SRA gives SQE1 candidates extra time per question in 2027 exam shake-up

What is changing in the Solicitors Qualifying Exam?

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has announced the first in what it calls a "series of improvements" to the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), with changes taking effect from January 2027.

The headline change affects SQE1, the functioning legal knowledge (FLK) assessment that has long been criticised for its intensity and a pass rate that has hovered around 50%. From January 2027, the total number of questions across the four SQE1 sessions will fall from 360 to 340. That is five fewer questions per session.

Because the time allowed for each session will remain at two hours and 33 minutes, candidates will gain roughly six extra seconds per question. The College of Legal Practice calculates that the average time available will rise from approximately 102 seconds per question to 108 seconds per question.

In a separate change, candidates will for the first time know which specific areas of law each assessment will cover before they sit it. Questions will continue to appear in a mixed, random order within each session, but the SRA says the new grouping will help candidates prepare more effectively.

Why the SRA is changing SQE1 now

The SRA says the changes were developed through engagement with candidates, Kaplan SQE, employers, training providers and the wider profession. They are also informed by assessment data, candidate feedback and continued evaluation of how the assessment operates in practice.

In its statement, the regulator said candidate feedback showed the SQE1 assessment could feel rushed and pressurised, "and this can be exacerbated by the lack of some grouping of questions in the sessions". Retaining randomisation within each session, it added, will help preserve assessment security requirements.

Ethics and professional conduct questions will continue to be pervasive across any subject area, so the SRA is not reducing the emphasis on professional standards. Instead, it is betting that a slightly shorter paper and better advance information will improve the assessment experience without undermining reliability.

The regulator has repeatedly insisted that all the evidence shows the assessments are functioning well and providing fair and reliable results. But the SQE1 pass rate has remained a flashpoint. Research published by the SRA at the end of last year showed that confidence in the SQE among employers had risen over the past three years but was still not particularly strong, and had declined significantly among candidates, particularly in relation to SQE1.

What training providers are saying

Reaction from the SQE training community has been polite but not overwhelmingly positive.

The College of Legal Practice described the reforms as "an improvement rather than the transformational change many aspiring solicitors need". Its chief executive, Dr Giles Proctor, said the changes were an acknowledgement that SQE1 placed significant pressure on aspiring solicitors.

"However, reducing 20 questions across a 360-question assessment should not be mistaken for a solution to the broader challenges students continue to face," he said. "Candidates are still expected to prepare for an immense syllabus, retain that knowledge and sit two demanding assessments within the same assessment window. For many students, particularly those studying alongside full-time employment, caring responsibilities or financial pressures, that remains the real challenge."

The college called on the SRA to allow candidates to choose whether to sit FLK1, FLK2 or both assessments at their first attempt. That, it argued, would be genuinely transformational.

Nir Chanoch, managing director of QLTS School, took a more favourable view. He said the changes would reduce the "cognitive burden" on candidates.

"It should make the examination somewhat less about managing an enormous volume of unrelated information simultaneously and somewhat more about demonstrating the legal knowledge and application the SQE is intended to assess," he wrote on LinkedIn.

He added that "six seconds does not sound like much, but across an entire session it amounts to roughly eight and a half additional minutes".

The wider SQE picture: pass rates and confidence

The SQE1 changes come at a time of continued scrutiny of the exam. In April, the SRA's independent review of the SQE called for more effort to help candidates and others understand why multiple-choice questions were used in the exam.

Separately, recently released results from the latest SQE2 sitting in April showed an overall pass rate of 83% across 2,966 candidates, with the pass rate for first-time candidates hitting a record 85%. That contrasts sharply with the SQE1 pass rate, which has remained close to 50%.

The SRA has framed the latest announcement as part of its 2026 priorities: improving collaboration and focusing on the issues that matter most. It said the changes signalled its commitment "to enhance confidence in the SQE".

Our view: small changes, bigger questions

Extra time per question is welcome. For candidates who have spent months preparing for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, knowing which areas of law will appear in each session is also a genuine improvement. Both changes should make SQE1 feel slightly less like an endurance test.

But the bigger questions about the SQE remain unanswered. A six-second-per-question adjustment does not address the breadth of the functioning legal knowledge syllabus, the cost of preparation, or the disparity in pass rates between SQE1 and SQE2. And while employer confidence has improved, candidate confidence has gone in the opposite direction.

The SRA has promised more improvements. Candidates, law firms and training providers will be watching closely to see whether those go further than trimming 20 questions from a 360-question paper.