Blog · DATA · 24 Jul 2026 · 7 min read
The SRA's SQE review: what might change
The SRA has launched a technical review of the SQE after the pass-rate gap between sittings. Here's what's actually in scope, and what isn't yet.
If you've searched "is the SQE changing," you've probably landed on the same headline everyone else has: the SRA is carrying out a technical review of the SQE. That's true. What it means for you, day to day, is a lot narrower than the search results make it sound.
This piece sticks to what's actually been announced: why the review started, what's inside its scope, and what the SRA hasn't said. No speculation about resit rules, fee changes, or exam formats that haven't been confirmed.
Why the SRA is running a review
The trigger most candidates point to is the pass-rate story. Results have swung a lot between sittings. In 2025, SQE1's overall pass rate was 56% in January and dropped to 41% by July, the lowest SQE1 result on record at that point. SQE2, by contrast, has held in a narrower band, 82% in April and 78% in October.
The technical review itself sits inside a longer-running, multi-year SRA evaluation of the SQE that was mapped out before the 2025 results landed. But legal press and commentators widely linked the timing of this particular phase to that pass-rate swing, and a 15-point drop in six months on the same syllabus is the kind of thing that invites scrutiny regardless of the formal trigger. The review exists to work out what's driving the pattern, not to promise a particular fix.
It's worth being precise about what "technical review" means here. The SRA describes it as an independent check of the SQE's validity, reliability and fairness (the first of its kind since the SQE launched), not a public consultation on whether the SQE itself should exist. The SRA has been clear that the SQE as a route to qualification isn't in question. What's under the microscope is the exam's technical performance.
What's actually in scope
Based on what the SRA has said publicly, this phase of work is looking at the mechanics behind SQE1 results and the underlying assessment specification, not the wider qualification framework. That broadly covers things like:
- How individual sittings are set up and standardised against each other, so a January paper and a July paper are comparably difficult
- Question quality and how the question bank behaves across different cohorts
- Whether the marking and grading process is producing results that reflect candidate ability consistently, sitting to sitting
- A parallel review of the Statement of Solicitor Competence and the SQE1 Assessment Specification, to check they're still up to date
None of that is exotic. Assessment bodies periodically check their own instruments for this kind of drift, and a pass-rate swing as large as the one in 2025 is a reasonable prompt to do it formally and publicly rather than quietly.
What the review is not, at least based on what's been announced, is a review of QWE requirements, the SQE2 format, resit limits, or the overall two-part structure of qualification. Those elements haven't been flagged as in scope. If that changes, it'll be because the SRA says so explicitly, not because a pass-rate story implies it.
What we don't know yet
This is the part worth being honest about. A technical review takes time, and the SRA hasn't published a fixed timeline for when findings will land or what, if anything, will change as a result. Anyone telling you exactly what the SQE will look like in a year is guessing.
A few things are genuinely open:
- Whether the review produces changes at all. A technical review can conclude that the current standard-setting process is sound and the pass-rate swings reflect cohort effects rather than a flaw in the exam itself. That's a real possible outcome, not a foregone conclusion either way.
- What form any change takes, if there is one. Adjustments to question banks or standard-setting methodology are the kind of thing that could follow from a review like this, but the SRA hasn't confirmed specifics.
- Timing. No public date has been set for when the review's findings, or any resulting changes, will be published.
If you're currently booked for a sitting or planning one in the near term, the practical answer is: prepare for the exam as it exists today. The SRA would need to give advance notice before any format or content change affecting a live sitting, the same way it does for other updates like fee changes or sitting dates.
How to stay current without doom-scrolling forums
The SRA's own site is the primary source here, and it's worth checking directly rather than relying on secondhand takes. A few habits that keep you informed without turning into a distraction from actual revision:
- Check the SRA's SQE pages periodically rather than daily. Reviews like this move slowly, and nothing changes hour to hour.
- Treat legal-press coverage as a pointer to the primary source, not the final word. Headlines compress nuance out of regulatory announcements.
- If you're mid-preparation, keep your study plan anchored to the current syllabus and format. A review in progress is not a reason to pause or restructure your revision.
A review being open doesn't mean the exam under your feet is about to move. Plan for what's confirmed, and check back for what isn't.
For the numbers behind why this review started in the first place, SQE pass rates explained walks through the 2025 figures in more depth. If you're weighing up how this fits into your own timeline, a free SQE study planner keeps your prep organised against the syllabus as it currently stands, independent of whatever the review eventually concludes.
Frequently asked questions
Is the SQE changing in 2026 or 2027?
No format or content change has been confirmed as a result of the SRA's technical review as of writing. The review is ongoing and hasn't published findings or a change timeline. Check the SRA's website directly for the current position before assuming anything has shifted.
Why is the SRA reviewing the SQE?
The technical review is part of a longer-running, multi-year SRA evaluation of the SQE, but its timing has widely been linked to a large swing in SQE1 pass rates between sittings, including a drop to 41% overall in July 2025 from 56% in January the same year. It looks at how the exam is standardised and marked, distinct from a review of the SQE route itself.
Does the SQE review affect SQE2 or QWE?
Based on what's been publicly announced, the review is focused on SQE1's technical performance, not SQE2's format or the qualifying work experience requirements. Neither has been flagged as in scope.
Will the SQE review change resit rules or fees?
Nothing has been announced connecting this technical review to resit attempt limits or assessment fees. Fee changes, like the one due in September 2026, are set separately and communicated on their own timeline.
Where can I read the SRA's official statement on the review?
The SRA publishes updates on its own website, which is the most reliable source. Legal press outlets often cover the same announcements with useful context, but the SRA's own pages are the primary reference for exact scope and status.