Retaking the SQE?

Failing the SQE rarely means you didn’t know the law. Most candidates who fail have already spent hundreds of hours studying.

Some prepared independently. Others used a training provider but found, after sitting the exam, that their preparation didn’t fully reflect the pressure, difficulty or style of the real SQE.

The harder reality is that the SQE tests how accurately you can apply legal knowledge under strict time pressure across long, demanding assessments — and that takes a different kind of preparation.

Capable candidates often struggle with:

• Applying legal knowledge accurately under time pressure
• Identifying the single best answer among what appear to be plausible alternatives
• Maintaining concentration and stamina across long assessments
• Adapting to the SQE’s unfamiliar question style
• Completing enough exam-standard mock tests to feel ready

Many SQE courses focus mainly on teaching the law. We help you rebuild your preparation around structure, diagnosis, timed practice, mistake analysis and performance under exam conditions.

The SRA’s data shows retakers face a significantly steeper challenge than first-attempt candidates:

• SQE1 overall pass rates: 56% (January 2025) and 41% (July 2025)
• SQE1 retaker pass rates (both FLKs combined): approximately 25% (January 2025) and 20% (July 2025)
• SQE2 retaker pass rates also remain materially lower than those of first-attempt candidates

While there are potentially a number of factors at play for retakers, it is clear that simply repeating the same preparation approach is rarely enough.

For more than 15 years we’ve helped thousands of candidates prepare for the QLTS and SQE — including many retakers who previously prepared independently or with another provider that didn’t deliver. Our retake preparation is built around a structured plan, realistic practice and feedback that helps candidates change the way they prepare, not simply repeat the same approach.

Failing the SQE is not just a setback in your preparation. It is a setback to a career timeline you have already planned around, on top of the money you have already spent on a course that did not deliver, and the assessment fees you will pay again for your next sitting.

The SRA’s rule of three attempts at each SQE assessment within a six-year period can also make each retake feel especially high-stakes.

Your previous provider may offer free continued access to the same course materials you already used. We understand why that feels like the easier option — but if those materials did not get you through the first time, more of the same is unlikely to.

That is why we created this programme. A one-time, purpose-built offer for retakers — priced well below our standard SQE1 course because we know what retakers have already invested in time, money and confidence, and we want this to be accessible to the candidates who need it.

A mocks-only programme for SQE1 retakers preparing for the July 2026 sitting. Course access covers the July 2026 sitting period. Available only to candidates who have previously sat SQE1 and not passed.

Two packages:

• Single FLK — £690  |  for candidates resitting FLK1 or FLK2 only. 15 mocks with 90 questions each, SQE AI Assistant, FLK Refresher, SQE1 Analyser.
• Both FLKs — £990  |  for candidates resitting both FLKs. 30 mocks with 90 questions each, SQE AI Assistant, FLK Refresher, SQE1 Analyser.

Less than 40% of the price of our SQE1 Advantage Course (£2,490).

Who is eligible?

This product is available only to candidates who have previously sat and failed the SQE1 assessment and who are registered to sit the SQE1 assessment in July 2026. It is not available to first-time takers. As a condition of enrolment, candidates must provide QLTS School shortly after registration with:

• a copy of their SQE1 results from a previous failed sitting; and
• a Kaplan booking confirmation showing that they are registered to sit the SQE1 assessment in July 2026.