If you’re planning to sit SQE1 in the next twelve months, you’re probably running two calendars at once: one for your revision, and one for the SRA’s admin deadlines. It’s the second one that quietly catches people out. So let’s answer the question directly.

The next SQE1 exam takes place in January 2027. FLK1 runs from 11 to 15 January 2027 and FLK2 from 18 to 22 January 2027. The seat reservation deadline of 24 September 2026 has now passed. If you did not reserve a seat, the date to circle is 19 November 2026: a limited number of seats open for direct booking in your SQE account from 10am that day until 5pm on 23 November 2026, subject to availability.

This post sets out every confirmed date for the January 2027 sitting, how the booking process actually works, what it will cost, and what to do if you sat in July 2026. All regulatory facts below are taken directly from the SRA’s SQE website as of 25 September 2026. Always confirm against the SRA’s own dates page before you book.

When is the next SQE1 exam? January 2027 at a glance

If you missed the seat reservation form, direct booking in November is your remaining route to a January seat, and availability is not guaranteed, so book the moment the window opens. Results are due on 9 March 2027.

And if January doesn’t work for you, the sitting after that is confirmed too: FLK1 runs 12–16 July 2027 and FLK2 runs 19–23 July 2027.

How does booking the January 2027 SQE1 work?

The SQE1 doesn’t use an open “pick your slot” system the way you might book a driving test. For recent sittings the SRA has run a seat reservation process: registered candidates are sent a form (for January 2027, on 22 September 2026), you submit your preferred dates and test centre, and seats are then allocated and confirmed by email, at which point you pay. Candidates who did not reserve a seat can book any remaining seats directly in their SQE account during the booking window.

That design has three practical consequences:

1. You must be registered before you book. Creating your SQE account, verifying your ID and completing the mandatory diversity survey all have to be done before you can book. The SRA states plainly that “completing registration is mandatory before you can book or sit any assessments”. Register now; don’t leave it for booking week.

2. The direct booking window is short. It runs from 10am on 19 November to 5pm on 23 November 2026, and only a limited number of seats are available. Course providers consistently report that popular test centres are the first to go, so be logged in when the window opens.

3. Payment is due when you book. If you book directly, you pay at the point of booking, so have the money ready in November.

If you need reasonable adjustments, request them as early as possible, so your adjusted arrangements are agreed before you book.

The same story repeats every cycle: months of carefully planned revision, then a last-minute scramble because a booking window passed while nobody was watching. Treat the admin as part of the preparation itself. It takes an hour to get right, and it protects every hour you’ve put into the law.

How much does the January 2027 SQE1 cost?

From September 2026 the SQE1 fee rises to £2,006 (£1,003 for FLK1 and £1,003 for FLK2), up from £1,934, an increase of roughly 3.7 per cent. The January 2027 sitting therefore falls under the new rate. Fees are VAT exempt, and you pay at the point of booking (or within 48 hours of your seat being confirmed under the reservation process), by debit or credit card or a prepaid voucher.

For completeness: SQE2 rises to £3,086 at the same point, and the January/February 2027 SQE2 sitting (orals 26–29 January, written 2–4 February 2027) has its own seat reservation deadline of 16 October 2026.

Budgeting matters here because resit economics are unforgiving: you pay the full fee for each attempt, and you only get three attempts at each assessment within six years.

Sat SQE1 in July 2026? Your options now

If you sat SQE1 in July 2026, your results arrived on 8 September 2026, and both the October 2026 SQE2 booking (closed 18 September) and the January 2027 SQE1 seat reservation deadline (24 September) have now passed. Your remaining routes depend on your result.

If you passed, the next SQE2 is the January 2027 sitting (orals 26 to 29 January, written 2 to 4 February). Its seat reservation form goes out on 13 October with a 16 October deadline, and booking closes on 4 December 2026. Our comparison of whether SQE2 is harder than SQE1 covers what the second stage asks of you.

If you did not pass, a January 2027 resit is still possible through direct booking from 19 to 23 November, subject to availability, or you can plan for July 2027 (FLK1 12 to 16 July, FLK2 19 to 23 July). For context, in the January 2026 sitting 53 per cent of candidates passed SQE1 overall and 58 per cent of first-attempt candidates passed, a reminder that a resit is a common path. The resit rules, costs and timeline are set out in What Happens If You Fail SQE1?.

What the 11 September 2026 law cut-off actually means

One detail candidates often misread: the examinable law and practice cut-off for January 2027 is 11 September 2026. Legal developments up to and including that date are examinable in January; anything that changes afterwards is not. Practically, that means you don’t need to chase every legal development through the autumn. It also means revision notes made in early 2026 need checking against the law as it stands at the cut-off, particularly in fast-moving areas.

What to do this week

If January 2027 is your sitting, the sequence is simple. Register your SQE account now and complete ID verification and the diversity survey. Request any reasonable adjustments immediately. Put 10am on 19 November 2026 in your calendar with an alarm. Have £2,006 accessible for November. Then get back to the thing that actually determines the outcome: a structured revision plan built backwards from 11 January 2027, which from late September 2026 gives you roughly 15 weeks. If you haven’t built that plan yet, our complete SQE1 study strategy walks through it step by step.

The dates will not move for you, but none of them are difficult to hit if you know they’re coming. Now you do.

Want updates regarding the SQE? Join The Legal Blueprint email list and we’ll send insightful emails from time to time. Sign up here.