Petition calls for SQE reform amid concerns over candidate wellbeing and transparency
updated on 06 August 2025
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Nearly 800 people, as of 6 August, have signed a petition calling for reforms to the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE), highlighting mental health concerns and requesting a more transparent process. In response, a Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) spokesperson acknowledged that the SQE is a “demanding, high stakes assessment that gives successful candidates access to a licence to practise” but stated that an “independent reviewer has confirmed it’s a robust and fair” one.
The petition was launched by a trainee solicitor under the pseudonym Hannah Cox, who said the SQE had taken a “severe toll” on their “mental, financial and physical wellbeing”. Cox said: “This is a sentiment echoed by the vast majority of other candidates who have undertaken this exam.”
The campaign calls for a more transparent and accountable assessment process. Cox added: “The SRA must commit to transparency and furthermore, thorough review of the SQE's content and structure is necessary to ensure it accurately assesses a candidate's capability without placing undue stress on their mental and physical health.”
The SRA explained: “The questions are written by a pool of solicitors reflecting what is expected of a newly qualified solicitor and the pass mark is determined using well-established methods. The SQE’s independent reviewer has confirmed it’s a robust and fair assessment. Many candidates have now passed the SQE. Pass rates and statistical information about candidates are published after each sitting.”
Since the SQE’s introduction as the centralised qualification route in England and Wales, the SRA has acknowledged “teething problems”. For example, in 2022, pass rate data revealed an ethnicity attainment gap. This prompted the SRA to “undertake in-depth research into the factors driving the attainment gap for these groups in professional assessments so that we can consider next steps”. The regulatory body, informed by research commissioned from the University of Exeter, is continuing to take action to address “the causes of such differential outcomes that are within” its influence.
This article has been created with the assistance of Copilot.
This article was amended on 6 August 2025 to include a comment from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
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