When to Start SQE2 Prep? A Guide to Exam Dates and Your Personal Circumstances

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Congratulations on crossing the finish line of the SQE1 exams. As you catch your breath, your thoughts may already be turning to the next challenge: the SQE2. The most common question students in your position face is not how to prepare, but when to begin.

The answer to this question isn't found in a textbook. It’s found by balancing two key areas: the official SRA exam schedule and your own unique circumstances. This guide will lay out these core considerations to help you build a timeline that works for you.

1. The Official Timeline: Know Your Deadlines

First, it’s essential to understand the fixed landscape of exam dates. Your entire preparation plan will be built around this schedule.

Below are the upcoming assessment dates for the SQE2 exam, as published by the SRA.

Assessment	Booking Window Opens	Booking Window Closes	Exam Dates Window
October 2025	16 June 2025	24 September 2025	30 October - 14 November 2025
January 2026	To be confirmed	To be confirmed	27 January - 6 February 2026
April 2026	To be confirmed	To be confirmed	28 April - 15 May 2026
July 2026	To be confirmed	To be confirmed	28 July - 7 August 2026

For more information check the official SRA website.

This timeline highlights a critical point: the booking window for an SQE2 sitting often closes before the results for the preceding SQE1 are released. This forces candidates to make a decision about their readiness and commitment before they have a confirmed pass.

2. Your Personal Circumstances: The Deciding Factors

With the official dates in mind, the focus turns inward. How you approach your preparation depends entirely on you. Here are four crucial factors to consider.

Your Wellbeing: You Are the Priority

The SQE journey is a test of endurance. You have just completed an incredibly demanding set of exams, and it is vital to acknowledge the mental and physical energy that required.

Jumping straight into preparation for the next stage without a break can be a direct path to burnout. Remember, SQE2is also a marathon, not a sprint. Your ability to perform at your best during the skills assessments will depend on your mental clarity and resilience. Taking time out to rest, recover, and look after yourself is not a delay; it is a fundamental part of a successful preparation strategy.

Your Study Plan: Full-Time vs. Part-Time

Your personal and professional commitments will dictate whether you can study full-time or part-time, which in turn defines your timeline.

• Full-Time Study: A dedicated, full-time approach typically requires 10 to 14 weeks of intensive preparation.

• Part-Time Study: If you are balancing your studies with work or other commitments, you should plan for a much longer period, usually between 4 and 8 months.

Understanding which path you will take is essential. A candidate studying part-time will naturally need to begin their preparations much earlier than a full-time candidate aiming for the same exam sitting.

The FLK Factor: The Value of Fresh Knowledge

While SQE2 is a skills-based exam, those skills are applied to legal problems. Your ability to actively recall the Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) from SQE1 is absolutely crucial for success. You will need to spot the relevant legal issues in a client interview, apply the correct tests in an advocacy submission, and cite the right principles in a legal writing task.

It is therefore crucial that you have a strong FLK base when you start studying. This knowledge is often at its freshest in the weeks and months immediately following your SQE1 exams. The longer the gap between sitting SQE1 and starting SQE2 prep, the more time you may need to spend re-learning those core legal principles before you can even begin to apply them.

Your SQE1 Experience: Learning From the Past

Your most valuable source of data for planning SQE2 is your recent experience with SQE1. Take a moment to reflect honestly on that period. Did you feel rushed? Did you wish you had started a few weeks earlier?

One of the most practical ways to gauge the task ahead is to look at the nature of the SQE2 questions themselves. Seeing the format of a client interview scenario or a legal drafting task can give you a tangible sense of the required standard. You can have a look at the SRA sample questions or our own free questions. Reviewing these can help you make a more realistic assessment of how much preparation time you will personally need, allowing you to learn from your experience with SQE1 and create a more effective plan for the challenge ahead.

Ultimately, the decision of when to start rests with you. By combining the hard deadlines from the SRA with an honest assessment of your wellbeing, study capacity, and recent experience, you can create a timeline that gives you the best possible chance of success.