SQE1 exam-day guide
SQE1 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Accepted photo ID
Bring the original valid photo ID specified in your booking terms (typically a passport or photocard driving licence). The name must match your booking exactly. Confirm the accepted ID types with the provider before the day, because expired or alternative forms are commonly refused at the door.
Booking confirmation and candidate number
Have your appointment confirmation and candidate ID number to hand on arrival and when logging in. Check whether the test centre accepts a digital copy or expects a printed one - confirm with the provider.
Confirmed session times and venue address
Re-check the start time for each of the two paper sessions and the exact test centre address the evening before. Session timings and reporting times are set by the provider and can differ between sittings.
A rehearsed travel plan
Plan to arrive ahead of your reporting time, with a fallback route. Late arrival can mean refused admission, and centres generally do not hold the start of a timed assessment.
A dry run to the venue
If practical, travel the route once beforehand, or at minimum check transport disruption notices the day before. Knowing where the entrance and check-in desk are removes avoidable morning stress.
Nothing extra in your pockets
Assume notes, textbooks, phones, smart watches, and any other unauthorised items cannot be taken into the test room. Use the storage the centre provides and empty pockets before security screening.
Water and a snack for the break
Bring water and something to eat between sessions if permitted. Food and drink rules inside the test room vary by centre - confirm with the provider.
Rest, not revision, in the last evening
Do not try to learn new material in the final 24 hours. Consolidate your weakest topics lightly, then protect your sleep; performance across two long papers depends heavily on sustained concentration.
Pre-agreed access arrangements
If you need adjustments (extra time, separate room, medical items), confirm in writing well before the sitting that they have been approved and will be in place. These cannot usually be arranged on the day.
A note of what you cannot control
Accept that some questions will be unfamiliar. Decide in advance on a skipping strategy - answer, flag, move on, return if time allows - so a single hard question does not cost you five minutes.
Plan the day
Stop introducing new topics. Work through condensed notes on your weakest areas, re-read your own error log, and do at most one timed practice set per session area to rehearse pacing. Confirm your travel, accommodation, and ID are sorted.
Rehearse the arithmetic of the day: questions per session divided by minutes available gives your average budget per question. Practise holding to it, including time to transfer or confirm answers, and leaving a buffer to review flagged items.
Pack ID, confirmation details, water, and snacks. Check the venue address and journey one final time. Do a short, light review of high-frequency topics only, then stop. Eat normally and go to bed at a sensible hour - a late cramming session costs more than it gains.
Set two alarms, charge your phone, and check the provider's instructions for anything that must or must not be brought. Confirm the reporting time for both papers.
Eat a proper breakfast, arrive early, and avoid last-minute group discussion of content - it raises anxiety and rarely adds marks. Complete security screening and settle at your workstation with time to spare.
Skim the first few questions to settle in, then work steadily. Answer every question as you go; there is no credit for blanks. Flag anything taking longer than your per-question budget and return to it after the paper's halfway mark.
Drink water, eat something light, and step away from screens and notes. Do not dissect questions with other candidates - it drains confidence and gives no usable information. Briefly reset your pacing plan for the second paper.
Stop working new questions and use the remaining time to confirm every question has a recorded answer, then revisit flagged items with the time left. Do not change answers on instinct alone - change them only for a specific reason.
Rules to check
Bring valid photo ID matching the name on your booking. Without it you risk being refused admission and losing your fee - check the accepted ID list with the provider in advance.
Assume the assessment is closed-book. Notes, textbooks, phones, smart watches, and any other unauthorised items must be stored as directed; possession in the test room is commonly treated as misconduct.
Follow the centre's security and screening instructions, including pocket checks and any permitted-items rules. If in doubt about an item, leave it behind rather than argue it at the door.
Breaks are permitted only at the times the provider specifies. Confirm the rules on leaving your seat, accessing stored belongings, and whether the clock stops during a break - do not assume.
Results are reported as pass or fail against a standard set by the regulator, not as a percentage of a peer group. Do not try to guess the pass mark during the exam; it cannot inform your strategy on the day.
There is generally no penalty for an incorrect answer, so never leave a question unanswered. Confirm the scoring approach with the provider if you are unsure.
If something goes wrong - a technical fault, illness, or a disruption at the centre - report it immediately to the invigilator and ask for it to be recorded before you leave. Complaints raised afterwards without a contemporaneous record are much harder to pursue.
Read the candidate agreement on misconduct before the day. Any attempt to bring in unauthorised material or communicate with another candidate can result in the sitting being voided and further consequences for your admission.