How to Apply for SQE1: Register, Reserve a Seat and Book Your Exam

Short answer: There is no separate application for SQE1. You apply by registering an SQE candidate account on the SRA’s SQE website, verifying your ID and finishing the pre-booking tasks. Then you reserve a seat with the seat reservation form when it is sent out, and pay £2,006 within 48 hours of the payment email. You can register at any time of year, and you should, because a late account means no seat reservation form.

You do not apply to a university or a course provider to sit SQE1. Kaplan runs the exam for the SRA, and everything happens in your SQE account.

The steps at a glance

The timings in the right-hand column come from the January 2027 sitting. The SRA publishes exact dates for each sitting on its dates and booking windows page.

Step 1: Register your SQE candidate account

Go to the SQE website and choose Register for SQE. You verify your email address, then create your account. The SRA says you can register at any time throughout the year, and recommends doing it early so you have time to finish every step before booking opens.

Use your name exactly as it appears on your ID. On exam day, the name on your ID must match your SQE registration, and if it does not, you are refused entry and lose your fee.

Step 2: Verify your identity

You upload a clear, colour image of a valid, government-issued photo ID. The SRA accepts:

• a passport (the SRA’s recommended option)
• a photocard driving licence
• a national identification card with a photograph

Digital or electronic IDs are not accepted. If your ID expires before the exam, you must email a photo of the new one to the SQE team so they can update your account. Turning up with an ID that does not match your account breaches the SQE Assessment Regulations.

Step 3: Complete the pre-booking tasks

These sit in your SQE account, and the SRA is clear that you will not receive a seat reservation form if they are not done.

• Diversity survey. You must submit it, but you can opt out of individual questions.
• Reasonable adjustments. Answering this section is how you ask for adjustments. If you need them, apply before the seat reservation window opens (more on this below).
• Exemptions. If the SRA has granted you an exemption, enter your exemption number. Qualified lawyers can read our guide to SQE exemptions.

None of these depends on a booking window, so you can finish them today.

Step 4: Reserve your seat

The seat reservation form is the SRA’s main and recommended way to book. It arrives by email at your registered SQE address and is open for only a couple of days. For January 2027, forms went out from 6pm on 22 September 2026 and had to be submitted by 5pm on 24 September 2026.

The form asks for your SQE candidate number, your preferred test centre and dates, and whether you need reasonable adjustments. The SRA allocates seats in the order forms arrive and tries to meet preferences. If your first choice is full, you are offered the closest available alternative. So submit the form the evening it arrives, not on the deadline day.

SQE1 is sat at Pearson VUE test centres, in the UK and abroad. You can find centres with the locator on the SRA’s dates and locations page. Our guide to SQE1 test centres outside the UK covers international sittings, where start times vary. You can also choose to sit the SQE in Welsh.

Step 5: Accept your seat and pay within 48 hours

After the reservation deadline, the SRA processes the forms and emails payment requests across a window of several weeks. For January 2027, the window runs from 10am on 19 October to 5pm on 18 November 2026. Not everyone gets their email on the same day.

When yours arrives, log in, review the allocated seat, accept it and pay. You must pay within 48 hours, or the seat is cancelled. If you decline the seat, you lose your place.

You book FLK1 and FLK2 at the same sitting and pay for both in one payment, unless an exemption applies or you are resitting one part. You can pay by debit or credit card, or with a prepaid voucher from an employer or training provider. The fees are VAT exempt. For the full picture, including prep costs, see our SQE cost guide, and if you are waiting on a January 2027 payment email, read our payment window guide.

Step 6: Reschedule or book late while online booking is open

Once you have paid, you can move to another available centre or date through the Bookings page in your account, but only while online booking is open. For January 2027 that is from 10am on 19 November to 5pm on 23 November 2026. Rescheduling is not available after booking closes.

The same window is the late route if you missed the seat reservation form. A limited number of seats go up for direct booking in your account, and you pay at the time of booking. Seats are limited and may fill up quickly, so log in when it opens and be flexible about location.

If you need to cancel, you must do it in writing by email, and cancellation charges may apply depending on when you cancel. The rules are in Part D of the SQE Assessment Terms and Conditions.

Key dates for the next two SQE1 sittings

All times are UK time. If July 2027 follows the January pattern, the seat reservation form would go out around 16 weeks before the exam, in spring 2027. That is our estimate, not an SRA date, so watch the banner on the SQE homepage and your registered email.

Reasonable adjustments

If you need adjustments, the SRA asks you to apply as early as possible, before the seat reservation window opens, and to accept your adjustment plan before that window closes. You still fill in the seat reservation form to say where and when you want to sit. You do not book online: the Accessibility Team books your place once your plan is accepted and your fee is paid, and payment is usually taken by phone. You must not use the direct online booking route.

Common mistakes that cost candidates a seat

• Registering too late. No completed pre-booking tasks means no seat reservation form.
• Missing the reservation email. It goes to your registered SQE address. Add the SQE team to your contacts and check spam.
• Waiting until the deadline. Seats are allocated in the order forms arrive, so the popular London centres go first.
• Running out of the 48 hours. Have £2,006 available on a card your bank will not block for a large one-off payment.
• A name that doesn’t match your ID. Fix it in your account well before exam day.
• Forgetting the second ID. On exam day you bring two original IDs: your photo ID plus a second one showing your full name and signature, such as a signed debit or credit card. Photocopies are not accepted.

What applying for SQE1 does not cover

Passing SQE1 is one of the steps to qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales. You also need to pass SQE2, complete qualifying work experience (unless you are a qualified lawyer who is exempt) and meet the SRA’s character and suitability requirements. You have six years from your first SQE assessment to pass SQE1 and SQE2, with up to three attempts at each. See routes to qualify through the SQE and our QWE guide.

Booked? Start practising in the exam format

Once your seat is confirmed, the countdown is real. Our study timeline and 10 week revision plan help you plan the weeks you have left.

BAREX was built by lawyers who sat the SQE. You can practise SQE-style MCQs by subject, topic and difficulty, with an explanation after every answer, and sit mocks in the January 2027 format: one FLK session of 85 questions in 2 hours and 33 minutes. The free plan includes one FLK session mock and one topic pack per subject, and paid plans include 12 full mocks for each FLK. Try the free SQE1 mock or start free on BAREX.

Quick answers

How do I apply for SQE1?

Register an SQE candidate account on the SRA’s SQE website, verify your ID, complete the pre-booking tasks, then reserve a seat with the seat reservation form and pay within 48 hours of the payment email.

When can I register for SQE1?

At any time of year. Registering early gives you time to finish ID verification and the pre-booking tasks before the seat reservation form is sent.

How much does it cost to sit SQE1?

£2,006 for FLK1 and FLK2 together, for assessments from September 2026. Resitting one part costs £1,003.

Can I book FLK1 and FLK2 separately?

Not for a first attempt. You book both at the same sitting and pay in one payment, unless an exemption applies or you are resitting one part.

What if I missed the seat reservation form?

You may still get a seat through direct online booking in your SQE account. For January 2027 it opens at 10am on 19 November and closes at 5pm on 23 November 2026. Seats are limited.

When can I book SQE1 for July 2027?

The SRA has published the exam dates (FLK1 from 12 July 2027, FLK2 from 19 July 2027) but not yet the booking dates. Register and finish your pre-booking tasks now so you receive the seat reservation form when it goes out.

Can I sit SQE1 outside the UK?

Yes. SQE1 is sat at Pearson VUE test centres in the UK and internationally, with varied start times abroad. There are no SQE assessments in Ukraine, Belarus or Russia.

Sources

This post is based on the SRA’s published SQE information as of 7 November 2026. Always check the official SQE website before acting. BAREX is not affiliated with the SRA or Kaplan.

• SRA: Registering for the SQE
• SRA: Verifying your identity
• SRA: Booking SQE assessments
• SRA: How to book SQE assessments
• SRA: January 2027 SQE1
• SRA: Assessment dates and booking windows
• SRA: How much does the SQE cost?