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16 September 2026
Issue: 8177 / Categories: Legal News , Training & education , Career focus
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Solicitors exam to be shortened

The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), Part 1 is to contain fewer questions from January, after candidates complained of feeling ‘rushed’ and ‘pressurised’

The changes, announced this week, will bring the total number of multiple-choice questions from 360 to 340. Questions will also be grouped differently to make the exam less ‘challenging’. Candidates will have the same amount of time, two hours 33 minutes, and ethics and professional conduct will continue to be tested across all subject areas.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) said the changes ‘signal SRA’s commitment to enhance confidence in the SQE’ and preserve ‘the reliability, rigour and consistency of the examination.

‘Developed through engagement with candidates, Kaplan, employers, training providers and the wider profession, they are informed by assessment data, candidate feedback and continued evaluation of how the assessment operates in practice’. 

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen—Liz Giles

Bell Yard Kysen appoints senior legal PR and ex-government communications adviser, Liz Giles

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott—Lee Edwards

Clarke Willmott boosts Southampton commercial property team with addition of partner Lee Edwards

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors—four promotions

Lime Solicitors announces four promotions

NEWS
The Attorney General, Ellie Reeves KC MP, and Solicitor General, Andy Slaughter KC MP, marked the 25th anniversary of Pro Bono Week by joining lawyers, charities, students and parliamentarians at events celebrating voluntary legal work
Witness evidence can be compromised by AI before a solicitor sees the draft, leaving safeguards focused on authorship incomplete
Possession claims are entering a new digital era, with procedural traps awaiting practitioners who assume familiar rules still govern every step
A polished legal defence may owe more to artificial intelligence than legal merit—and creditors risk paying the price in delay and expense
An indemnity costs battle with a £20m gap could reopen an important question: what weight should an approved budget carry?
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