Will you need to take SQE preparation courses?
There are no preparatory courses required for the SQE.
The SRA has said that a candidates’ education and training should give them the knowledge and skills to pass the required assessments.
Organisations that offer training courses
However, legal education and training providers are offering SQE preparation courses for those who want to prepare in this way, or who will need to undertake some form of legal education, having taken a non-law degree or degree equivalent qualification.
The SRA has published a list of organisations who will offer SQE education and training courses or resources.
The SRA does not regulate, accredit or endorse training providers or organisations. This list is not definitive and candidates are encouraged to do their own research.
It has also published information which may be useful when choosing a training provider.
Preparing for the SQE
Approaches to preparing for the SQE may include:
- SQE1 preparation included in an undergraduate law degree (LLB)
- standalone courses for those wishing to specifically prepare for the SQE1 – these may be useful for those who have done a standard (non-SQE) law degree, a non-law degree or other equivalent qualification
- standalone courses to prepare candidates for the SQE2 assessments
Candidates may wish to consider the following when looking at their options for routes of entry into the profession and preparing for the SQE assessments:
- undertaking preparation courses separately from a university course will of course cost the candidate more
- many well-regarded universities have indicated that they will not be including SQE preparation in their law degree offerings, but they're still likely to be a primary source of candidates for firms to recruit from
- some firms will mandate certain courses, which they will pay for, for their employees to prepare them for the SQE assessments
Quality assurance
The SRA will not provide any quality assurance or oversight of education and training providers.
Instead, it intends to publish data about training providers’ performance so that candidates can make informed choices.
If you're studying at a provider of higher education in the UK, quality assurance is provided by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), through the UK Quality Code for Higher Education, which is used to assure standards and quality.