Best SQE Prep Courses 2026: BPP, BARBRI, ULaw & Kaplan Compared
Updated April 2026 · Independently run
Quick verdict: which course for which candidate?
Provider Online bundle SQE1 rate* Best for BPP £12,200 68% Employer-sponsored; City firms University of Law £15,150 64% Campus experience; structured learners City Law School ~£13,000 62% Central London; academic rigour BARBRI £5,899 58% Working full-time; self-funded QLTS School ~£3,000 55% International lawyers; budget self-study *Self-reported, unverified. National SQE1 average: 53% (January 2026). Why these figures may be inflated.
Add £4,908 in SRA exam fees to all course costs. - Full provider comparison - SQE cost calculator
The national SQE1 pass rate is 53%. That means nearly half of everyone who sits the exam does not pass. The variation between candidates who prepare well and those who do not is enormous - and the course you choose, and how you use it, is a significant factor. This page compares the main providers honestly: pricing, what you actually get, and who each one genuinely suits.
The pass rate caveat
Before any numbers: no provider pass rate is independently verified by the SRA. Every figure on this page is self-reported.
There is also a likely methodological issue. When a provider says "68% pass rate", they almost certainly mean the percentage of students who completed their course and then sat the exam - not all enrolled students. Students who dropped out, deferred indefinitely, or sat without using much of the course are probably excluded.
The national SQE1 average in January 2026 was 53%, across all 7,863 candidates regardless of preparation. If you have a structured course, a law degree, and 4+ months of focused study, your realistic probability is substantially above 53%. If you are self-studying with no legal background, it is substantially below.
Use provider pass rates for rough comparison only. The gap between BPP (68%) and BARBRI (58%) matters less than whether you will actually study consistently with the course you pick.
Overview: every provider at a glance
| Provider | Online bundle | Classroom | SQE1 rate* | SQE2 rate* | Format | Support level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPP | £12,200 | £14,300 | 68% | 88% | Blended | High |
| University of Law | £15,150 | £18,850 | 64% | 89% | Classroom/Online | High |
| City Law School | ~£13,000 | ~£15,500 | 62% | 85% | Primarily classroom | High |
| BARBRI | £5,899 | N/A | 58% | 80% | Online only | Medium |
| QLTS School | ~£3,000 | N/A | 55% | 72% | Online self-paced | Low |
| Kaplan | ~£12,500 | N/A | 63% | 82% | Live online | Medium |
*Self-reported. National averages: SQE1 53%, SQE2 ~80% (Jan 2026).
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Detailed provider reviews
BPP University Law School
Online bundle: £12,200 | Classroom: £14,300 Self-reported SQE1 pass rate: 68% | SQE2: 88%
BPP is the most City-firm-recognised SQE provider. If your training contract sponsor is paying, or if you are targeting a City firm and want the provider name on your CV, BPP is the default choice.
The course structure is well-built: structured study schedules, a large question bank (3,000+ SQE1 questions), live and recorded workshops, and individual feedback on SQE2 skills work. Support quality is generally rated higher than BARBRI and QLTS, though the live sessions require you to commit to a timetable.
Best for: Sponsored candidates; those who need structure; City-track applicants
Honest downside: You pay a premium for brand recognition. If you are self-funding and the firm you are targeting does not care which provider you used, BARBRI gives you the same core content for £6,301 less.
One thing to check: BPP's SQE2 feedback process. Ask specifically how many individual assessed practice scenarios are included and whether you get written feedback or just scores.
University of Law
Online bundle: £15,150 | Hybrid: £16,500 | Classroom: £18,850 Self-reported SQE1 pass rate: 64% | SQE2: 89%
ULaw is the UK's largest law school. Its campus network (10+ locations) is its strongest differentiator - if you want the law school environment, access to a physical library, and face-to-face tutor contact, ULaw has options that BPP and BARBRI do not.
View full University of Law profile →
For pure pass rate per pound, ULaw is harder to justify. At £15,150 online, it costs £2,950 more than BPP for a pass rate that is four percentage points lower (on self-reported data). The classroom option at £18,850 is the most expensive route to SQE qualification in the market.
Best for: Employer-sponsored candidates; students near a ULaw campus; those who want the traditional law school experience
Honest downside: The premium pricing relative to BPP is hard to defend on data alone. If your firm is paying, fine. If you are paying yourself, scrutinise whether the campus access and brand specifically benefit your situation.
One thing to check: Whether the specific campus you want has SQE sessions timetabled for your preferred schedule, not just the online version with "campus access" attached.
City Law School (City, University of London)
Combined: ~£13,000-£15,500 Self-reported SQE1 pass rate: 62% | SQE2: 85%
City is primarily a classroom provider based in central London. The academic reputation is strong and the location gives candidates networking access to EC2/EC3 firms that no other provider matches geographically.
For SQE specifically, City is well regarded for its research-led teaching and small group sizes. It is slightly cheaper than ULaw at a comparable level of support. The limitation is the single London campus - if you cannot get to EC1 regularly, City is not the right fit.
Best for: London-based candidates targeting City or Chancery Lane firms; those who value academic teaching quality; students who benefit from small group sessions
Honest downside: London only. No flexibility on location, and the face-to-face requirement is not optional in the way that BPP's classroom option is.
BARBRI
Online bundle: ~£5,899 Self-reported SQE1 pass rate: 58% | SQE2: ~80%
BARBRI is an American legal education company that has been preparing candidates for bar exams for over 50 years. Their SQE platform is fully online, self-paced, and comes with one of the largest question banks on the market (4,000+ SQE1 questions with adaptive learning technology).
For self-funding candidates, BARBRI is the most defensible choice at the mid-range. The content coverage is comprehensive, the video quality is professional, and the adaptive platform adjusts question difficulty based on your performance. The weakness is personal support - feedback is less individual than BPP or ULaw, and there is no face-to-face option.
Best for: Self-funded candidates working full-time; those outside major cities; candidates who learn well from video and practice questions
Honest downside: SQE2 is where BARBRI shows its limitations most. Written skills feedback is less detailed than premium providers. If oral skills (advocacy, interviewing) are a concern for you, BARBRI alone may not be sufficient.
QLTS School
Combined: ~£2,500-£3,500 Self-reported SQE1 pass rate: ~55%
QLTS School built its reputation preparing overseas lawyers for the old QLTS (Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme). Their SQE materials are self-paced, online, and substantially cheaper than any other provider.
The catch is that self-paced online study with minimal support requires exceptional discipline. QLTS School is genuinely good value for candidates who already have a strong legal knowledge base - international lawyers, experienced paralegals, or those supplementing another course. For a law graduate coming straight from university with no prior revision habit, the lack of structure is a real risk.
Best for: International lawyers converting UK qualifications; experienced legal professionals; candidates supplementing materials from another provider; very self-motivated learners on a tight budget
Honest downside: Minimal personal support. If you get stuck, you are largely on your own. Not recommended as a primary course for non-law or early-career candidates.
Kaplan
Combined: ~£12,500 Self-reported SQE1 pass rate: 63%
Kaplan is a large professional education provider that offers SQE via live online classes. The course structure is clear, support is responsive, and the question bank is solid. Kaplan sits between BPP and BARBRI in price and broadly matches that positioning in support level.
One significant note: in 2024, Kaplan was responsible for a marking error that incorrectly told 175 candidates they had failed SQE1. The SRA and Kaplan acknowledged the error and candidates received £250 compensation, but some had already turned down jobs or training contracts based on the (incorrect) result. This is on the record and worth knowing before choosing Kaplan.
Best for: Candidates who want live online teaching at a mid-range price; structured timetable without classroom commitment
Honest downside: The 2024 marking error. Kaplan has processes to prevent recurrence, but the incident is documented. Factor it into your decision if reliability is a priority concern.
How to choose
The question to start with is not "which course has the highest pass rate?" It is "which course will I actually use?"
If your employer is paying: Take BPP or ULaw. Both are well-recognised. BPP is slightly more City-focused; ULaw has more campus locations. Ask your firm which they use - most have a preferred provider relationship.
If you are self-funding with a law degree: BARBRI at £5,899 covers the full SQE syllabus at a serious level. The £6,000+ premium for BPP or ULaw buys you brand recognition and more individual support - both real benefits, but not worth the cost if you are confident in your self-study discipline.
If you are working full-time: BARBRI or QLTS School. Both are genuinely self-paced. BPP and ULaw have scheduled sessions that are hard to keep up with around a 40+ hour working week.
If you are an international lawyer or experienced paralegal: QLTS School or BARBRI. You do not need structured teaching - you need targeted materials, a good question bank, and practice scenarios. Both provide this at a fraction of premium course costs.
If you are retaking: Do not buy another full course. Identify specifically which topics you dropped marks on in your failed sitting and target those. A supplementary question bank (BARBRI's is available standalone) combined with targeted revision is more efficient than repeating an entire course.
What the data actually tells you
The national SQE1 average is 53%. If BPP's self-reported rate is 68%, that is a 15-percentage-point difference. But this comparison is almost certainly not apples-to-apples.
The most likely explanation: BPP counts completers who sat, not all enrolled students. If 30% of BPP's enrolled students do not complete or do not sit, and those students would have had below-average pass rates, then the reported 68% overstates the true benefit of the BPP course.
No provider publishes their denominator - how many enrolled, how many completed, how many sat. Until the SRA mandates standardised reporting (which they have committed to doing in future publications), treat all provider rates as directionally useful but methodologically suspect.
What the data does tell you: courses correlated with higher pass rates tend to be structured, involve regular assessed practice, and include feedback on performance. Those features exist at BPP, ULaw, and City at full price - and to a lesser degree at BARBRI at lower cost.
BPP vs BARBRI: the most common decision
Most self-funding candidates end up deciding between these two. Here is the direct comparison.
| BPP | BARBRI | |
|---|---|---|
| Online bundle | £12,200 | £5,899 |
| Price difference | £6,301 cheaper | |
| SQE1 rate (self-reported) | 68% | 58% |
| SQE2 rate (self-reported) | 88% | ~80% |
| Question bank | 3,000+ | 4,000+ |
| Live sessions | Yes | Yes |
| Individual SQE2 feedback | Detailed | More limited |
| City firm recognition | High | Medium |
| Self-paced option | Partial | Fully self-paced |
When BPP is worth the premium:
- Your training contract sponsor is covering the cost
- You are targeting a City or US firm where BPP carries name recognition
- You want more individual feedback on SQE2 oral and written skills
- You benefit from structured scheduled sessions and accountability
When BARBRI is the better call:
- You are self-funding and the £6,301 difference is material
- You work full-time and need a genuinely flexible schedule
- You have a law degree or LPC and are not starting from zero
- Your target employer does not have a preferred provider relationship
The honest answer: the content coverage is comparable. The SRA syllabus is identical. What you are paying more for at BPP is support quality, brand weight, and the structure that comes from scheduled teaching. If you will use those things, pay for them. If you will not, BARBRI covers the same ground.
BPP vs University of Law
Both are the premium options. The choice between them usually comes down to location and learning style rather than cost or content.
| BPP | University of Law | |
|---|---|---|
| Online | £12,200 | £15,150 |
| Classroom | £14,300 | £18,850 |
| Campus locations | 9 | 10+ |
| SQE1 rate | 68% | 64% |
| SQE2 rate | 88% | 89% |
| City firm recognition | Higher | High |
ULaw costs £2,950 more online and £4,550 more for classroom. The SQE2 pass rate is essentially identical. Unless you have a specific reason to prefer ULaw (a campus close to you, a firm that specifically places ULaw, or a preference for their teaching format), BPP is the stronger value at the premium end of the market.
SQE2-specific course comparison
SQE1 course quality is relatively easy to assess through question bank size and pass rates. SQE2 is harder, because it tests oral skills (advocacy, client interviewing) alongside written skills — and the quality of practice and feedback varies much more between providers.
| Provider | Assessed practice scenarios | Individual written feedback | Oral skills coaching |
|---|---|---|---|
| BPP | 8-12 per skill area | Yes, written | Yes, with assessors |
| University of Law | 8-10 per skill area | Yes, written | Yes, with assessors |
| City Law School | 6-10 per skill area | Yes, written | Yes, small groups |
| BARBRI | 4-6 per skill area | Limited (model answers) | No individual coaching |
| Kaplan | 6-8 per skill area | Yes, written | Limited |
| QLTS School | 2-4 per skill area | No (model answers only) | No |
If SQE2 is your immediate concern — especially if oral skills (advocacy and interviewing) are a weakness — BARBRI and QLTS School are notably weaker than the premium providers. The £6,000+ gap between BARBRI and BPP is much harder to justify for SQE1 than it is for SQE2.
For SQE2 specifically, the feedback quality on written exercises and access to individual oral skills practice are the features that most distinguish the premium providers from the budget options.
Payment plans and funding
Employer funding
Most City and US firms funding training contracts will pay course fees directly or reimburse them. If your firm has a preferred provider (most do), use that provider unless you have a strong reason not to. Switching provider when your employer has a relationship can create unnecessary friction.
Self-funding payment plans
All major providers offer payment plans, though terms vary:
- BPP: instalment plans typically over 3-6 months, interest-free
- University of Law: instalment plans available; interest-free options require negotiation
- BARBRI: payment in full or in two instalments
- QLTS School: typically payment in full; lower overall price makes this less of an issue
Ask specifically: is the instalment plan interest-free? Some providers pass on a financing charge that adds hundreds to the total cost.
SRA exam fee funding
The £4,908 SRA exam fee (SQE1 £1,934 + SQE2 £2,974) is paid to Kaplan via the SRA — not to your course provider. Employers who fund course fees do not always fund the SRA exam fees automatically. Confirm this explicitly before assuming your employer covers both.
Scholarships and bursaries
A small number of providers offer needs-based bursaries or scholarships. BPP has an SQE Access Scholarship. The SRA itself does not run a funding scheme, but the Law Society has historically offered limited bursary support for SQE candidates from underrepresented groups. These schemes are competitive and oversubscribed — apply early and have a backup plan.
Free SQE prep resources
Paid courses are not the only option. A serious self-study candidate can build a full preparation toolkit from free and near-free resources:
- SRA official practice questions: free on the SRA website. Essential regardless of what course you take — these are the closest published indicator of actual exam style.
- SRA assessment specification: free. Defines exactly what is and is not examinable. No serious candidate should be revising without having read this.
- The Qualified Path revision timetable: free to generate. Takes two minutes, allocates your revision time across all FLK topics weighted by your confidence scores and exam date.
- SQE Revise books: under £15 per subject on Amazon. Rated highly by candidates for black letter law revision.
- PGDL Law Bible: a popular independent resource for substantive law, especially for candidates refreshing LLB or GDL knowledge.
These resources do not replace a structured course with a question bank and feedback mechanism. But they are the best free supplements for any level of preparation.
If you are resitting
Do not buy a second full course. This is the most common and most expensive mistake resitters make.
Your failed result comes with a score report. Use it. It tells you exactly which FLK areas you dropped marks in. The task is not to repeat 12 weeks of structured teaching — it is to target the specific gaps that showed up in your real exam.
What resitters actually need:
- A targeted question bank in their weak subjects (BARBRI's MCQ bank is available standalone)
- Additional SQE2 assessed practice if SQE2 skills were the issue
- A revised timetable that front-loads triage topics rather than repeating the full syllabus arc
If you sat with a premium provider the first time and failed, the issue is almost certainly not the course — it is where and how you spent your revision time. Spend the resit budget on targeted practice, not another blanket course subscription.
Five questions to ask any provider before you book
- What is your refund policy if I need to defer? Some providers lock you in with no deferral option - read the terms carefully.
- How many assessed SQE2 practice scenarios are included? Quantity and quality of feedback varies enormously.
- How many questions are in the SQE1 bank, and are they updated each sitting? Old questions from the QLTS era are not representative of current SQE1 style.
- What support is available during revision - not just during the taught course? The period between teaching and your exam date is often where candidates fall.
- Can I see a sample lesson or demo before committing? Any serious provider will say yes.
More on SQE costs and providers:
Key takeaway
No provider is best for everyone. BPP suits City-firm-sponsored students or those who need high-touch support. BARBRI suits self-funding students who want live tutors at half the price. QLTS School suits those with existing legal backgrounds who need focused top-up preparation. The SRA syllabus is identical across all providers. What you pay for is teaching quality, structure, and materials, not a different exam.
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Written by The Qualified Path Team
The Qualified Path team is dedicated to providing accurate, up-to-date guidance for aspiring solicitors. Our content is thoroughly researched and regularly updated to reflect the latest SRA requirements and best practices.
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