How long will SQE courses take?

The length of the SQE course you take will depend on whether you undertake it full or part-time, as well as the level of legal knowledge and practice you will have had from your undergraduate degree. There is no length set by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, as the course in itself is no longer a requirement to pass the exams.

The only time-based requirements in the new specification will be the 24 months of Qualifying Work Experience in the legal sector, as well as the six-year window in which you can complete the components of the qualification.

SQE1 course length

Initially, the SQE1 exams will primarily be made up of an assessment of Functioning Legal Knowledge, which consists of the core law subjects that form a crucial part of Qualifying Law Degrees such as the LLB. Because of this, law graduates will have significantly less content to cover over the duration of their SQE preparation.

SQE2 course length

Moving on, the SQE2 courses will look to prepare you for the practical side of the assessments, once you’ve passed all of the components of SQE1. It might be the case that you’ve gained experience in the various scenarios it will test over the course of your training contract, or through any other work experience that you’ve accrued in the legal sector.

Ultimately, the exact length of SQE courses will be released by each provider - such as The University of Law - over the coming year as we move towards the autumn of 2021, when the SQE will begin to be phased in by the SRA. In the meantime, you should keep an eye on the websites of the institutions you’d like to study at for any updates.

Next article Are SQE training courses replacing the GDL and LPC?