All you need to know about SQE preparation courses and funding options

Grab your Sorting Hat dear students and pick your SQE preparation course! The house you pick might play a crucial role in your success... 

After making the courageous decision to take the SQE, another important decision lies in the preparation course one must pick to maximise their chance in succeeding and preparing themselves adequately.

This article depicts the different categories of providers you may find and the various funding options you may have available.

Types of Preparation Courses

Whether you are already qualified in a foreign country or a student freshly graduated, following a preparation course for the SQE exams is highly recommended.

Specialist providers

The classic and major legal providers are organisations offering the option to book SQE1 and SQE2 preparation courses at different times of the year to prepare accordingly for the SQE exam windows. Examples: BARBRI, QLTS.

• How it works?

  Often, you can pick a 40, 20, 10 weeks course and they are online. Materials are provided by post, and some of them even offer the possibility of having a tutor and study groups for a more tailored approach.

  
  

• Would recommend especially if you:

  Work on the side or are a foreign-qualified lawyer, these providers would work best since they are flexible and do not require you to attend classes in person. You can study when you want, and the schedule provided is a strong base to work around. The cost is important, but the program covers the trickiest parts of the examination, especially if you have never studied Common Law before.

  
  

• Pros: Accuracy of materials, amount of mocks, tailored schedule, flexibility (suitable if working on the side), years of experience mainly for SQE1 (MCQ examination type).

  
  

• Cons: Online course so requires some pro-activeness and amending schedule to take full advantage of the course

University course

More and more, universities open programs to prepare for the SQE with the option of adding an LLM to your course. If at first the passing rate for students following these courses were not high, recently these providers managed to compete with specialist providers with years of experience (mainly for SQE2 since it is similar to LPC). Examples: University of Law (ULaw), BPP University, Qlegal at Queen Mary University.

• How it works?

  Online and in-person, students normally choose between having evening, day or weekend classes. The format is similar to the LPC where the schedule is less flexible but the program is live, easier to ask questions and based on practical exercises. Another point to note is that in the case of failing the SQE1, the preparation for SQE2 will still take place and require the student to attend while attempting to retake the SQE1, which can be extremely confusing and too rigid.

  
  

• Would recommend especially if you:

  Just graduated in the United Kingdom or overseas. The course is perfect if you want to have a similar approach as you did during your undergraduate, and they can be flexible if you work by offering times to attend the classes. Even if the price is expensive, when taking the LLM add-on, loans are available as an option to finance the course.

  
  

• Pros: Practical exercise, in-person classes, interactions with teachers and students, loan option, requires less pro-activeness and autonomy

  
  

• Cons: Lack of experience on SQE1, the cost is expensive, duration of the course, less flexible and issues if resit

Smaller and budget-friendly providers

Due to the profitable market opportunities, a lot of individuals and institutions created their preparation courses based on their personal experience and will to help students. These options should not be overlooked as they are generally a great supplement to another course as well as sufficient while providing a budget-friendly option. They are the evidence that the costly preparation courses mentioned above are not necessarily a guarantee of success, hence, they are highly recommendable! Examples: Devil's Advocate, In-House (inhousew), Revision Killer.

• How it works?

  Purely online, they provide all the materials in different formats (notes, lectures, consolidation sessions) and most importantly, accurate mocks. By updating along with every cohort passing the SQE exams, these providers are always up-to-date as they use past students' personal experiences to help future students. The database of mocks as well as ready-made notes are real lifesavers!

  
  

• Would recommend especially if you:

  Anyone! Whether it is as an additional preparation course or as its own, those providers know what they are doing. Since they are smaller structures, they are more inclined and flexible to change the content to match their examination levels, while providing accurate and sufficient note, which is such a time saver! Plus, some of them offer intensive short courses to practice specific skills for as little as £15 per month.

  
  

• Pros: Cost, accuracy of content, type of content (notes, mocks, lectures, podcast, videos, seminars, ...), flexibility, experience of past students

  
  

• Cons: None!

Final tips

Unfortunately, since the exam is rather new, not every preparation course is equal. This leaves an open door to a more commercial aspect, where providers compete in terms of price and pass rate to attract more students.

When picking your preparation course, here is a list of questions you may ask yourself:

• Which exam am I taking? SQE1 or SQE2?

• Do I need to pass only one of these two?

• What is my budget?

• Have I studied England and Wales law before?

• What is the pass rate of the provider?

• What happens if I do not pass? (retaking the prep course for free option)

• How long is the course? Or how long do I need?

• Do I work on the side? Full-time or part-time?

• What is my learning style?

• Do I prefer online or in-person?

• What do people say about the provider online?

• Can I attend a talk organised by the provider or speak with the provider to have a concrete brief on what the preparation will be like? (mainly visual - platform used)

• What materials will I get? Is it printed or only online?

• Can I speak to alumni?

A final option to fill in the gaps, and also if doubts are still persistent, is to look for a tutor online through tutoring websites such as SuperProf.

However, as mentioned above, this comes at a cost! Unless you choose budget-friendly providers, taking the SQE is a real investment.

Funding Options

There are several options when it comes to funding the SQE preparation and assessments:

• Self-funding - Savings, family assistance or bank loans.

• Working part-time or full-time while studying - Even if many providers enable candidates to work by offering the option to study part-time, it is important to note that this option is intense and speaking to your employer is recommended.

• Postgraduate loan - Available if the candidate chooses to study a Masters course incorporating the SQE preparation. Universities will often cover a big portion of the fees but not entirely.

• Scholarship - Small discounts to full-fee costs depending on the postgraduate scholarship offer.

• Law firm or company sponsorship - Similar to the training contract format under the LPC, but some employers may require to follow a course from a specific provider.

• Apprenticeships - Paid by the employer, hybrid to sponsorship and working while studying.

We hope this article helped you! If you have further questions on this topic, do not hesitate to send a message to frenchlegalprofessionals@gmail.com.

Article by Aurelia Pyneeandee

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