8,000 practice questions and a podcast habit: how I passed SQE1

What’s your background, and why did you decide to do the SQE?

I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer since I was young and focussed on essay subjects in school and sixth form. I studied law LLB at Newcastle University and secured a training contract in my second year of university. The SQE is the next natural step in reaching my goal of being a lawyer.

How did you prepare, and what made the biggest difference in your success?

I prepared by completing flash cards, watching videos, creating podcasts and completing many practice questions. I think I totalled around 8,000 practice questions completed. I used the ULaw practice bank and went through all those questions twice around. I also used the Law Drills website and completed many through there as well as the SQE website bank. I used Notebook LM to create podcasts based on my textbook notes that I then listened to in the car on my way to university. I think using both passive and active learning was really key in my success and I believe this is the difference that helped me to achieve a pass.

What was the hardest part, and how did you push through it?

The hardest part about completing the SQE is the volume of knowledge to take in. It involved waking up at 5am and working up until I went to sleep at 10pm just to get through the content. Having a schedule where I planned what I was going to cover the next day helped me push through it as it created stability in my learning. Also, keeping in touch with friends and having planned revision sessions together or catch ups unrelated to studying helped to keep me going as it gave me something to look forward to.

If you had to do it again, what would you do differently?

If I were to do it again, I would start my revision earlier. I started it as soon as the substantive lectures finished however I would recommend beginning to revise while they are still ongoing. Even if this were to be some quick blurting of the previous weeks’ content on a white board. Continually remembering old content helps to cement the knowledge in your brain so it doesn’t feel all completely new when you revise everything.

Any final piece of advice for SQE candidates?

My final piece of advice is to reward yourself for the small wins. It’s really important to not be too hard on yourself and remind yourself few people make it to this point and you should be so proud of where you are.