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Passed SQE1? What changes for SQE2, and how to plan the gap
Last updated: 4 November 2026 · The Legal Blueprint
Short answer: SQE2 tests whether you can do a solicitor’s work, not whether you can recall the law. It has 16 stations (12 written, 4 oral) assessing six skills across five practice areas. Prepare by practising tasks under timed conditions from the start, getting feedback on your written and oral work, and planning backwards from your SQE2 date.
Passing SQE1 is a real milestone. It’s also the point where the way you prepare has to change. SQE1 asks whether you know the law well enough to pick the best answer. SQE2 asks whether you can do the work: interview a client, draft a document, write advice, argue a point.
SQE2 key facts
Stations | 16: 12 written and 4 oral |
Written | Over three days |
Oral | Over two consecutive days |
Skills | Client interviewing, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research, legal writing, legal drafting |
Practice areas | Criminal litigation, dispute resolution, property practice, wills and the administration of estates, business law and practice |
Before you sit it | You must pass SQE1, unless the SRA has approved an exemption |
Time limit | A six-year assessment window, with a limit on attempts (see the SRA’s resits page) |
Sources: SRA (SQE2 January 2026 statistical report; results and resits page). Check the SRA’s site for anything that has changed since.
What changes in how you prepare for SQE2?
From recall to performance. For SQE1, testing yourself meant questions and flashcards. For SQE2 it means producing something: a letter, an attendance note, a piece of drafting, a submission. Practising those, under time, is the core of preparation.
From topics to skills in context. You still need the law in each practice area, but it’s assessed through the skills. A useful way to plan is a grid of the six skills across the five practice areas, with an honest note of which combinations you’ve practised and which you haven’t.
Timed practice from early on. Because SQE2 is assessed by doing, a timed task each week from the start is worth more than a block of mocks at the end. It shows you where time goes, and it makes the format familiar long before it matters.
Feedback matters more. An MCQ marks itself. A piece of legal writing doesn’t. Wherever you can get feedback, from a course, a supervisor, a study partner or the SRA’s published assessment criteria applied honestly to your own work, use it, and note what it said so you can check whether the next attempt improved.
How do you plan the gap between SQE1 and SQE2? Five steps
Book your SQE2 date first, then work backwards, leaving a revision window at the end for full-length practice.
Map the six skills against the five practice areas and mark where you’re starting from. The law behind each practice area carries over from SQE1.
Book a timed task every week, rotating skills and practice areas so nothing is left untouched.
Record your timings. If a written station takes you longer than the time allowed, that’s a skill to practise, not something to discover on the day.
Measure your SQE2 pace from your first SQE2 session, not from when you started SQE1. Months spent on SQE1 aren’t time “behind” on SQE2.
Where StudyFlow fits
StudyFlow, made by The Legal Blueprint, is a study app for SQE1 and SQE2 candidates built for this move. Both exams sit in one account: your SQE1 history and results stay where they are, and the dashboard shifts its focus to SQE2. For SQE2 it suggests a timed mock each week from the start (you can change how often in Settings). Exam Day lets you record your own station timings and, nearer the exam, run a full-length mock at those timings. Your SQE2 pace counts from your first SQE2 session.
StudyFlow is opening to a first group of candidates in November 2026, with a 14-day free trial. Join the waitlist.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to pass SQE1 before SQE2?
Yes. The SRA says you must pass SQE1 before you can sit SQE2, unless you have an approved exemption.
How many stations are in SQE2?
16: 12 written stations and 4 oral stations, according to the SRA.
What skills does SQE2 assess?
Six: client interviewing, advocacy, case and matter analysis, legal research, legal writing and legal drafting, across five practice areas.
How should SQE2 preparation differ from SQE1?
SQE1 rewards recall and question practice. SQE2 rewards producing work under time, so practise timed tasks weekly from the start and get feedback on them.
Sources
SRA, SQE2 January 2026 statistical report (“16 stations: 12 written stations and four oral stations”)
SRA, Results and resits (passing SQE1 before SQE2; the six-year window)
The Law Society, What do the SQE assessments cover?
