News

SQE2 October 2023 results published

The results for the SQE2 October 2023 sitting have been published and 642 candidates have received their results. The pass rate of candidates taking the assessment for the first time was 69%. The overall pass rate, including candidates resitting for the first or second time, was 64%.

The pass marks for each of the two sittings were:

  • Sitting 1 62%
  • Sitting 2 61%

SQE2 is made up of 16 stations that test legal skills and application of legal knowledge. Each station is an individual 'exercise' that candidates take as part of SQE2. There are 12 written stations and four oral stations. There were two oral sittings, with candidates taking different exercises between the sittings, to protect the integrity of the assessment.

Qualified lawyers

This was the last time qualified lawyers who had started to qualify as solicitors through the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme could take SQE2 under the transitional arrangements. These candidates did not have to pass SQE1. There were 203 candidates who took SQE2 in October 2023 in this category, and they had a pass rate of 37%.

The pass rate of qualified lawyers who had taken SQE1 was 66%.

A further 268 candidates were not qualified lawyers and had passed SQE1. Their pass rate was 86%.

Apprentices

The pass rate of solicitor apprentices was 100%. This is in line with the very high pass rates we have seen for solicitor apprentices in previous sittings.

Full report

Kaplan, the SQE's assessment provider, has published a statistical report on the results of this sitting. This includes data on the demographic make-up of the cohort.