SQE jargon decoded: FLK, QWE, SRA and more

The SQE comes with its own alphabet. Open any forum thread or SRA page and you'll hit FLK, QWE, COLP, SQE1, SQE2, all before anyone has explained what they actually mean.

None of it is complicated once someone spells it out. This is that spelling-out: a plain-English glossary of the process acronyms you'll see again and again, so you can read the rest of the SQE world without a decoder ring.

This post sticks to logistics and process terms, not legal content. Nothing here teaches law; it just explains what the letters stand for.

The headline acronyms

SQE

Solicitors Qualifying Examination. The single assessment route to qualifying as a solicitor of England and Wales, run in two parts: SQE1 and SQE2. It replaced the old Legal Practice Course (LPC) route as the default path from September 2021.

SQE1

The first stage: a computer-based test of legal knowledge, sat over two days at a Pearson VUE test centre. It's split into two papers, FLK1 and FLK2 (more on FLK below), each 180 multiple-choice-style questions.

SQE2

The second stage: a skills assessment, sat across roughly five half-days. Instead of MCQs, SQE2 tests things like interviewing, advocacy, legal drafting and legal research through oral and written stations. You can only book SQE2 once you've passed SQE1.

FLK

Functional Legal Knowledge. This is what SQE1 actually tests, split across two papers, FLK1 and FLK2. "Functional" is the key word: it's knowledge applied to realistic scenarios, not abstract recall. Beyond that structural point, this post won't get into what FLK1 and FLK2 actually cover; that's a study-content question, not a logistics one.

QWE

Qualifying Work Experience. The practical-experience requirement that sits alongside SQE1 and SQE2 on the road to qualification. In short: two years of full-time equivalent legal work, which can be spread across up to four organisations and doesn't have to be continuous. A solicitor or a COLP (see below) has to confirm it counts before you can be admitted.

If you want the full breakdown of how QWE hours, organisations and sign-off actually work, there's a dedicated explainer on qualifying work experience.

The organisations behind the letters

SRA

Solicitors Regulation Authority. The regulator that sets the rules for qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales, including the SQE structure, assessment specification, fees and QWE requirements. When people say "check the SRA's guidance," this is who they mean, and it's genuinely worth doing for anything time- or money-sensitive, since fees and dates can change.

Kaplan

Kaplan is the assessment provider the SRA appointed to design and deliver the SQE. Kaplan writes the questions and stations, sets the pass marks for each sitting, and issues results. It is not a prep course, and passing SQE1 or SQE2 doesn't require studying with Kaplan; it's the organisation running the exam itself, similar to an exam board.

Pearson VUE

Pearson VUE is the test-centre network where SQE1 is actually sat, on computers, at bookable local centres. It's a general test-centre operator used by many professional exams, not SQE-specific. When you book your SQE1 sitting, you're booking a slot at a Pearson VUE centre.

COLP

Compliance Officer for Legal Practice. Alongside a solicitor, a COLP is one of the people who can sign off your QWE at the end of your two years, confirming your experience meets the SRA's requirements. Most authorised legal practices have a nominated COLP as part of their regulatory obligations, so it isn't a rare or senior-only role, it's a defined compliance function within a firm.

Related but easily confused terms

PGDL

Postgraduate Diploma in Law. This is the modern version of the law-conversion course for non-law graduates. It isn't required by the SRA to sit the SQE, since any degree subject (or equivalent) is enough to meet the SRA's academic requirement. Many firms still expect a conversion course in practice, though, so it's worth checking what your target employers actually ask for.

LPC

Legal Practice Course. The old vocational route to qualifying as a solicitor, before the SQE became the default in September 2021. Some candidates are still working through LPC-era transitional arrangements, but for anyone starting out now, the SQE is the route.

QLTS

Qualified Lawyer Transfer Scheme. The former route for foreign-qualified lawyers to requalify in England and Wales. QLTS has closed; foreign-qualified lawyers now requalify through the SQE route instead, sometimes with exemptions depending on their existing qualification.

A few more you'll see around

• TC: training contract, the old fixed-employer route to qualification that QWE has largely replaced.
• MCQ: multiple-choice question, the format used throughout SQE1.
• CILEX: Chartered Institute of Legal Executives, a separate qualification route with its own acronyms and rules, distinct from the solicitor route.

Why the acronyms matter early on

Getting comfortable with this vocabulary early saves time later. Once you know that FLK is what SQE1 tests, that QWE runs on its own timeline alongside the exams, and that Kaplan and Pearson VUE are two different organisations doing two different jobs, the rest of the SQE process reads a lot more clearly.

If you're just starting to map out your own route, a free SQE study planner is a reasonable next stop: it's useful for laying dates and study time against each other once you know what each stage actually involves. For the numbers side of planning, the posts on what the SQE costs and SQE dates for 2026 and 2027 are good companions to this glossary, and the pass rates breakdown is worth a look once you're past the "what does this even mean" stage and into planning for the exams themselves.

Frequently asked questions

What does FLK stand for in the SQE?

FLK stands for Functional Legal Knowledge. It's the subject tested in SQE1, split across two papers, FLK1 and FLK2, each made up of multiple-choice-style questions.

What does QWE mean for the SQE?

QWE means Qualifying Work Experience, the two-year (full-time equivalent) practical experience requirement you need alongside passing SQE1 and SQE2 to qualify as a solicitor. It can be gained across up to four organisations and must be confirmed by a solicitor or a COLP.

What is the SRA and why does it matter for the SQE?

The SRA is the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the regulator responsible for the rules around qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales, including the SQE's structure, fees and QWE requirements. It's the primary source to check for anything time-sensitive, like current fees or booking windows.

Is Kaplan the same as an SQE prep course?

No. Kaplan is the assessment provider appointed by the SRA to design, deliver and mark the SQE. It doesn't teach a prep course; separate providers offer study courses, and you can prepare through any of them, or independently, and still sit the same Kaplan-run assessment.

Where do you actually sit the SQE1 exam?

SQE1 is sat at Pearson VUE test centres, a general test-centre network used for booking and delivering the computer-based assessment. SQE2 is delivered separately, at a smaller number of centres, given its skills-station format.

What's the difference between QLTS and SQE for foreign lawyers?

QLTS was the previous requalification route for foreign-qualified lawyers and has closed. Foreign-qualified lawyers now requalify through the SQE route, sometimes with exemptions from parts of it depending on their existing qualification and experience.