• updated guidance on what behaviour is permitted and what would constitute a breach
• the consequences of a breach, and
• recommended actions for candidates.

Timing

The update policy is applicable from today and will first apply to the April 2026 SQE2 assessment.

Learn more: Fairness, confidentiality, and candidate behaviour