Has the SQE just got easier?

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The SRA has announced changes to SQE1, cutting the number of questions from 360 to 340 after candidate feedback that the assessment can feel rushed and pressurised.

Legal Cheek writer Nadia Ismail sits down with editor Tom Connelly to discuss the changes, drawing on Nadia’s own experience of preparing for and sitting SQE1 before the new format was introduced.

Did the exam feel rushed? Will 20 fewer questions really make much difference? And should the SRA go further, including allowing candidates to sit and pay for FLK1 and FLK2 separately?

They discuss exam-day pressure, the sheer volume of content candidates are expected to learn, the financial burden of the SQE and whether greater flexibility could make the route to qualification more manageable without lowering standards.