FLK1 vs FLK2: how SQE1 splits

If you have just started looking into SQE1, "FLK1" and "FLK2" probably look like exam-board jargon dropped in without explanation. They are simpler than they sound. FLK stands for Functioning Legal Knowledge, and SQE1 is built from two FLK papers rather than one single exam.

This post covers the structural side only: what each paper is, how the questions are split, and how the two days are typically scheduled. It will not walk through the legal topics themselves, since that is course content rather than logistics.

What FLK actually means

FLK1 and FLK2 are the two papers that together make up SQE1. Each one is a standalone assessment of 180 multiple-choice questions, sat on its own day.

Add the two together and you get SQE1's full 360 questions. Neither paper is a "warm-up" or a "harder half": both are scored assessments in their own right, and both count.

The SRA groups different areas of legal knowledge under each paper, which is where the name comes from. The point of splitting the syllabus across two papers rather than cramming everything into one exam is coverage: two separate 180-question papers let the assessment sample a much wider spread of practice areas than a single paper realistically could.

Same format, different day

Structurally, FLK1 and FLK2 are twins. Each paper is:

• 180 multiple-choice questions
• Single-best-answer format (pick the one strongest answer from the options given, not "select all that apply")
• Split into two timed sessions on the same day
• Marked without any penalty for a wrong answer, so there is no benefit to leaving a question blank

The only real difference between them is which topic groupings sit under which paper, and that is a content question, not a structural one. If you are after the mechanics of timing and pacing across the full 360 questions, that is covered in more depth in the SQE1 format explainer.

How the two days are scheduled

Most candidates sit FLK1 and FLK2 on separate days within the same sitting window, rather than back to back with no gap. The exact gap between the two days is set by the sitting's published schedule and can shift slightly from one sitting to the next, so it is worth checking the current dates on the SRA's own site rather than assuming last year's spacing repeats exactly.

As one reference point, the 2027 sittings currently confirmed by the SRA run FLK1 first, then FLK2 the following week: in January 2027, FLK1 sits 11 to 15 January and FLK2 sits 18 to 22 January, and in July 2027, FLK1 sits 12 to 16 July and FLK2 sits 19 to 23 July. That ordering, FLK1 then FLK2, has been the consistent pattern for how a sitting is laid out. For the full run of exact dates, see every SQE1 and SQE2 date for 2027.

Because the two papers fall on different days, most candidates experience SQE1 less like one long exam and more like two separate exam events inside the same week or two. That has a couple of knock-on effects worth planning around:

1. You get a short reset between papers. A day or more between FLK1 and FLK2 gives you time to shift focus, rather than needing peak form on every topic simultaneously.
2. A shaky FLK1 day does not mean the sitting is over. Since FLK2 is a separate paper on a separate day, it is still very much worth turning up prepared, whatever happened on the earlier day.
3. Travel and logistics apply twice. If you are sitting at a test centre away from home, you are planning around two separate exam days, not one, which matters for booking accommodation or arranging time off work.

Does FLK1 or FLK2 count more?

No, in the sense that neither paper is weighted above the other. Both are 180 questions each, and each has its own scaled pass mark that you need to clear separately: passing SQE1 means reaching the pass mark on FLK1 and reaching the pass mark on FLK2, not averaging a strong score on one against a weak score on the other. There is no "easier" paper by design and no official weighting that favours one over the other.

Where people run into trouble is not a structural problem, it is a preparation problem: putting far more revision time into one paper's topics and hoping the other looks after itself. Because each paper has to clear its own pass mark, uneven coverage across FLK1 and FLK2 can sink the whole sitting even if your combined average across both papers would look fine on paper.

A free SQE study planner can help here in a practical way: mapping your available study hours against both papers' topic groupings so neither one quietly falls behind, alongside a syllabus tracker for keeping an honest record of what you have actually covered rather than what you meant to cover.

Why this split exists

Splitting SQE1 into two papers rather than one long exam is mostly a coverage and reliability decision. A single 360-question paper sat in one sitting would still test the same total content, but spreading it across two papers on two days:

• Reduces the fatigue risk of testing 360 questions in one continuous block
• Lets the assessment sample more practice areas without an unmanageably long single exam day
• Gives the SRA two separately scored data points to build a more reliable overall result from

None of that changes how you should revise day to day. It mostly matters for scheduling: knowing that FLK1 and FLK2 are separate days, in a fixed order, with their own 180-question, no-negative-marking format, is what actually feeds into a realistic study and travel plan.

Frequently asked questions

What does FLK stand for in the SQE? FLK stands for Functioning Legal Knowledge. It is the label the SRA uses for the two knowledge papers, FLK1 and FLK2, that together make up SQE1.

What is the difference between FLK1 and FLK2? Structurally, nothing. Each paper is 180 multiple-choice questions in the same single-best-answer format, marked the same way, sat on its own day. The difference is which topic groupings the SRA has placed under each paper, which is a content matter rather than a format one.

Are FLK1 and FLK2 sat on the same day? No. They are sat on separate days within the same sitting window, with FLK1 first and FLK2 later in the same window. The exact gap between the two varies slightly by sitting, so check the current published schedule before booking travel or leave.

Do I need to pass FLK1 and FLK2 separately? Yes. Each paper has its own pass mark, and you need to reach the pass mark on FLK1 and reach the pass mark on FLK2 to pass SQE1 overall, a strong FLK1 score does not make up for a weak FLK2 score, or the other way round. The exact pass mark for each paper is set by the SRA's standard-setting process for that sitting, so it can shift slightly sitting to sitting.

Is FLK1 harder than FLK2, or the other way round? There is no official weighting or difficulty ranking between the two papers. Both are 180 questions in the same format. Any sense that one "felt harder" usually comes down to individual topic strength and preparation balance rather than a built-in difficulty difference.

Once you separate the FLK1/FLK2 split from the legal content sitting inside each paper, SQE1 stops looking like two mysterious black boxes and starts looking like what it is: one syllabus, split into two same-format papers, sat on two different days, that need roughly equal attention in your revision plan.