Introduction
You have sat SQE1, the adrenaline has worn off, and now you are refreshing your inbox wondering when the results will land. This guide covers what the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has published about when SQE results come out, how they reach you, what the numbers on your results statement mean, and what your options are whether you pass both assessments, pass one, or need to resit.
Everything here about dates, delivery, and resit rules comes from the SRA's official SQE website (sqe.sra.org.uk), which is run with its assessment provider Kaplan. Dates and policies can change between sittings, so treat the official pages as the final word and check them before acting on anything below.
When Are SQE1 Results Released?
According to the SRA's SQE website, candidates receive their results approximately five to six weeks after sitting SQE1. The exact release date for each sitting is published on the assessment dates page of sqe.sra.org.uk once confirmed.
For the July 2026 SQE1 sitting (FLK1 on 13 to 17 July and FLK2 on 20 to 24 July), the SRA has published a results release date of 8 September 2026. As always, that is the date as published by the SRA at the time of writing, so check the official assessment dates page in case it is updated.
Results dates for the January 2027 sitting have not yet been published by the SRA. They will appear on the same page once confirmed.
The wait is real, and it exists for a reason. Before results are released, every paper goes through psychometric analysis and a standard-setting process (more on that below), and the assessment board has to confirm the pass marks. It is slow because it is careful.
How SQE Results Are Delivered
The SRA is specific about this: results are only posted within your SQE candidate account. In its own words, results "will not be sent out to you". You will receive a notification, then you log in to your candidate account to view your results, and you can save them as a PDF from there.
So on results day, the place to look is your candidate account on sqe.sra.org.uk, and it is worth checking well before results day that you can still log in.
What Your SQE1 Results Statement Contains
Your SQE1 results cover FLK1 and FLK2 separately, because each assessment has its own pass mark. According to the SRA's guidance on understanding SQE1 results, for each FLK assessment you will see:
- Whether you passed. Each of FLK1 and FLK2 gets its own pass or fail outcome.
- Your scaled score out of 500. Your raw mark (the number of questions you answered correctly) is converted to a scaled score so that results can be compared fairly across different papers. The pass mark on this scale is always 300.
- Your quintile. Candidates in each sitting are divided into five equal groups by performance. A quintile of 1 means you finished in the highest-scoring fifth of candidates, and 5 means the lowest-scoring fifth.
One detail worth knowing: the SRA describes the SQE1 pass mark as compensatory in nature, meaning candidates "may pass an FLK even if they perform less well in a subject area". A weak day in one practice area can be offset by strength elsewhere, so no single subject can sink you on its own.
How the Pass Mark Is Set
The pass mark for each sitting is not a fixed percentage of raw marks. According to the SRA, a provisional pass mark is set for each paper using the Modified Angoff method (a recognised standard-setting technique in which subject experts judge the difficulty of each question), together with psychometric analysis and the Standard Error of Measurement. The assessment board then confirms the final pass marks for FLK1 and FLK2.
The practical consequence is that a harder paper has a lower raw pass mark and an easier paper has a higher one, so the standard required stays consistent from sitting to sitting. This is also why your score is reported on the 0 to 500 scale with the pass mark fixed at 300, rather than as a raw percentage. If you want the historical picture of how many candidates clear that bar each sitting, our SQE1 pass rates analysis works through the published data.
Passed One FLK but Not the Other?
A partial pass is a common outcome, and the rules are clearer than most candidates expect.
You need to pass both FLK1 and FLK2 to complete SQE1. But the two assessments are treated separately, and the SRA's resit rules state that you cannot resit an assessment you have already passed. So if you passed FLK1 and failed FLK2, your FLK1 pass stands and you book a resit of FLK2 only.
The attempt limits, per the SRA's published resit rules, are:
- You get a maximum of three attempts at each part of the SQE, so three at FLK1 and three at FLK2, counted separately.
- You have six years from the first day of your first SQE assessment to pass all parts.
- If you fail the same part three times, you must wait until your six-year window has expired before starting the SQE again, and previous passes do not carry forward.
Two more practical rules from the SRA: you can only book a resit after you have received the results for your previous attempt, and you must pass SQE1 before you can sit SQE2.
If You Need to Resit
Failing an FLK assessment puts you in a large group. Published pass rates mean that a substantial share of every cohort resits, and plenty of practising solicitors passed on their second attempt. Your results statement gives you real information to work with, so use it.
- Read your scaled score. A score just under 300 tells a very different story from one well below it. Near misses are usually about consolidating and sharpening exam technique, while bigger gaps point to whole subject areas that need rebuilding.
- Use your quintile honestly. It tells you where you sat relative to the cohort, which helps calibrate how much extra preparation the resit needs.
- Practise against your weak areas. Because SQE1 is entirely single best answer MCQs, the most direct preparation is answering large volumes of exam-style questions and reviewing every mistake. Working through FLK1 or FLK2 practice questions topic by topic shows you exactly which areas are costing you marks, while there is still time to fix them.
- Mind the booking dates. You can only book once your results are out, and booking windows close well before the sitting, so check the SRA's assessment dates page early.
The wait between results and the next sitting is measured in months, and steady practice spread across that period beats a compressed cram in the final weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the next SQE1 sittings?
According to the assessment dates published on the SRA's SQE website, the January 2027 sitting runs with FLK1 on 11 to 15 January and FLK2 on 18 to 22 January 2027, and the July 2027 sitting runs with FLK1 on 12 to 16 July and FLK2 on 19 to 23 July 2027. Each candidate sits on scheduled dates within those windows. Booking deadlines and results dates for these sittings are still to be confirmed, so check the official page before planning around them.
How long after the exam do SQE1 results come out?
The SRA says approximately five to six weeks after sitting SQE1, with the confirmed date for each sitting published on its assessment dates page. For SQE2 the wait is longer, at approximately 14 to 18 weeks, because of the marking involved.
Can SQE results be appealed?
Yes, there is an appeals process. The SRA's guidance applies where you believe your assessment result, or a decision made by the assessment board, is incorrect or unfair. Appeals are made through the process set out on the SQE website, which explains the grounds, deadlines, and fees. Read the official appeals page carefully before deciding, because an appeal is a formal process rather than a routine remark.
Do I have to resit both FLK assessments if I fail one?
No. Each FLK is treated separately, and the SRA's rules do not allow you to resit an assessment you have already passed. You resit only the assessment you failed, within your three attempts per part and the six-year window.
Preparing for Results Day, Whatever It Brings
If you have just sat SQE1, the weeks before results are a genuine pause, and there is no shame in taking a proper break. If results day brings a pass, congratulations, and SQE2 preparation awaits. If it brings a resit, you now know exactly how the rules work and what your score is telling you.
And if you are aiming at the January 2027 sitting, the best preparation starts long before booking opens. Go SQE1 gives you free access to SQE1-style single best answer questions across FLK1 and FLK2, so you can find and fix your weak areas well ahead of exam day. Start practising FLK1 Business Law and Practice questions for free and build the knowledge that makes results day a good one.