The latest SQE results - What they tell us

As schools across the UK reopen for a new term, in legal education circles, the latest set of SQE results paint a healthy picture for qualifying solicitors.   

While the SQE has been beset with problems since its introduction in 2021, it’s seemed like a corner has been turned. The latest results for the second of the two exams show a steady increase in the pass rate quarter on quarter.  

Let's start with the baseline figure – the pass rate for the paper was 79%. This was an increase of 6% on the previous set of results, released in May, which, in and of itself was a 9% increase on the last sitting of 2023. The SQE2 results have always been higher than those for the first part of the assessment, which is seen as much more challenging, being focused on what the SRA calls ‘functional legal knowledge’. The last set of results released for the SQE1, from January, show that only 56% of people passed the first exam, so there seems to be a challenge to getting beyond that first step. It was also the SQE1 that suffered huge problems in marking with regards to the most recent sitting, where a number of students found that the marks they had received were incorrect, and, in some cases, they found that their training contracts were revoked. Hopefully, such problems won’t blight the next set of results, which will be due around the end of September.  

To go back to the SQE2 results, one interesting trend seems to be the pass rate for those taking the exam for the first time. This time, the number of those passing who were taking the exam for the first time was higher than the average, at 81%, and this has been the case across all the different SQE sittings. These numbers show that the majority of those taking the exam for the first time are passing it, and moving on to becoming qualified solicitors. It is also reassuring that the recent number of firms keeping their newly qualified solicitors on once they have completed their training contracts has increased this year. Several law firms have recently posted their retention rates, with some even keeping on 100% of their trainees and apprentices beyond their course.   

Overall, then, the current success in legal education is nothing but positive for the sector. While we’re yet to see if the first half of the SQE can overcome the issues that affected students at the beginning of this year, the rest of the SQE seems to be fairing better and, despite an increase in entry admission, firms do seem to be starting to recognise its value. Here at Douglas Scott, we’ll continue to monitor these changes and see what they might mean for the legal sector in the future.