You will see many short forms when you prepare for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam, and they can slow you down if you do not know them. Common SQE exam acronyms and jargon are short terms used to describe exams, legal skills, practice areas, and rules that shape how you qualify as a solicitor. Knowing these terms helps you follow study materials and exam questions with less stress.
You may come across exam labels, training routes, and legal process terms that seem unclear at first. These words appear across SQE1, SQE2, practice guidance, and professional rules. When you understand them early, you save time and avoid simple mistakes.
This guide walks you through the language used in SQE exams, legal training, and regulation. You will see how these terms fit into real legal work and how they connect to each stage of qualification.
Understanding the SQE: Key Acronyms and Jargon
You need a clear grasp of how the SQE works, who runs it, and why key acronyms matter. These details shape how you prepare, register, and sit each part of the exam.
What is the SQE?
The SQE, short for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, is the national exam you must pass to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales. It replaced the LPC and training contract route.
You will often see SQE and Solicitors Qualifying Exam used in the same way. Both refer to the same assessment system.
The SQE tests whether you can apply legal knowledge in real work situations. It focuses on practical skills, not just theory.
Many study guides and courses use short forms and legal terms. A detailed SQE glossary of terms and abbreviations can help you decode this language as you study.
Purpose and Structure of the SQE
The SQE has two main parts: SQE1 and SQE2. You must pass both to qualify.
SQE1 tests your functioning legal knowledge using multiple-choice questions. It covers areas like contract, tort, criminal law, property, and business law.
SQE2 tests practical legal skills. These include advocacy, legal writing, drafting, research, and client interviewing.
You must also complete QWE, or Qualifying Work Experience. This requires two years of legal work that a solicitor signs off.
Together, these parts aim to confirm that you can work safely and competently as a solicitor.
Role of the SRA and Kaplan
The SRA, or Solicitors Regulation Authority, owns and oversees the SQE. It sets the rules, standards, and qualification requirements.
The SRA decides what skills and knowledge you must show. It also approves QWE and admits you as a solicitor once you qualify.
Kaplan delivers the exams on behalf of the SRA. Kaplan handles test design, exam booking, and assessment delivery.
You will interact with Kaplan for exam logistics. You deal with the SRA for eligibility, character checks, and final admission.
Both roles stay separate. This separation helps keep the exam fair and consistent.
Core SQE Exams and Assessments Terminology
This section explains how the SQE tests your legal knowledge and skills, how questions work, and when exams run. It also covers how pass rates get reported and what they mean for your planning.
Functioning Legal Knowledge: FLK, FLK1, FLK2
Functioning Legal Knowledge (FLK) means the law you must apply in real work. The SQE tests FLK through two parts: FLK1 and FLK2.
FLK1 focuses on business law, dispute resolution, contract, tort, and the legal system. FLK2 covers criminal law, property practice, wills, trusts, and estates. You answer questions that test application, not recall.
The SQE assessment topics list shows how subjects split across FLK1 and FLK2 on the SRA assessment topics page. Expect mixed questions that combine ethics with core law.
| Part | Main Areas |
|---|---|
| FLK1 | Business law, disputes, contract, tort |
| FLK2 | Crime, property, wills, trusts |
Single Best Answer (SBA) and MCQ Explained
SQE1 uses single best answer (SBA) questions. Each question gives five options. Only one option fits the facts best.
These are a form of MCQ, but the exam tests judgment. Several options may look right. You must choose the strongest answer based on the law and the facts.
Time pressure matters. You should read carefully and avoid guessing early. Practice helps you spot distractors.
Many SQE guides explain this format, including how MCQs test application rather than memory in SQE1 multiple‑choice questions described across official and provider materials. The approach stays consistent across both FLK papers.
SQE1 and SQE2: Overview
SQE1 tests your FLK through 360 SBA questions across two papers. You must pass SQE1 before you can sit SQE2.
SQE2 tests skills, not MCQs. You complete tasks like client interviews, advocacy, case analysis, and legal writing. These tasks reflect day‑to‑day solicitor work.
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination replaced the LPC route, as explained in the SQE overview on Wikipedia. Both exams apply the same standard across candidates.
| Exam | What It Tests | Format |
|---|---|---|
| SQE1 | Knowledge | SBA / MCQ |
| SQE2 | Skills | Practical exercises |
Pass Rates and Assessment Windows
Assessment windows are the fixed periods when you can sit the exams. SQE1 usually runs twice a year. SQE2 also runs in set windows.
Dates can change. You should always check the SQE assessment schedule published by the Law Society and the SRA, such as the guidance on what the SQE assessments cover.
Pass rates vary by sitting and by exam. The SRA publishes results after each window. Use pass rates to plan timing, not to predict outcomes. Your preparation and exam strategy matter most.
Essential Legal Skills and Professional Jargon
You face clear skill-based terms and assessment language in the Solicitors Qualifying Exam. These terms describe what you must do, how examiners judge you, and how ethics shape every task.
Practical Legal Skills Explained
Practical legal skills describe the work you perform as a trainee solicitor. In SQE2, examiners test how you apply law to real client problems, not how well you recall rules.
Key skills you must understand include:
| Skill | What it Means in Practice |
|---|---|
| Client interviewing | You ask clear questions, explain advice, and confirm next steps |
| Advocacy | You present arguments clearly in court or hearings |
| Case and matter analysis | You identify issues, risks, and actions |
| Legal drafting | You prepare contracts, pleadings, or letters |
| Legal research | You find and apply correct legal authorities |
These skills form the core of the SQE2 assessment focus on practical legal skills. You must show accuracy, structure, and client focus in every task.
Oral and Written Assessments Terminology
You complete both oral assessments and written assessments in SQE2. Each uses specific terms that signal how examiners mark your work.
SQE2 oral covers:
- Client interviewing
- Advocacy
You speak clearly, manage time, and respond to questions. Examiners look for logical advice and professional tone.
SQE2 written covers:
- Legal drafting
- Legal writing
- Case and matter analysis
- Legal research
Written tasks must follow instructions closely. Structure matters as much as content. The SQE assessment structure for FLK and skills testing shows how applied knowledge links to these tasks.
Ethics and Professional Conduct
Ethics and professional conduct apply to every SQE task. Examiners expect you to spot issues and act correctly, even when ethics is not the main topic.
Common ethics terms you must know include:
- Conflict of interest
- Client confidentiality
- Duties to the court
- Integrity and independence
You may need to refuse instructions or adjust advice to meet ethical duties. The SQE glossary of ethics and compliance terms reflects the language used across exams.
Ethical judgment often affects marks. Clear reasoning and correct action matter more than lengthy explanation.
Legal Practice and Routes to Qualification Terms
These terms explain how you qualify as a solicitor and where your legal training fits. They also show how older routes like the LPC connect with the SQE and modern work-based paths.
Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) and NQ
Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) means the work you complete to meet the Solicitors Regulation Authority requirement for real legal experience. You must complete two years of full-time work, or the equivalent, before you can qualify.
QWE can take many forms. It may include a training contract, work as a paralegal, or time in a law clinic. Up to four different roles can count, as long as the work develops legal skills and a solicitor confirms it. You can complete QWE before, during, or after sitting the SQE exams under the SQE route to qualification.
NQ stands for newly qualified. As a newly qualified solicitor, you have completed QWE and passed SQE1 and SQE2. NQ roles often focus on supervised practice and building confidence in daily legal work.
LPC, GDL, and Conversion Courses
The Legal Practice Course (LPC) was the main vocational course before the SQE. Some candidates still qualify through the LPC if they started training before the SQE transition rules applied.
The GDL, now often called the PGDL, is a conversion course for non-law graduates. It teaches core legal subjects in a short and intensive format. These subjects usually include:
- Contract law
- Tort law
- Land law
- Trusts
- Criminal law
- Constitutional and administrative law
- EU law
If you studied an LLB, you covered similar subjects as part of your degree. Conversion courses do not replace the SQE, but they help you prepare for SQE1 legal knowledge assessments.
Practice Areas: Core Subjects and Specialisms
Practice areas describe the type of legal work you do or plan to do. SQE1 focuses on core subjects tested across practice contexts rather than academic theory alone.
Common SQE practice areas include business law and practice, property practice, and criminal law and practice. These areas build on core knowledge such as the legal system of England and Wales and administrative law.
In SQE2 and in practice, you apply this knowledge to real tasks. This includes criminal litigation, drafting documents, interviewing clients, and advising on disputes. As you gain experience, you may move into specialisms, but strong grounding in core practice areas remains essential.
Compliance, Regulation, and Financial Jargon
You need to understand how regulation shapes daily legal work. The SQE tests how well you know compliance duties, key roles, and common financial terms used in practice.
SRA Principles and Compliance Roles
The SRA Principles set the core standards you must follow as a solicitor. They focus on honesty, independence, client care, and public trust. You should know how these principles guide decisions in real scenarios, not just their wording.
Firms appoint a Compliance Officer for Legal Practice (COLP) to monitor legal and ethical compliance. The COLP identifies breaches, keeps records, and reports serious issues to the regulator. This role links closely to the SRA Principles.
A COFA (Compliance Officer for Finance and Administration) oversees financial compliance. You must understand that the COFA focuses on client money, billing, and accounts rules. Exams often test how COLP and COFA duties differ but still overlap.
| Role | Main Focus |
|---|---|
| COLP | Legal and ethical compliance |
| COFA | Financial and accounts compliance |
AML, VAT, and Other Regulatory Acronyms
AML (Anti-Money Laundering) rules aim to stop criminal use of legal services. You must know duties like client due diligence, ongoing monitoring, and reporting suspicious activity. Exams often link AML failures to regulatory breaches and disciplinary risk.
VAT (Value Added Tax) affects how firms bill clients. You should know when VAT applies to legal fees and how firms must account for it correctly. Errors with VAT can lead to compliance issues, not just tax problems.
Other acronyms appear often in questions and scenarios. These include:
- MLRO: handles internal AML reports
- FCA: regulates certain financial services work
- FSMA: sets the framework for UK financial regulation
You can review formal definitions in the SQE glossary of regulatory terms to reinforce accurate usage.
Other Common and Non-Legal SQE-Related Acronyms
Some acronyms linked to the SQE do not relate to legal rules or court process. You still see them in study guides, forms, and online searches, so knowing what they mean helps you avoid confusion.
Education, Technology, and Miscellaneous Terms
You may see SQE used outside law. In education and tech, it can mean Service Qualification Engine, Software Quality Engineer, Senior Quality Engineer, or Senior Quality Expert. It can also refer to Signal Quality Error or Signal Quality Event in telecoms. These uses have no link to the Solicitors Qualifying Examination.
Some training providers appear in SQE research. QLTS School is a private provider that prepares candidates for solicitor exams. REL means Registered European Lawyer, which affects your status if you trained in the EEA.
You may also meet admin terms like exam fees, PD (Practice Direction), and IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangement). These often appear in forms or guidance, not exam questions.
Other rare meanings include Supplier Quality Engineer, Systems Quality Engineering, Stored Query Expression, Statement of Qualifications and Experience, Stock Quotes Express, and Society for Quality Education. Context usually makes the meaning clear.
Some criminal law acronyms still appear in general reading. NCA refers to the National Crime Agency, and PACE means the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. These relate to practice areas, not the exam process itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
These questions explain key exam bodies, common abbreviations, and core legal terms you will see while studying for the SQE. They also clarify how conduct rules shape both exam content and preparation choices.
What do acronyms like SRA and SQE stand for in the context of legal examinations?
The SQE stands for the Solicitors Qualifying Examination. It is the central assessment you must pass to qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales.
The SRA, or Solicitors Regulation Authority, sets the rules for qualification and professional conduct. It designs the SQE and oversees how the exams test legal knowledge and ethics.
Where can I find a glossary of terms commonly used in SQE assessments?
You can review a detailed SQE glossary of legal terms and abbreviations published by UOLLB. It covers exam-specific acronyms such as FLK, QWE, and Part 36, with short and clear explanations.
You can access the glossary through this SQE glossary of common legal terms. It aligns closely with the language used in SQE study materials and assessments.
Can you list common abbreviations used by solicitors in the UK?
Solicitors in the UK often use abbreviations such as CPR for Civil Procedure Rules and ADR for Alternative Dispute Resolution. You will also see AML for Anti-Money Laundering and IHT for Inheritance Tax.
Other common terms include NQ for Newly Qualified solicitor and PQE for Post-Qualified Experience. These appear often in exam questions and legal job descriptions.
How does the SQE’s Code of Conduct impact exam preparation?
The SQE tests your understanding of the SRA Code of Conduct through ethical scenarios. You must apply the rules, not just recall them.
This means you need to practice questions on conflicts of interest, client money, and professional duties. These topics link directly to how solicitors must act in real practice.
In comparison to other legal exams, which acronyms are unique to the SQE?
Acronyms such as FLK1 and FLK2 are specific to the SQE. They refer to the two Functioning Legal Knowledge exams in SQE1.
You will also see QWE, which stands for Qualifying Work Experience. This requirement does not exist in the same form in older routes like the LPC.
What are typical legal terms or phrases one should know for SQE exam success?
You should understand terms such as Part 36 offer, client account, and conflict of interest. These appear often in both civil and professional conduct questions.
You also need to know phrases like standard of proof, duty of care, and without prejudice. These terms help you read exam questions quickly and spot the legal issue.
