SQE pass rates explained (2025 figures)

Search "SQE pass rate" and you'll get a single number staring back at you, as if the SQE has one fixed difficulty setting. It doesn't. The rate changes by sitting, by exam part, and by whether you're looking at all candidates or just first-timers. Here's what the 2025 figures actually say and how to read the next one that lands.

The short version

Across 2025, SQE1 pass rates moved a lot between sittings. January came in at 56% overall, and by July that had dropped to 41%, the lowest SQE1 result recorded. SQE2 told a steadier story: 82% overall in April, 78% in October. Two things jump out immediately. SQE1 swings hard between sittings. SQE2 sits consistently higher than SQE1, sitting after sitting.

Neither of those facts means what a quick skim suggests. Read on for why.

SQE1: January 56%, July 41%

The gap between the two SQE1 sittings in 2025 is the single most talked-about number in the data. January's overall pass rate was 56%, with first-time candidates passing at 60%. By July, the overall rate had fallen to 41%, with first-timers at 46%.

That's not a small wobble. It's a swing of 15 percentage points on the overall figure in six months, on the same exam format, testing the same functioning legal knowledge syllabus. A few things plausibly sit behind a move that size:

• Cohort mix. Every sitting blends first-time candidates with people resitting after an earlier fail. If a sitting has a higher proportion of resitters, the blended pass rate drops even if nobody's preparation got worse, because resit pass rates run consistently below first-attempt rates.
• Timing patterns. Candidates on training contract deadlines or visa clocks sometimes sit regardless of readiness, while others delay a sitting until they feel prepared. Who chooses to sit, and why, shifts from January to July in ways the headline number can't show you.
• Genuine difficulty variation. Question banks rotate between sittings. Some variation in how demanding a given sitting is should be expected, even with standard-setting designed to keep pass marks comparable across versions.

The SRA doesn't publish a full breakdown of exactly how much each factor contributed to the January-to-July swing, so treat any single explanation with caution. What the numbers do tell you clearly is that "the SQE1 pass rate" isn't one stable figure. It's a moving target that depends heavily on which sitting you're looking at.

SQE2: a smaller gap, a higher floor

SQE2 moved too in 2025, from 82% overall in April (84% first-time) to 78% overall in October, but the range is narrower than SQE1's. That's worth sitting with rather than reading as "SQE2 is just easier."

The most important reason SQE2 posts higher pass rates than SQE1, sitting after sitting, is selection. You cannot sit SQE2 without having already passed SQE1. That means the SQE2 cohort has already cleared one full bar before it ever reaches the SQE2 hall. A pool that's been filtered once is going to outperform an unfiltered pool, regardless of how the two exams compare on raw difficulty.

That doesn't mean SQE2 is undemanding. It's a different kind of test, built around live skills stations rather than recall under multiple-choice conditions, and plenty of well-prepared SQE1 passers still don't clear it first time. It means comparing the two headline rates directly and concluding one exam is "easier" skips over who's sitting each one.

Why one published number can't answer "what are my chances"

A pass rate is a description of a group, not a prediction about a person. Three things worth separating before you treat a headline figure as your own odds:

1. Overall versus first-time. The overall rate blends first-sitters and resitters together. The first-time figure isolates people sitting that exam part for the first time. They're consistently different, and the first-time number is the closer comparison if this is your first attempt.
2. Sample and sitting effects. Each sitting is its own group of people, sitting on a particular date, under a particular mix of circumstances. A rate from one sitting tells you about that sitting.
3. Your own preparation is not in the data. No published statistic knows how many practice questions you've done, how your mock scores are trending, or which topics you're weak on. That information exists only in your own tracking, not in an SRA report.

None of this is a reason to ignore the published figures. They're a useful reality check on how demanding a given sitting has been, and a reminder not to treat any single pass rate as a fixed ceiling or floor. It's a reason to read them as context rather than a verdict.

The number that predicts your result isn't in any SRA report. It's whatever you can honestly say about your own topic coverage and mock performance right now.

How to actually use these numbers

A short, practical way to read the next SQE1 or SQE2 report when it lands:

• Look for the first-time figure before the overall figure, especially if this will be your first attempt at that part.
• Note which sitting it is. January and July SQE1 results have differed meaningfully before, so don't assume the most recent number predicts the next one.
• Remember SQE2's higher rate reflects a pre-filtered cohort, not a softer exam.
• Use the published rate as one input, not the whole picture. Your own mock scores and topic coverage tell you far more about your actual readiness than a cohort-wide percentage ever will.

If you want to see how your own preparation is tracking rather than relying on someone else's cohort average, a free SQE study planner that logs your coverage against the syllabus gives you a much more personal number to watch than any published pass rate.

For the underlying cost and date planning that usually comes next, see what the SQE costs and the SQE dates for 2026-27. For a deeper dive into how to read cohort statistics properly, cohort pass rates, decoded goes further into the mechanics behind these swings.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current SQE1 pass rate?

In 2025, SQE1's overall pass rate was 56% in January and 41% in July. First-time candidates passed at 60% in January and 46% in July. Rates move between sittings, so check the most recent SRA statistical report for the latest figure rather than relying on an older one.

What is the current SQE2 pass rate?

SQE2's overall pass rate in 2025 was 82% in April (84% first-time) and 78% in October. SQE2 consistently posts a higher pass rate than SQE1, largely because only candidates who have already passed SQE1 are eligible to sit it.

Why is the SQE1 pass rate so different between January and July?

The two 2025 sittings show a real gap, 56% down to 41% overall. Likely contributors include a shifting mix of first-time versus resit candidates between sittings, differences in who chooses to sit when, and normal variation in question-bank difficulty between sittings. The SRA hasn't published a single definitive cause for the size of that particular swing.

Is SQE2 easier than SQE1 because the pass rate is higher?

Not directly comparable. SQE2's cohort is made up entirely of candidates who already passed SQE1, so it's a pre-selected group. That selection effect explains a meaningful part of the gap between SQE1 and SQE2 pass rates, separate from any difference in how demanding each exam actually is.

Where can I find the official SQE pass rate figures?

The SRA publishes statistical reports for each SQE1 and SQE2 sitting on its website. These are the primary source and the most reliable place to check current figures, since rates are updated after every sitting.