What is the SQE?
Who is the SQE for?
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Updated July 2025
A number of questions have been raised about the interpretation of the Assessment Specifications and particularly the detail of the Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK).
It is not helpful or appropriate to specify the FLK in minute detail. Doing so can raise as many questions as it answers and can lead to the creation of an unnecessarily large and unwieldy volume of information.
However reading the Assessment Specification holistically should assist those asking for more detail. Within the Assessment Specification for SQE2, the following sections are particularly useful: Practice Areas, Level of Legal Detail Required, Application of Law, Correct and Comprehensive Application of Law, and Legal Materials as well as the information (Overview, Assessment Objectives and Assessment Criteria) about each of the assessments.
It is worth noting particularly that:
To ensure the fairness and integrity of the SQE, information about the Assessment Specifications will be released to all stakeholders at the same time. There will be an annual review of the FLK to
Any questions raised by stakeholders will be fed into this annual review process.
The legal skills assessments in SQE2 are:
Further detail about each of these assessments is given in Assessments in SQE2.
Although there is no separate assessment called negotiation, all deliveries of SQE2 will contain at least one assessment involving negotiation. Negotiation may be assessed in either interview and attendance note/legal analysis and/or case and matter analysis and/or legal writing.
The practice areas in which these legal skills are assessed are:
Questions in these practice areas may draw on underlying black letter law in the Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) as follows:
Professionalism and ethics will be core parts of SQE2. Questions on ethics will be pervasive throughout SQE2. Ethical issues will not be flagged and candidates will need to identify any ethical and professional conduct issues and exercise judgment to resolve them honestly and with integrity.
Questions involving taxation may arise in Property Practice; Wills and Intestacy, Probate Administration and Practice; and Business organisations, rules and procedures.
Detail of the examinable content covered is given in Annex 1. Property Practice is under the headings freehold and leasehold real estate law and practice and core principles of planning law. Annex 1 is a sub-set of the FLK in SQE1. For the avoidance of doubt the legal system of England and Wales, constitutional and administrative law and EU law, legal services (apart from money laundering and financial services) and solicitors’ accounts are not examined in SQE2. Money laundering and financial services are examinable in the context of business organisations, rules and procedures.
The cut off date for the law upon which candidates are examined in the SQE will be four calendar months prior to the date of the first assessment in an assessment window. Candidates will be tested on the law as it stands at that date. They will not be tested on the development of the law. For the avoidance of doubt, changes in the law which are implemented on the calendar date four calendar months prior to the first SQE assessment in an assessment window may be examined.
Learn more by exploring the pages below:
Sample questions give you an idea of the style of questions which may be used to test your ability to apply fundamental legal principles and rules.
Try the SQE2 sample questions
Create your personal SQE account and book your assessments.
Find out what happens after passing the SQE and admission to the roll of solicitors.