▲ 15 r/SQE_Prep
For those who have now experienced both SQE 1 and 2: which was harder?
Unpopular opinion and maybe this is just recency bias, but SQE 2 is much harder than SQE 1.
SQE 1 gets the majority of the attention on here, but it's a breeze in comparison to SQE 2. Here's why:
- With SQE 1, you could realistically afford not to understand a few topics or even neglect them entirely and you could pass comfortably. Do that for SQE 2 and you get a question on something you ignored? That entire question is a write off.
- With SQE 1, you can track your progress to some extent. You can see mock scores and identify your areas of weakness. You can't do that with SQE 2. You have to compare your answer to a mark scheme, with no real idea if your quality of writing is good enough to pass.
- You're prompted in SQE 1 and know the answer is on the page somewhere. With SQE 2, you have to simply know it all from memory. You recognise the correct legal test on the screen for SQE 1; with SQE 2, you have to pluck it from your memory with no prompt.
- Timing is much worse in SQE 2. I finished both FLK1 and FLK2 with roughly 10 minutes to spare. I ran out of time on a few SQE 2 exams and even if I didn't, I was scrambling in the final five minutes.
- They're mentally more of a slog. With SQE 1, you at least got a week off between your exams. SQE 2 requires you to do three days back to back.
I don't know if other people agree, or do you still agree with the general consensus that SQE 1 is the major stumbling block?
u/Internal-Word-8120 — 8 hours ago