Statement
SQE candidate performance data publication update
18 December 2025
Our focus is on ensuring that the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) provides a rigorous assessment of a candidate's competence to practise as a solicitor and that there are no unnecessary barriers to qualification.
Supporting candidates' choices
An important aspect of the SQE is that while all candidates sit the same assessment, they have the flexibility to self-study or to choose from a wide range of preparation courses and materials.
For candidates to be confident in their choices, information is key. Data on candidate performance could help with this and help drive a competitive training market.
When we launched the SQE, we committed to publishing pass rate data by training provider.
The need for accurate data
To date we have not had confidence in the quality of the data collected. Therefore, publishing this data would risk misleading candidates. To improve the quality of our data and so support candidates as they make important choices we are changing the point at which candidates tell us the training provider (if any) with which they have studied. Instead of asking candidates when they first create an account, we will ask them before they receive their results. By this time, they will know for certain how they prepared for the assessment.
A flourishing training market
Training providers have responded well to the introduction of the SQE and the SQE market is flourishing. Candidates preparing to take the SQE have a wide range of choices. Many providers offer different study options. Some candidates are choosing to study with the support of more than one provider. This is a positive feature of the market but makes it more difficult to use pass rate data to indicate course quality.
The pass rate of the candidates taking any course is likely to be affected by the background of the candidates themselves, as well as by the quality of the course. For example, we now know that candidates' degree classification and the ranking of the university at which they gained their degree are factors that are associated with SQE performance. A preparation course taken mainly by candidates with strong prior achievements might have a high pass rate because of the quality of the candidates rather than the quality of the course.
Our plans
Our focus is on publishing information that is useful to candidates, and so what we publish must take account of a wide range of factors. It should also support a healthy training market. We believe, then, that any data we publish linking candidate performance with how those candidates prepared for their assessments must be contextualised. We will be working with support from external experts to publish contextualised data in 2026. There are additional ways by which we could provide useful information for candidates which we are working up.
In the meantime, we will continue to publish statistical reports after each sitting. The next set of annual reports will be published in spring 2026. Early in the new year we will publish a report that draws on data from the first four years of the SQE. In response to requests from candidates, we are also working to make the SQE training provider and course list on our website searchable to enable candidates to better compare options.