Stop guessing which
topics to focus on
Log every MCQ session and see exactly where you're losing marks across all 12 SQE1 topics. Know what to fix before it costs you the exam.
MCQ Dashboard
Last 30 days
Weak areas
Score trend
How to Use MCQ Practice Effectively
There is a significant difference between completing MCQ practice and using it to actually improve. The majority of candidates who underperform in SQE1 are not failing through lack of effort - they are failing because their practice method does not generate lasting retention.
Passive reading (notes, textbooks, recorded lectures) creates the feeling of progress. Active recall - testing yourself on what you know without prompts, under realistic conditions - actually transfers knowledge into long-term memory. The research on this distinction (the "testing effect" in cognitive psychology) is consistent: retrieval practice outperforms re-reading by a large margin for the kind of rapid, accurate recall that SQE1 MCQs demand.
- •Answering questions without reference to notes
- •Explaining a rule out loud before checking it
- •Attempting topics before you feel "ready"
- •Logging every session and reviewing wrong answers
- •Re-reading notes on a topic you already know
- •Highlighting course materials
- •Watching lecture recordings as a primary method
- •Doing questions open-book "to see how they work"
Logging your MCQ sessions in this tracker does two things: it creates a feedback loop that forces you to evaluate performance honestly, and it builds the data record needed to identify which topics require more practice - so your study time goes where it matters.
Why Topic Scores Matter More Than Overall Averages
The most dangerous number in SQE1 preparation is a healthy-looking overall average. A candidate scoring 72% across all sessions may have a completely different preparation profile than one scoring 68% - depending entirely on where each is losing marks.
⚡ The hidden weak area problem
A candidate scoring 80% in Business Law, Contract, Dispute Resolution, Tort, and Ethics - but 45% in Solicitors Accounts, 50% in Trusts, and 52% in Land Law - will likely fail. These three FLK2 topics alone can produce enough wrong answers to pull below the pass standard in that paper, regardless of FLK1 performance. Overall average scores do not reveal this.
This tracker logs scores at the topic level for every session. After a few weeks of logging, the dashboard surfaces your three weakest areas by average score - the topics where you are consistently losing marks that you could be getting right with targeted practice.
The weekly digest email (available when you sign in) sends your weakest topic summary each Monday, so you start each week knowing exactly where to focus - rather than defaulting to the topics that feel comfortable.
How Many Questions to Do Before Sitting SQE1
There is no universally correct answer - but the following benchmarks are drawn from candidate outcomes and commonly reported preparation patterns. They assume questions done seriously, under timed conditions, with wrong answers reviewed.
| Background | Minimum questions | Readiness signal |
|---|---|---|
| Non-law / conversion route | 3,000+ | 70%+ in all 12 topics |
| Law graduate (recent) | 2,000–3,000 | 70%+ in all 12 topics |
| Law graduate (several years ago) | 2,500+ | 70%+ with particular attention to Accounts |
| Practising paralegal (narrow area) | 2,500+ | 70%+ outside your specialism |
| Practising solicitor (requalifying) | 1,500–2,000 | 70%+ in FLK2 weak topics |
These are floor estimates - not targets to hit and stop. Candidates who significantly exceed these volumes (while maintaining high-quality review practice) consistently outperform those who treat the minimum as sufficient. Quality of review matters as much as volume: completing 4,000 questions without reviewing wrong answers produces far less improvement than completing 2,000 with thorough analysis.
How to Interpret Weak Area Results
When the tracker surfaces a weak area, the appropriate response depends on the nature of the weakness. Low scores come from several different root causes - each requiring a different fix.
You do not yet have sufficient command of the rules. Go back to primary materials, build a clean note of the key rules and exceptions, then return to practice questions only once you can state the rules accurately from memory.
Review your wrong answers and identify whether the misses cluster around a specific sub-topic (e.g., PACE powers within Criminal, or particular Accounts Rules within Solicitors Accounts). Target that sub-topic directly rather than re-studying the whole area.
You know the rules but are dropping marks on the application step. This is often a test technique problem rather than a knowledge problem. Practice reading question stems carefully and identifying the precise legal question before looking at the answer options.
Maintain this score with light regular practice. The risk at this level is complacency - topics that feel solid in October can drift by January without any reinforcement. Keep logging sessions even in strong areas.
When to Start Full Mocks vs Topic Sets
The SQE1 exam is 360 questions across two sittings of 180 questions each (FLK1 and FLK2), both in a single day. The stamina and exam-condition experience required to perform well in that format is a separate preparation need from topic knowledge.
Topic Sets
30–60 questions focused on one or two topics. Best for Foundation and Development phases.
- •Use when building or consolidating topic knowledge
- •Use when targeting identified weak areas
- •Easier to review wrong answers deeply
- •Good for daily study sessions under time pressure
Full Mock Exams
180 questions, timed, all topics, exam conditions. Best from 8–10 weeks before sitting.
- •Start only when you're scoring 60%+ across all topics
- •Tests stamina and time management alongside knowledge
- •Replicates the mental load of the real exam
- •Aim for 4–6 mocks minimum in the 8 weeks before sitting
Starting mocks too early is a common mistake
Candidates who start full mock exams before they have solid topic knowledge typically get discouraging scores, second-guess their preparation, and pivot to passive re-reading - which makes things worse. Use topic sets to build your knowledge base first. Save full mocks for the period when they produce meaningful diagnostic data.
Frequently Asked Questions
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