Before applying for reasonable adjustments you must first register for an SQE account.  Once you have completed the registration process you will then be able to request a reasonable adjustment. You will be asked to complete and submit a reasonable adjustment application form via your account. We will ask you to provide supporting information as part of your request.

Related question: What information is needed when making a reasonable adjustment request?

Related question: Who can provide information or evidence in support of my reasonable adjustments request?

Please let us know if you are not able to use our online registration or reasonable adjustment application form. Contact us and we will work with you to find the best way to help. This may include agreeing with you other means of communication so that you can register, apply for reasonable adjustments, and provide us with information. 

Please let us know if you need a reasonable adjustment as early as possible. Late requests for a reasonable adjustment, or a delay in providing information to us, may mean we are not able to accommodate your needs in time for your preferred assessment date or preferred test centre.

You should submit a reasonable application as soon as possible.  This enables us finalise your reasonable adjustment plan to reserve an appropriate seat in the test centre.  We need time to complete complex administrative processes which are necessary to arrange your assessments.

We know that preparation for these assessments can be stressful for candidates and early confirmation of your reasonable adjustment may help to reduce some of the anxiety that you may have. You can also use this information to discuss with training providers, whether these adjustments could be replicated in your training and preparation courses, if appropriate to you.

The table below illustrates some of the adjustments which may be appropriate. This is not an exhaustive list or an exact description of the adjustments that would be made for the SQE nor of the disability or condition that you may have. We recognise you may have other disabilities or conditions and may be affected in different ways. The content of this table is not intended to be prescriptive or exhaustive. If the type of reasonable adjustment, including the use of assistive technology, you believe you require is not listed below, we would encourage you to apply for it and will look at each request on a case by case basis to establish what is reasonable and work with you to put in place the appropriate adjustment.

For each condition or disability identified below, one or more, but not necessarily all, of the reasonable adjustments shown could be made, or an alternative adjustment could be made. Any adjustment/s will be made on a case by case basis, and will be individualised for the candidate's request and needs, in accordance with the SQE Reasonable Adjustments Policy and subject to the supporting information provided.

Your request will be considered by an experienced and suitably qualified team, who report to the Kaplan SQE Head of Equality and Quality. Our team includes members who have experience of disability and of agreeing reasonable adjustments. Our team will engage sensitively, promptly, consistently and fairly with you and in accordance with the SQE Reasonable Adjustments Policy.

When we receive your application for a reasonable adjustment, we will consider your request and, where necessary, we will get in touch, using the email address you provided on registration (or if you are unable to use email, by using your preferred method of communication). We may need to discuss your application with you or may ask you to provide further information. In many cases your initial request will provide all the information we need and we can send you a reasonable adjustment proposal.

When you request a reasonable adjustment, our team will work with you to agree what adjustment(s) can be made. The test centres can accommodate a range of alternative arrangements for anyone with agreed reasonable adjustments, and who have individual requirements. We will identify a test centre which can accommodate your agreed reasonable adjustment and is as near to you as possible, and will reserve a place there. You then book the place by making the required payment. This may mean that you have to travel to a test centre other than the nearest one to your home address, but we will ensure that the booking is appropriate for you. Please note that all test centre places are subject to availability.

SQE1 and SQE2 written assessments can be taken at Pearson VUE test centres in the UK and internationally. We will aim to provide consistent locations for the assessments, however we cannot guarantee which locations will be available, and candidates may need to make arrangements to travel to a test centre in a neighbouring or nearby country if your preferred location is not available. Factors such as local public holidays and different time zones may mean that an assessment is not offered at some international locations. The exact test centres available will be shown when booking opens for the relevant assessment.

Within your SQE account, you will be asked to provide details of the adjustment(s) requested, including the nature of your disability or other condition and supporting information, your preferred test centre location, and details of the assessment you wish to sit. The supporting documentation must be provided by an appropriate person and must include information detailed enough to identify:

• the nature of your disability or condition; and
• the effect of the disability or condition on your ability to perform in the assessment

The appropriate person/s to provide this evidence is your disability assessor. They may be your specialist consultant, your GP, an occupational health adviser, an educational specialist or another specialist with appropriate qualifications. Please look at the information we put in place for disability assessors. This will help you to identify the information and documentation we need you to submit when you apply for a reasonable adjustment. Please read the guidance before completing your application, and share it with your disability assessor(s) to help them prepare appropriate information and documentation to support your application.

Related question: My supporting documentation is over two years old. Will I need to get more up to date documentation? If so, will Kaplan pay?

Related question: Who can provide information or documentation in support of my reasonable adjustments application? 

The person providing the documentation (your disability assessor) must have sufficient professional qualifications as well as expert knowledge of your disability or condition to understand what your disability or condition is and how it will impact on your ability to demonstrate the competence requirements of the SQE assessments.

If you have a diagnosis of a Specific Learning Difficulty we can accept an official diagnostic assessment report from an approved assessor which confirms your diagnosis.

Approved assessors in the UK include specialist teachers licensed by relevant professional bodies or a practising chartered or educational psychologist registered with the Healthcare Professionals Council. A list of assessors is available on the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee website. Please note we cannot accept Form 8 /Access Arrangements as forms of supporting documents, and we may contact you to discuss next steps.

We will review all applications on a case by case basis. If you are making an application for a specific learning difficulty, we require a diagnostic assessment report that was completed at the age 16 or above.

You are advised to start thinking about the reasonable adjustment you will request as early as possible, and preferably well before you want to book an assessment. It may take some time to get the referral you need, and to identify who will be the appropriate disability assessor(s) to provide evidence of your condition and of the adjustment you will request.

Please share the information we have prepared with your disability assessor or assessors. This will help them to understand SQE assessment methods and requirements, and discuss them with you, and to produce the information and evidence which will support your request for reasonable adjustments.

We will allocate to you a member of the Equality and Quality team who will be your main point of contact to help you through the process. They will work with you to fully understand your needs and ensure that adjustments made are the right ones for you. This will provide continuity and detailed on-going support for you.

Our team can provide general advice on the information and documentation you may need to submit in support of your application for reasonable adjustments. They can be contacted via email (or other agreed means of communication). Our team may also be able to suggest a range of reasonable adjustments which you may wish to discuss with your disability assessor. The role of the Kaplan reasonable adjustments team is to work with you to try to agree the reasonable adjustment you need, once you have submitted your application with supporting documentation.

It is your responsibility to provide the information and documentation which will enable full consideration to be given to your application for reasonable adjustments.

This can be submitted and we will assess this on a case by case basis. We will work with you to identify whether that evidence is sufficient or whether you will need to provide further information. We can, for example, consider recommendations prepared by an adviser at a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) assessment centre, provided that they are accompanied by the medical or other specialist evidence you submitted to apply for DSA, or equivalent more recent evidence which reflects changes in your condition. However the assessment methods encountered at university are likely to be very different from those of SQE1 and SQE2. It may be that reasonable adjustment offered at university will not be appropriate or sufficient for you when you undertake the SQE. Where this occurs, we will discuss with you what else is required by way of evidence or information.

Related question: My supporting evidence is over two years old. Will I need to get more up to date evidence? If so, will Kaplan pay?

If you are not able to provide appropriate supporting documentation when you make your reasonable adjustment application, you will be asked to provide a date in which you expect to receive your supporting documentation. Your application for reasonable adjustment(s) cannot be fully considered until both the application form and supporting information or documentation have been received.

Please respond promptly, wherever possible, to requests for information or further information in connection with a reasonable adjustment application. If you delay, we may not be able to reserve your place in a convenient test centre, since the number of available seats reduces as the assessment date approaches.

If your application for reasonable adjustments and/or supporting documentation is received after the booking window closes, we may not be able to put adjustments in place for that assessment. A deadline for the submission of supporting documentation is required to enable the finalisation of reasonable adjustment plans, including booking of reserved seats, and the subsequent actions required for the planning and delivery the assessments, including:

• Coordination with numerous internal and external stakeholder teams who need comprehensive details to ensure smooth implementation of the assessments and reasonable adjustment plans across the extensive network of UK and international test centres.
• Allowing sufficient time for thorough quality assurance checks to guarantee the accuracy and effectiveness of the reasonable adjustment plans.

Managing the practical aspects of assessment delivery at the test centres, which includes arranging staffing and ensuring the availability of specialised IT and other equipment required by candidates

Please contact us by email, or otherwise, if you wish to discuss concerns about confidentiality in relation to the submission of your evidence.

Contact details: equality.quality@sqe.sra.org.uk or 0203 486 3080

We understand that some disabilities/ conditions are unlikely to change over time, so we may be able to accept documentation that is older than 2 years. We encourage individuals with lifelong disabilities or conditions to submit their supporting documentation for review, such as an assessment report or similar, to ensure it meets the criteria of the SQE Reasonable Adjustment Policy.

If you have a condition that may change or fluctuate and your documentation is dated within the last 2 years, we encourage you to submit it for review. If it is older than two years, it is likely that we would request updated documentation.

If you experience a flare up of your condition that affects your ability to engage with the exam, we would signpost you to either the:

• SQE Fit to Sit policy
• SQE Mitigating Circumstances policy

It could be helpful to review these policies so that you understand how candidates are supported in the event of being unwell on the day of the assessment taking place, or falling ill during the assessment.

You can now apply for reasonable adjustments for SQE1, SQE2 written and/or SQE2 oral at the same time. This means we can put a reasonable adjustment plan in place for future assessments, so you may not need to make another application for your next assessment.

We will agree to each adjustment for a specific time period. If you have a lifelong condition/disability that is unlikely to change over time (such as a specific learning difficulty), we may be able to put a reasonable adjustment plan in place for your whole SQE journey; meaning you only need to make one application.

Contact details: equality.quality@sqe.sra.org.uk or 0203 486 3080

Related questions:

What information is needed when making a reasonable adjustment request?

Related question: Who can provide information or evidence in support of my reasonable adjustments request?

Can I provide evidence used for a reasonable adjustment during my time at university as part of my supporting documentation?

My supporting evidence is over two years old. Will I need to get more up to date evidence? If so, will Kaplan pay?

Your request for reasonable adjustment(s) will be reviewed by a member of our reasonable adjustments team. We will keep the information provided to us confidential and as required by the General Data Protection Regulations 2016 and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Where a request relates to SQE1 and the written assessments of SQE2 we will share details of the adjustment agreed as necessary and appropriate with Pearson VUE so that arrangements can be made at the test centre. Where the request relates to SQE2 oral assessments we may share the information with the assessors, markers and such members of the operations team as is necessary and appropriate to make sure your reasonable adjustment is put in place.

We do not share any details of disabilities, conditions or reasonable adjustments with employers or training providers of candidates.

The SQE Privacy Notice sets out how we use candidate information more generally.

You can withdraw your request at any time or make a new application for reasonable adjustments. We will try to accommodate changes where possible. However this will always depend on the nature of the change and the timing of the application. It may be that changes to the original adjustment cannot be made in time for the booked assessment but can be accommodated for a later sitting.

You will be able to track the status of your request through your SQE account (or otherwise as agreed). While we are reviewing your request, you will be able to see via your account that it is under consideration or, if you cannot use your online account, then you may contact us for an update.

Contact details: equality.quality@sqe.sra.org.uk or 0203 486 3080

Requests for further documentation or information will be sent to you by email (or alternative means of communication as agreed). After your request has been reviewed and all supporting information has been considered you will receive an update from us via your account (or otherwise as agreed). You may confirm and accept the proposed reasonable adjustment in which case the reasonable adjustment will be recorded on your account. If you do not accept the adjustment we propose, you may reject our response and in the first instance discuss this with the Kaplan reasonable adjustments team. We will contact you if we receive a rejection from you via your account, or initiate a discussion by alternative means of communication as appropriate.

If after discussion you disagree with our decision you can appeal against it by submitting a Request for Review

Related question: Can I appeal a decision to grant me reasonable adjustment?

We recognise the importance for you to have a clear and timely agreement on what reasonable adjustments will be put in place. We aim to agree the position as quickly as possible on receipt of an application and all the information in support of the application. The time it takes us to process an application for reasonable adjustment will depend on the nature and complexity of your request and the supporting information and documentation you provide.

In most cases the reasonable adjustment requested will be straightforward to put in place. In some cases we may need to ask for clarification or further information. Once we have all the information or evidence necessary to reach a decision, we will let you know via your SQE account (or otherwise as agreed). There will be some more complex cases that may take longer for us to work through and, in these cases, we may take up to 20 working days to provide a decision. We will let candidates know as early as possible if this is the case.

If you are not satisfied that appropriate adjustments have been proposed, and have discussed the offer with the Kaplan reasonable adjustments team without reaching agreement, you can request a review of your reasonable adjustments. There is no fee to request a review.

Contact details: equality.quality@sqe.sra.org.uk or 0203 486 3080

Your email must include all relevant information and documentation, and explain why you do not accept the decision regarding your application for reasonable adjustments.

The Reviewing Officer may take advice as appropriate and will review your case and the offer made to you. The Reviewing Officer, taking all relevant factors into account, will determine whether the adjustment you have been offered and/or the manner in which the decision to offer you that adjustment (or not to offer you an adjustment) was reached, involved material irregularity and/or was manifestly unreasonable and/or irrational.

Where the Reviewing Officer upholds your appeal, they may recommend further action, which will normally be an altered offer of reasonable adjustments. Where the Academic Director rejects your appeal, the original offer of reasonable adjustments will stand.

The Reviewing Officer will communicate their decision on your request for a review by email (or other agreed means of communication) within 10 working days of submission of the appeal. Where the Reviewing Officer upholds your request for a review, a new decision on your request for reasonable adjustments will be communicated to you via your SQE account (or other agreed means of communication) within five working days after the decision of the Reviewing Officer. 

Mitigating circumstances is an issue or event that materially and adversely affected your marks or performance in the assessment. The mitigation circumstances policy  provides a process to raise concerns about a mistake or irregularity in the administration or conduct of the assessment, bias, illness, or other personal circumstances beyond your control. So it is something you might make use of if an event occurs. There is no fee or charge to submit a mitigating circumstances request. You can also review the webinar on mitigating circumstances which helps explain the policy and process further.

Learn more: SQE assessments: mitigating circumstances 

We understand that some candidates who request reasonable adjustment will need to make additional arrangements and incur additional expenses which are significantly more complex and costly than those which all SQE candidates meet.

This might arise for example because you have a much longer journey to reach a test centre which can accommodate your agreed reasonable adjustment. Because of your disability, you may have to make additional travel arrangements, or arrange an overnight stay or pay for the presence of a carer. In considering what reasonable adjustment should be made, we will discuss with you all the individual circumstances of your case and all adjustments which it may be reasonable to make. In some cases the reasonable adjustment we agree may include payment by us towards additional expenses you may incur.

Each case will be determined on its individual merits and consistently and fairly in line with the SQE Reasonable Adjustments Policy. In reaching a decision about what adjustments should be made, we will consider all relevant factors in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and supporting legislation.

Because we need time to agree and put reasonable adjustments in place, we request that you let us have your request for reasonable adjustment by the relevant booking deadline. It may not always be possible to make last minute adjustments as alternative accommodation or resources may not be available.

Where you have a condition which means that a “flare up” could occur, it will be helpful where possible for us to know this at the time when you make your request for a reasonable adjustment.

If you have an unexpected health problem which arises or “flares up” after booking the assessment and prevents you from sitting the assessment, then on submission of medical evidence you can expect to be offered another opportunity to sit the exam in line with our Mitigating Circumstances Policy .

If you experience a deterioration in your health which materially affects your performance during the assessment you should inform the invigilating team at once, and contact us immediately after the assessment so that we can advise on making a claim for mitigating circumstances.

Yes. The readers we use are selected on the basis that they have appropriate oral and written communication skills for the role as reader (and scribe). They receive training on how to support candidates that may have a disability or condition. We arrange meetings before the assessments between the candidate and the reader. This is to support both the candidate and the reader in the assessments, so they become familiar with each other and put in place arrangements such as how they will work together, pace of speech, where they will sit, proximity, how they will use key instructions, etc. In those meetings, the reader and candidate use the sample questions on the SQE website to practise working together. A period of time between the meetings allows for reflection from both parties so that arrangements can be updated if needed at the second meeting.

Yes. The Pearson VUE website provides information on items that are comfort aids and do not require pre-approval. They will be allowed in the Pearson VUE testing rooms for SQE1 and SQE2 written assessments upon inspection at the test centre.

Not every element of the information on comfort aids will be relevant to you. If you have any questions about comfort aids please contact the SQE candidate services team, rather than Pearson VUE.