Before requesting a reasonable adjustment 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 must let us know if you require a reasonable adjustment so that we can book the assessment for you. 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 application.

Please let us know if you are not able to use our online registration and booking process. 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, book assessments and provide us with information.

Contact us via email: enquiries@sqe.sra.org.uk or by calling 020 3486 3080

Please let us know if you need a reasonable adjustment as early as possible. This means we can ensure we can agree your reasonable adjustments in time to reserve your preferred assessment date and preferred test centre. If you request a reasonable adjustment after the booking deadline for an assessment, you will need to sit your assessment in the next assessment window.

We encourage you to contact us as soon as possible so we are able to agree how to best meet your needs in good time for the assessment and all test centre places are subject to availability. Even if you are not ready to book a date for the SQE1 we will review your application for reasonable adjustments and give you an answer, so you are better able to plan and prepare for the SQE. Candidates who want to explore their options by making an early request for reasonable adjustments can do so without incurring any monetary charge or obligation to sit the SQE.

We know that preparation for these assessments can be stressful for candidates and early confirmation of your reasonable adjustment arrangements 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.

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 request 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 request with you or may ask you to provide further information or evidence. In many cases your initial request will provide all the information we need.

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. The reserved seat will be booked after you have paid the assessment fee. 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.

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 (a RAL). 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 evidence you may need to submit in support of your request for a reasonable adjustment. 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 request with supporting evidence.

It is your responsibility to provide the information and evidence which will enable full consideration to be given to your request for a reasonable adjustment. You, working with your disability assessor, should propose adjustment(s) appropriate to remove or reduce the disadvantage which you might otherwise experience because of your disability or condition.

The assessment methods for SQE1 and SQE2 are not the same and so adjustments made for one may not be appropriate for the other. Please see the information on assessment methods provided in the information for disability assessors and in the Assessment Specifications for SQE1 and SQE2. We want to make sure you have reasonable adjustments in place which are appropriate and specific to your needs for each assessment.

If you have difficulties submitting the supporting information, please contact us and we will work with you to help.

Contact details: enquiries@sqe.sra.org.uk or 020 3486 3080

Your request for reasonable adjustment(s) will be reviewed by our reasonable adjustments team. In complex cases we may ask your permission for us to contact your specialist consultant or GP or the person who has assessed your requirements for reasonable adjustments. 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. We will try to accommodate changes. However this will always depend on the nature of the change and the timing of the request. 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: enquiries@sqe.sra.org.uk or 020 3486 3080

Requests for further evidence 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 making a Request for Review.

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 a request for reasonable adjustment will depend on the nature and complexity of your request and the supporting information and evidence 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 evidence. 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 offered, and have discussed the offer with the Kaplan reasonable adjustments team without reaching agreement, you can make a Request for Review about the reasonable adjustment proposal by contacting us. There is no fee to make this request.

Contact details: enquiries@sqe.sra.org.uk or 020 3486 3080

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

The reviewer may take advice as appropriate and will review your case and the offer made to you. The reviewer, taking all relevant factors into account, will determine whether the proposed adjustments, or a decision to not make provision of reasonable adjustments, was reasonable.

Where the reviewer decides that different adjustments must be made, an altered reasonable adjustments proposal will be made. Where the Reviewer agrees with the original proposal of reasonable adjustments, that original proposal will stand.

The reviewer will communicate his or her decision on your review to you by email (or other agreed means of communication) within 10 working days of submission of the review. Where the reviewer upholds your 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 reviewer.

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: 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 before the relevant booking window opens. It may not always be possible to make last minute adjustments to the assessment plans that are finalised once the booking window closes.

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 assessment in line with our Terms and Conditions.

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 (or scribe). This is to support both the candidate and the reader (scribe) 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 (scribe) 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.