What will SQE2 assess?
- Raphael Jucobin
- Friday 08th January
- 1 min read
Once you’ve passed all of the exams that come under SQE1, you’ll be able to move on to the more practical side of the assessment which makes up SQE2 - the second and final academic step in qualifying as a solicitor under the new regulations.
While SQE1 dealt with technical knowledge and subject areas which will have been covered by law students during their undergraduate degree, SQE2 features a more hands-on approach to examination.
It will consist of a single exam covering 16 practical skills exercises, which look to test the ways in which you are able to apply your legal knowledge in the context of various activities and business.
Skills assessed
The skills to be covered by the assessment are as follows:
- Client interview and attendance note/legal analysis
- Advocacy
- Case and matter analysis
- Legal research
- Legal writing
- Legal drafting
- Unflagged points of ethics and professional conduct to pervade
Technical knowledge assessed
The technical knowledge areas that will be assessed through these skills are:
- Criminal litigation
- Dispute resolution
- Property practice
- Wills and intestacy, probate administration and practice
- Business organisations rules and procedures
The level of detail expected of you, as described by the SRA, will not cover the information that a freshly admitted solicitor would be expected to look up when starting out - unless specific material forms a part of the assessment itself.
Two days of assessment would be dedicated to oral skills, while a further three days would turn to exams in a written format, with assessments in a range of areas from the list above.