Format of the QLTS Assessments

How Are You Assessed on the QLTS?

The QLTS assessments are a compressed version of the assessments which test the outcomes against which UK candidates are assessed during the domestic qualification route. The assessments are administered by a sole provider, Kaplan QLTS, which has been appointed by the SRA following a tender. The assessment provider is not allowed to offer training courses for the QLTS.

The Assessments are in Three Parts:

Part I - Multiple Choice Test (MCT) - this tests knowledge and understanding of professional conduct, solicitors' accounts, financial regulation, property, business law and practice, tort, contract, the English legal system, incorporating equitable rights, human rights and EU law. The MCT will consist of 180 multiple choice questions. The exam is divided into morning and afternoon periods of three hours each, with 90 questions in each period.
Part II - Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) - this tests interviewing and advocacy skills and other abilities. Each OSCE runs across 3 consecutive days.
Part III – Technical Legal Skills Test (TLST) – this tests the skills of online legal research, drafting and writing. The TLST runs across 3 consecutive days.

Parts II and III are conducted in the context of the three practice areas of business, civil & criminal litigation and property & probate.

Applicants should also be able to demonstrate that they can apply their knowledge of English law in the context of scenarios of the type a solicitor might typically encounter in practice. The second and third elements of the assessments are practical, involving, for example, simulations of solicitor/client interactions, file reviews and court-based scenarios.

Assessment Rules

Part I must be passed before Parts II and III are attempted
Parts II and III can be taken in any order
The rules allow three attempts at each of the three parts of the assessments during the 5 year validity of your Certificate of Eligibility. If you fail any part of the QLTS assessments three times, you will need to wait until the expiry of your existing Certificate of Eligibility before applying for a new one
There is no experience requirement or training for applicants to complete

Can I Get Any Exemptions?

Unlike the previous QLTT exam, international lawyers applying to take the test need to take all the three element of the assessments. Application made by lawyers qualified in the European Economic Area, UK or Switzerland will be assessed individually. However, the SRA can grant exemption from the MCT assessment to applicants who have passed the LPC.

Level of English Expected of QLTS Candidates

All elements of the assessments are undertaken in English. Applicants need to demonstrate that they are able to use English with a level of competence sufficient to take accurate instructions from, and give clear and accurate advice to, clients in English, to understand and draft legal documents in English and to exercise rights of audience.

International lawyers have to satisfy an English language requirement (by taking an English test such as IELTS), to be eligible to sit the assessments. Exemptions can be granted to native English speakers or to those who have gained their legal degree in English. The English language requirement is another change that was introduced by the SRA comparing to the previous QLTT regime.