SQE Resit Guide 2026: Everything You Need to Know

Failing the SQE is more common than passing it. Across every SQE1 sitting, the majority of candidates do not pass. In July sittings, the pass rate has sat between 41% and 44%. In January sittings it reaches the low-to-mid 50s. For SQE2, pass rates are higher — around 75–83% — but a meaningful number of candidates still do not make it through on the first attempt.

If you are reading this having just received a fail result, or preparing for a resit, this guide covers everything: costs, registration, how to diagnose what actually went wrong, and what preparation approach gives you the best chance of passing the second time.

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How Common Is an SQE Resit?

Before anything else: context.

The SQE is not like the bar exams of previous generations where failure implied catastrophic gaps in legal knowledge. Many candidates who fail SQE1 are well-prepared lawyers who were not ready for the specific format of the assessment. The exam is 180 multiple-choice questions in 180 minutes. The skill required to answer single-best-answer questions under that time pressure is entirely different from the skill of writing an essay or arguing a case. Many strong lawyers fail it the first time not because they do not know the law, but because they did not practice the format enough.

This is important context because the solution is different. If you failed because you did not know the law, you need to study more law. If you failed because you were not ready for the format, you need to practice the format under time pressure — more content review will not help.

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SQE Resit Costs 2026

SQE1 Resit Fees (from September 2026)

If you passed one paper, you only pay for the one you failed. Your passing paper carries forward indefinitely under current SRA rules — there is no expiry.

SQE2 Resit Fees (from September 2026)

SQE2 allows you to resit individual assessment days rather than the whole exam. If you failed only Oral Legal Advice, for example, you can register for that component alone. The SRA guidance on this changes periodically, so confirm with Kaplan when you register.

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Next SQE Resit Dates

SQE1 January 2027

• Registration opens: 8 September 2026
• Registration closes: 20 November 2026
• Exam window: 11–22 January 2027
• Results: 8 March 2027

SQE2 January 2027

• Registration opens: 8 September 2026
• Registration closes: 20 November 2026
• Exam window: 11–22 January 2027
• Results: 8 March 2027

You can check all upcoming registration windows and exam dates at SQE exam dates.

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Step One: Diagnose Before You Plan

The most expensive mistake SQE resitters make is starting revision before they have diagnosed why they failed.

Returning to the same preparation approach and expecting a different result is the definition of ineffective resitting. Second-attempt pass rates have historically been around 10%. The candidates who pass on the second attempt are, in most cases, the ones who changed something significant about how they prepared.

So: diagnose first.

How to Read Your SQE1 Result

Your SQE1 result gives you a percentage score for FLK1 and FLK2 separately. The pass mark is not published, but historically it sits between 56% and 57% (roughly 100–103 correct answers out of 180).

To diagnose your result, you need to answer three questions:

1. How far below the pass mark were you?

A score of 54–55% is a narrow fail — you were probably two or three questions away. A score in the high 40s or below is a larger gap that indicates a more systematic preparation problem. The distance matters because it shapes the resit approach.

2. Which paper did you score lower on?

If you scored 60% on FLK1 and 47% on FLK2, your FLK2 performance is the issue. Focus goes there. If both were borderline, the issue is more likely to be time management or format-specific, rather than topic-level.

3. What do your mock scores look like by subject?

You will not receive topic-level data in your results. Go back through your mock performance during preparation. Which topics were consistently your weakest? Solicitors Accounts and Wills and Intestacy are the highest-failure topics in every sitting the SRA has reported on. Land Law, Trusts, and Constitutional Law also catch a disproportionate number of candidates. If you can identify two or three topics where you were consistently below 50%, those are your resit priorities.

How to Read Your SQE2 Result

SQE2 gives you a pass or fail per assessment day. You know exactly which components you failed. For the resit, the diagnostic question is: was the failure about format (structure, time, communication) or about substantive knowledge?

SQE2 is almost never failed because a candidate lacks legal knowledge. It is failed because:

• The candidate ran over time and did not complete the task
• The answer was legally correct but did not address the specific competency being tested
• The communication style was too formal or too informal for the station type
• The candidate approached it like an essay exam rather than a practitioner task

If any of these describes your sitting, the resit solution is format-specific practice, not more content revision.

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The Resit Preparation Mistake Almost Everyone Makes

If you passed SQE1 on the first attempt, there is a decent chance you drilled hundreds or thousands of practice MCQs during preparation. If you failed, there is a decent chance you did not.

The data on SQE1 preparation is consistent across surveys and cohorts: candidates who complete 2,000 to 4,000 MCQs across the full syllabus before the exam pass at significantly higher rates than those who complete fewer than 1,000. The difference is not just exposure to content. It is:

• Building the habit of reading questions fast and accurately under time pressure
• Learning which wrong answers the exam favours and why
• Training yourself to eliminate rather than select
• Getting comfortable finishing 90 questions in 90 minutes

Most candidates who fail SQE1 know the law well enough to pass. They failed because they did not develop this skill early enough. They left MCQ practice until the final three or four weeks and never built up to the volume or speed the exam requires.

For resitters: start MCQ practice on day one of preparation, not day forty-five.

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Building a Resit Revision Plan That Actually Works

For SQE1 Resitters

You have an advantage that first-attempt candidates do not: you know what the exam feels like. You know the format, the pressure, the way the questions are worded. Use that.

Week 1–2: Triage and structure

Do not open a textbook. Go through your previous mock results and identify your three weakest topics. Map the next 16–18 weeks with more time weighted toward those topics. Do not plan to cover everything equally — you are not a first-attempt candidate with gaps everywhere, you are a resitter with specific weak points.

Use the SQE revision timetable tool to generate a structured week-by-week schedule. Input your available hours, exam date, and weak subjects, and it builds a plan you can follow from the start. It takes about three minutes.

Week 3–12: Content and MCQ in parallel

For each topic block, follow this sequence:

1. Review the substantive content (one pass, efficient — you have seen this before)
2. Do topic-specific MCQs immediately after reviewing each area
3. Review every question you got wrong before moving on

Aim for a minimum of 50 MCQs per week from week three onwards, rising to 100 or more by the final six weeks.

The Revise SQE^* practice assessment books are worth using for topic-specific drilling, particularly in your weakest areas. The questions are widely regarded as among the most exam-reflective available, and the explanations explain why the wrong answers are wrong — which is the most important thing to understand when drilling MCQs. They cover FLK1 and FLK2 subjects individually, so you can buy targeted books for your weak spots rather than the full range.

Week 13–18: Mocks and calibration

Run at least three full-paper timed mocks (180 questions, 180 minutes, no interruptions). After each mock:

• Score it by topic
• Identify where you dropped marks
• Redistribute revision time accordingly

The mock scores plateau and then improve once your technique is calibrated. Do not panic if the first full mock feels worse than you expected — that is normal for candidates who have been doing shorter topic quizzes and then encounter the full time pressure.

For SQE2 Resitters

SQE2 resit preparation is almost entirely about format practice, not content review.

Understand the competency framework

Every SQE2 station is assessed against a specific set of competencies: acting with integrity, client focus, working within the law, and so on. The mark scheme rewards structured, professional responses, not technically perfect answers. Before practicing anything, make sure you understand what each competency means in the context of each station type.

Practice under time pressure from the start

Each SQE2 station has a fixed time limit, and the most common reason for failure is not completing the task. Practice every station type under strict time conditions. Use a stopwatch. Do not give yourself extra minutes.

Get feedback on your answers

This is the hardest part of SQE2 preparation to do alone. If you can access a study group, a tutor, or a preparation provider who gives detailed feedback on oral practice, that is significantly more valuable than self-assessment. The competencies being tested require an external perspective to evaluate.

Focus on the components you failed

If you failed Legal Research, practice legal research tasks. If you failed Legal Writing, practice structuring professional communications under time pressure. Do not spend equal time on every component — you only need to pass the ones you failed.

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Resit Psychology: What Separates Candidates Who Pass the Second Time

There is a measurable difference between resitters who pass and those who fail again. It is not usually knowledge. It is approach.

Candidates who pass the second time:

• Register early and set a fixed exam date before starting preparation
• Change something significant about their approach, not just the number of hours
• Start MCQ practice or format practice from week one, not month two
• Track their mock performance by topic and adjust the plan
• Run full-paper mocks under timed conditions, not just topic quizzes

Candidates who fail again:

• Begin preparation with the same study materials in the same order
• Do content review first and save practice for the final weeks
• Do not run full-paper timed mocks before the exam
• Do not adjust their plan based on mock performance

The plan matters less than starting it. A structured, followed plan beats a perfect plan that drifts. Build something you can actually stick to and start it now.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many times can you resit the SQE?

The SRA does not cap the number of resit attempts. You can sit SQE1 and SQE2 as many times as needed. There is no time limit for completing the qualification under current rules.

If I passed one FLK paper, does my pass expire?

No. Under current SRA rules, a passing result for FLK1 or FLK2 carries forward indefinitely. You only need to resit the paper you failed.

Does a resit on my record affect my training contract applications?

The SRA does not publish individual candidate performance data. Firms cannot see how many attempts it took you to pass — only that you have passed. Many successful solicitors at major firms have resit results. It is not a disqualifying factor for training contract applications.

Should I use the same provider for my resit?

Not necessarily. If you are changing your preparation approach — which you should be — a different provider may serve the resit approach better. Some candidates do better with self-directed study and a structured question bank. Others benefit from a more structured course. What matters is whether the preparation approach addresses the actual reason you failed, not whether it is a well-known name.

How long does it take to prepare for an SQE1 resit?

Most resitters have 16–20 weeks between results day and the next sitting. This is enough time to pass if you use it from the start. It is not enough time to waste the first six weeks deciding what to do.

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Resources

• SQE revision timetable — build your week-by-week plan
• Full SQE1 and SQE2 pass rate history
• SQE exam dates and registration windows
• SQE1 July 2026 results: what to do next
• Revise SQE practice assessment books^* — subject-specific MCQ drilling for SQE1

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