Just as I did for SQE1 performance, I wanted to write about SQE2 results over time… and now that the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (“SQE”) has been in place for almost three years, there is some publicly available data about candidates’ SQE2 performances.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (“SRA”) publishes detailed SQE2 reports after every SQE2 assessment, and at the end of each year. However they don’t (as far as I’m aware) present historical pass rates in any one document – rather, they publish SQE2 stats on a per-test basis.
I thought it might be useful to amalgamate some of the performance data to show pass rate trends over time. So below I’ve shared what I think are the most useful and interesting SQE2 stats from the past…
Historical SQE2 Candidate Numbers
The number of candidates sitting SQE2 has grown significantly since the exam was first introduced. The initial sitting in April 2022 included just 726 candidates, whereas – by April 2024 – 2,181 people were writing the exam (the largest cohort to date).
| Exam Session | Total Candidates | 1st Attempt | 2nd Attempt | 3rd Attempt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2022 | 726 | 726 | 0 | 0 |
| October 2022 | 646 | 600 | 46 | 0 |
| April 2023 | 996 | 924 | 69 | 4 |
| July 2023 | 1,004 | 944 | TBC | TBC |
| October 2023 | 642 | 542 | TBC | TBC |
| January 2024 | 876 | 833 | TBC | TBC |
| April 2024 | 2,181 | 2,097 | TBC | TBC |
SQE2 Pass Rates and Passing Scores
The overall pass rates have remained relatively stable (with the notable exception of the October 2023 sitting).
| Exam Session | Pass Rate (%) | Passing Score (%) |
|---|---|---|
| April 2022 | 77 | 66.0 |
| October 2022 | 71 | 62.0 |
| April 2023 | 77 | 61.5 |
| July 2023 | 79 | 61.5 |
| October 2023 | 64 | 61.5 |
| January 2024 | 73 | 61.5 |
| April 2024 | 79 | 61.0 |
Key Observations
1. Pass rates have ranged from a low of 64% (an outlier?) to 79%.
2. The score needed to pass has gradually decreased over time, from 66% (for the first-ever SQE2 sitting in 2022) to 61% (in April 2024).
3. The lowest pass rates seem to occur in the October sessions (suggesting possible seasonal variations?).
SQE2 Performance by Legal Skill and by Legal Practice Area
Note: Data for July and October 2023 and January and April 2024 is not yet available. It will be in the SRA’s 2023/2024 Annual Report (not yet published).
| Practice Area | Skill Type | All Candidates | Pass | Fail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APRIL 2022 SITTING | mean (%) | mean (%) | mean (%) | |
| Business Organisations, Rules and Procedures | Case and Matter Analysis | 78.3 | 83.8 | 59.5 |
| Legal Drafting | 68.0 | 71.8 | 55.2 | |
| Legal Research | 69.7 | 74.3 | 54.5 | |
| Legal Writing | 74.7 | 77.5 | 65.1 | |
| Criminal Litigation | Advocacy | 78.5 | 83.2 | 62.5 |
| Case and Matter Analysis | 68.1 | 74.0 | 48.2 | |
| Legal Drafting | 65.3 | 70.4 | 47.9 | |
| Dispute Resolution | Advocacy | 75.2 | 79.4 | 60.9 |
| Legal Research | 85.0 | 89.6 | 69.4 | |
| Legal Writing | 57.0 | 61.3 | 42.1 | |
| Property Practice | Interview and Attendance Note/Legal Analysis | 71.7 | 74.4 | 62.6 |
| Legal Drafting | 68.2 | 72.6 | 53.1 | |
| Legal Research | 77.2 | 82.0 | 61.1 | |
| Wills and Intestacy | Case and Matter Analysis | 69.5 | 75.7 | 48.3 |
| Interview and Attendance Note/Legal Analysis | 73.2 | 76.9 | 60.5 | |
| Legal Writing | 73.0 | 78.6 | 53.9 | |
| COMBINED OCTOBER 2022 & APRIL 2023 SITTINGS | ||||
| Business Organisations, Rules and Procedures | Case and Matter Analysis | 68.3 | 74.3 | 50.6 |
| Legal Drafting | 65.5 | 70.1 | 52.0 | |
| Legal Research | 66.9 | 72.8 | 49.7 | |
| Legal Writing | 64.9 | 69.1 | 52.9 | |
| Criminal Litigation | Advocacy | 76.9 | 82.1 | 61.7 |
| Case and Matter Analysis | 67.7 | 72.2 | 52.7 | |
| Legal Drafting | 59.8 | 63.6 | 47.0 | |
| Legal Research | 58.0 | 62.7 | 46.6 | |
| Legal Writing | 61.1 | 65.3 | 50.8 | |
| Dispute Resolution | Advocacy | 75.0 | 80.2 | 59.9 |
| Case and Matter Analysis | 59.0 | 65.7 | 42.8 | |
| Legal Drafting | 70.8 | 77.0 | 55.7 | |
| Legal Research | 73.6 | 78.8 | 56.1 | |
| Legal Writing | 63.9 | 69.3 | 45.9 | |
| Property Practice | Interview and Attendance Note/Legal Analysis | 69.5 | 73.0 | 59.4 |
| Legal Drafting | 72.4 | 78.1 | 58.8 | |
| Legal Research | 71.7 | 76.3 | 56.5 | |
| Legal Writing | 59.4 | 67.2 | 40.7 | |
| Wills and Intestacy | Interview and Attendance Note/Legal Analysis | 73.5 | 77.8 | 60.9 |
| Case and Matter Analysis | 70.4 | 74.8 | 55.6 | |
| Legal Drafting | 77.6 | 82.9 | 64.9 | |
| Legal Research | 68.1 | 75.4 | 50.6 | |
| Legal Writing | 64.1 | 68.4 | 49.6 |
Key Observations
1. Stronger Performance in Certain Areas of Law: The range in the mean performance across the five legal practice areas is small. However, so far, candidates seem to perform “best” in Criminal Litigation (averaging 72-78%) and Dispute Resolution (averaging 70-75%).
2. Most Challenging Legal Areas: Property Practice (averaging 65-70%) and Business Practice (averaging 63-68%) are the areas where test-takers struggle most. (Note that Property Practice (FLK2) and Business Law & Practice (FLK1) are also the most challenging subjects for candidates in SQE1, as I wrote in this earlier article – SQE1: Historical Pass Rates and Trends).
3. Strongest Skills: Candidates generally perform best in Advocacy (consistently averaging 75-80% across practice areas) and Interview and Attendance Note/Legal Analysis (averaging 73-77%). (I find this interesting. As these seem to be the ones that give people the most stress when they’re prepping!)
4. Most Challenging Skills: Candidates are generally weakest in the areas of Legal Writing (averaging 62-68% across practice areas) and Legal Drafting (averaging 63-69%).
Performances of Qualified Lawyers vs. Non-Qualified Candidates in SQE2
In this table you can see SQE2 pass rates by qualification status (note that the data is for candidates taking SQE2 as a first attempt only).
| Sitting | Qualification Status | Proportion of Candidates | Mean Score | Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2022 | Qualified Lawyers | 33% | 70% | 70% |
| Non-Qualified Candidates | 67% | 73% | 81% | |
| October 2022 | Qualified Lawyers | 54% | 66% | 68% |
| Non-Qualified Candidates | 46% | 68% | 74% | |
| April 2023 | Qualified Lawyers | 27% | 65% | 69% |
| Non-Qualified Candidates | 73% | 71% | 85% | |
| July 2023 | Qualified Lawyers | 15% | 65% | 66% |
| Non-Qualified Candidates | 85% | 71% | 85% | |
| October 2023 | Qualified Lawyers | 34% | 62% | 49% |
| Non-Qualified Candidates | 66% | 68% | 80% | |
| January 2024 | Qualified Lawyers | 12% | 66% | 71% |
| Non-Qualified Candidates | 88% | 68% | 77% | |
| April 2024 | Qualified Lawyers | 5% | 63% | 60% |
| Non-Qualified Candidates | 95% | 68% | 82% |
Key Observations
1. Non-qualified candidates have consistently achieved higher SQE2 pass rates than qualified lawyers across all sittings.
2. There was a particularly sharp decrease in pass rates for qualified lawyers in the October 2023 sitting.
Conclusions
1. Candidate Numbers Keep Growing: The number of test-takers keeps increasing, with April 2024 seeing the largest cohort to date.
2. Pass Rates Can Vary: There has been a slight decrease in the pass score threshold over time (from 66% to 61%), and the overall pass rate can vary (between 64-79%)…possibly with the seasons??? April sittings (so far) show stronger results than the October sittings.
3. Certain Subjects Are Consistently Less (or More!) Challenging: Criminal Litigation, Dispute Resolution and Wills emerge as strong areas, while Property Practice and Business Practice present more challenges.
There’s a clear hierarchy in skill performance, with Advocacy at the top and Legal Writing showing most room for improvement.
4. Non-Qualified Candidates Outperform Qualified Candidates: There’s been a shift towards more non-qualified candidates in recent sittings, and these candidates consistently outperform the qualified lawyers. There’s an average 10-15% gap in pass rates between the two groups (with the most pronounced difference observed in October 2023 (a 31% gap)).
Where to Find More SQE2 Data
The SRA publishes a detailed report after every SQE2 sitting – and at the end of every year. These reports contain a lot more information than I’ve included in this post. For example, there’s diversity and socio-economic data, to help understand how candidates with different backgrounds perform in SQE2. The SRA’s reports also break down pass rates by demographic characteristics (ie. education, ethnicity, age, sex disability, religion, etc.).
If you are interested in these additional details check out the SRA’s Full SQE Reports.
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