SQE Study
Planner
A free orientation guide — not a comprehensive study system.
It covers the SQE structure, how to phase your time, and what to do in your first week. For the actual system — MCQ logging, subject skeletons, weekly reviews — that is what the SQE Workbook is for.
Download the PDF version
Keep it open alongside your workbook.
Download Your Free Study Planner (PDF)
10-page printable planner with checkboxes for every topic, a practice question tracker, and progress milestones.
Free. We send occasional SQE tips — unsubscribe any time.
Business Law
75% confidence
Dispute Resolution
45% confidence
Contract
88% confidence
Tort
60% confidence
Legal System
30% confidence
Legal Services
52% confidence
This planner is a free starting point only. For MCQ logs, subject skeletons, traffic lights, and weekly reviews — you need the workbook.
Open the Workbook →What Is SQE1
The knowledge exam
SQE1 tests foundational legal knowledge. It is entirely multiple-choice — 360 questions across two sittings, sat at a Pearson VUE test centre. No written answers, no advocacy, no legal skills assessed.
360
MCQs total
2 × 180
FLK1 + FLK2
2.5 hrs
Per sitting
FLK1 — 6 Subjects
- Business Law & Practice
- Dispute Resolution
- Contract
- Tort
- Legal System & Constitutional Law
- Legal Services & Professional Ethics
FLK2 — 6 Subjects
- Property Practice
- Wills, Intestacy, Probate & Administration
- Solicitors Accounts
- Land Law
- Trusts
- Criminal Law & Practice
What Is SQE2
The skills exam
SQE2 tests whether you can apply legal knowledge in practice. You are assessed as a practitioner — not as a student. 16 stations across 6 skills. No essays. Skills and law together.
6
Skills assessed
16
Stations total
12
Written stations
4
Oral stations
Client Interview + Attendance Note
10 min read · 25 min interview with an actor · 25 min handwritten attendance note
Phase 1 assessed on skills only. Phase 2 on skills + law.
Advocacy
45 min prep · 15 min oral submission before a solicitor playing a judge
Criminal advocacy: you stand to deliver. Questions from the judge are part of the assessment.
Case and Matter Analysis
60 min · written report to a partner · computer-based at Pearson VUE
Legal Research
60 min · written note to a partner · primary and secondary sources provided · may go beyond FLK knowledge
Write a clear note, not a research trail.
Legal Writing
30 min · letter or email as the solicitor · computer-based
Register must match the recipient — client, third party, other side, or partner.
Legal Drafting
45 min · legal document draft or amendment · computer-based
May be from precedent, amending an existing draft, or drafting from scratch.
6 Practice Areas — assessed across all skills
Source: sqe.sra.org.uk — verified May 2026. Verify current assessment dates at sqe.sra.org.uk before booking.
This planner orients you. The workbook gets you there.
The workbook is the full system — built for candidates who want to leave nothing to chance. Every subject covered. Every session logged. Every weak spot surfaced before exam day.
MCQ Log + Fluke Check
Track every session. Fluke Check flags answers you got right by luck, not knowledge.
Subject Skeletons
12 pre-built subject frameworks — annotate, add your tells, capture examiner traps in one place.
Traffic Light Tracker
Rate confidence across all 12 subjects at three checkpoints. Your reds tell you exactly where to spend next week.
SQE2 Skill Frameworks
6 skills with station-by-station breakdowns, oral prep, and pre-session checklists.
Weekly Review Ritual
A 15-minute structured check-in built into the workbook. Compounds significantly over months.
SQE1 Workbook · SQE2 Workbook · Both available
How To Think About Your Time
Phases, not hours
This is not a timetable. It is a mental model — the shape of preparation that works, expressed in phases. Use the workbook's War Room to build the actual timetable from your exam date.
SQE1 — Three Phases
Foundation
Build base knowledge across all 12 subjects. Do not attempt to master anything yet. Read, annotate, surface your tells. Roughly the first 40% of your available time.
FLK1 Push
Intensive MCQ practice on FLK1 subjects. Log every session. Use Fluke Check. Work backwards from your gaps, not forwards from the syllabus.
Gap Week — FLK2 Only
The week before FLK1: do nothing but FLK2 material. Your FLK1 is locked. Revisiting it now will only create panic. Trust the work done.
SQE2 — Four Phases
Learn the Formats
Understand what each of the 6 assessments requires before you practise. The format determines everything. The SRA specification is not optional reading.
Supervised Practice
Practise each skill with feedback — tutor, colleague, or recording yourself. Do not practise wrong. Poor habits in skills compound rapidly.
Independent Timed Practice
Simulate assessment conditions. Strict timings. No mid-attempt feedback. Identify what breaks under pressure. Fix tells one at a time.
Polish & Simulate
Full mock stations. Focus on skills criteria, not the law. By this stage, the law is a given. The marks are in structure, delivery, client focus, and ethics.
Full time — 35–40 hrs / week
SQE1 in 3–4 months. SQE2 in 6–10 weeks of dedicated skills work. Rest is not optional — schedule it explicitly or it disappears.Part time — 15–20 hrs / week
SQE1 in 6–9 months. SQE2 requires genuine immersion near assessment — plan for at least 3–4 weeks of elevated hours.Your First Week Checklist
Start here
Most candidates lose momentum between signing up and actually starting. These seven things close that gap. Do them in order, in your first seven days.
Complete the workbook onboarding — exam type, exam date, study mode. This activates your countdown and weekly plan.
Fill in your Mission Statement. Write why you are doing this in your own words. You will read it again on a hard day.
Set up your War Room — exam date, study hours per week, target score, study provider. One entry, referenced everywhere.
Open the Traffic Lights tab for each SQE1 subject and set your starting confidence. You will not know much yet — that is the point. This is your baseline.
Complete your first daily ritual entry. Follow the format once. Adjust if needed. Then repeat it daily.
Log your first MCQ session — even 10 questions. The habit matters more than the score at this stage.
Set your weekly review day. Block it in your calendar now. The ritual only works if it is consistent.
Quick Reference Card
Everything at a glance
Print this or keep it open in a browser tab while you study.
SQE1 — 12 Subjects
FLK1
- ▸Business Law & Practice
- ▸Dispute Resolution
- ▸Contract
- ▸Tort
- ▸Legal System & Constitutional
- ▸Legal Services & Ethics
FLK2
- ▸Property Practice
- ▸Wills, Intestacy & Probate
- ▸Solicitors Accounts
- ▸Land Law
- ▸Trusts
- ▸Criminal Law & Practice
SQE2 — 6 Skills & Timings
Client Interview + Attendance Note
10 min prep · 25 min interview · 25 min note
Advocacy
45 min prep · 15 min submission
Case & Matter Analysis
60 min
Legal Research
60 min
Legal Writing
30 min
Legal Drafting
45 min
Exam Dates
Assessment windows change each cycle. Always verify at sqe.sra.org.uk before booking. Live dates are also shown inside your workbook on the Data page.
You are oriented. Now execute.
Open your workbook
This planner exists to orient you.
The workbook exists to get you there.
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