A balanced view from real students to help you make informed decisions

BPP University has trained thousands of solicitors and maintains strong relationships with major law firms. But what do students actually experience day-to-day? We've analysed hundreds of student discussions from Reddit, forums, and community groups to give you an honest, balanced view of BPP's SQE preparation.

TLDR: BPP students praise teaching quality but report significant admin issues, content gaps in Legal Services and Ethics, and misleadingly easy mock exams. Success requires extensive supplementation with resources like Law Drills.

What are BPP students saying about teaching quality and materials?

BPP's teaching quality consistently receives praise, with tutors described as "phenomenal" and experienced. However, material presentation suffers from organisational issues, and content gaps in key areas require significant supplementation for exam success.

The overwhelming consensus among BPP students is that teaching quality is genuinely good. Multiple students confirm this pattern:

"Teaching quality has been great, the tutors are enthusiastic... They sent physical textbooks in the post and provided digital copies."

"My tutors have been phenomenal without exception."

"Teaching is good... I just focus on the classwork and learning."

However, material presentation varies significantly in quality. Students report consistent frustrations with the online platform:

"The Adapt materials are not as detailed as the textbooks they provide. When asked, request the paper versions of the textbooks. They will come in handy."

Multiple students describe serious organisational issues with course materials:

"Materials are okay but very all over the place on the hub. They are extremely disorganised... the tutors can't answer any questions about anything other than the content they teach."

"They are just basically printouts of the slides not even bound together for mine."

The teaching vs. materials disconnect appears frequently in student accounts. One successful graduate explains:

"I also passed SQE1 on the first attempt... However, my tutors have been phenomenal without exception [but] admin is poor, tech is poor, some of the buildings have seen better days."

Law Drills Integration: Students appreciate Law Drills' organised, topic-based approach and mobile accessibility that lets them practice during commutes—addressing BPP's platform limitations while complementing good teaching.

Has BPP really stopped providing OUP materials?

Yes, BPP stopped providing Oxford University Press (OUP) access for new students starting after July 2025, claiming students have sufficient practice without it. This £450 additional cost deeply concerns students who credit OUP materials as essential for passing.

This change represents one of the most significant concerns raised by BPP students. When a sponsored student discovered their OUP access had disappeared, BPP's official response was unequivocal:

"In the early days of the SQE programmes, BPP provided students with access to OUP's SQE materials. The purpose of this was primarily to allow access to OUP's SQE MCQs for question practice. More recently, BPP has generated a range of additional practice MCQs for students to use in preparation for assessments. These additional BPP resources are available on the SQE Question Practice tile of Hub (which did not exist at the time BPP first provided access to OUP). As such, we consider that students have all of the question practice they need without also needing the OUP materials."

However, student reactions tell a dramatically different story. A successful candidate explains:

"Without OUP I wouldn't have passed. BPP's questions not counting those on inspera are not reliable... My exam was OUP standard. Not remotely close to BPP standard."

The contrast between BPP's assessment and student reality is stark:

"My exam was OUP standard. Not remotely close to BPP standard. If they have actually ended access, I would honestly say that you should withdraw from BPP and go to ULaw instead."

Current students report a fundamental disconnect:

"What an earth am I supposed to do now? Just use their subpar questions?"

Law Drills Solution: With comprehensive coverage across all SQE topics and exam-realistic difficulty, Law Drills provides the missing question practice that OUP previously offered—at a fraction of the cost.

Who is BPP really right for?

BPP works best for firm-sponsored students with strong existing law knowledge who can supplement extensively. It's particularly suited to those preferring structured classroom learning with regular schedules, but offers poor value for self-funded students.

Most successful BPP students are sponsored by law firms. Multiple students confirm this pattern:

"If not sponsored by firm, would have chosen literally any other institution."

"My firm paid for the course so it's difficult for me to complain, but it is frankly very expensive for what you get."

Self-funded students report significant financial stress:

"Full course costs £10k+ even with minimum scholarship... Alternative prep courses available for £4-5k."

What content gaps do BPP students consistently identify?

Students report significant gaps in Legal Services coverage, insufficient Ethics content, weak Welsh law materials, and unrealistically easy mock exams. Many discover their preparation doesn't match actual exam difficulty, with BPP mock scores misleadingly high.

Perhaps most concerning is the disconnect between practice and reality. Students report dramatically inflated scores on BPP materials:

BPP Mock Performance:

"2 x 2.5 mocks on BPP hub = 85% on both"

Other Provider Comparison:

"QLTS I scored 46%; ULaw im scoring roughly 50-60%"

Student reaction to this massive discrepancy:

"the BPP hub mocks are scarily easy compared to the exam."

Law Drills Coverage: Comprehensive coverage of all SQE topics including the Legal Services and Ethics gaps that BPP students consistently identify, with realistic difficulty matching actual exam standards.

How can Law Drills transform your BPP experience?

Law Drills addresses BPP's key gaps with flexible, mobile-friendly practice, realistic exam-standard questions, comprehensive topic coverage, and AI-powered adaptive learning. Students can access quality practice anytime, filling the content and difficulty gaps that BPP students consistently identify.

While BPP offers no weekend IT support:

"No weekend support when most students study."

Law Drills provides uninterrupted access when you need it most—evenings, weekends, and commutes.

Key Takeaways

BPP offers quality teaching and institutional credibility but comes with significant challenges that successful students consistently address through supplementation. The removal of OUP materials, content gaps in crucial areas, and administrative issues create real barriers to exam success.

BPP works best when combined with comprehensive supplementation—and Law Drills provides exactly the mobile-flexible, exam-realistic practice that addresses students' most common concerns.

Whether you're firm-sponsored or self-funded, already enrolled or still deciding, understanding these realities helps you make informed decisions and, if you choose BPP, maximise your investment through strategic enhancement.

Ready to enhance your BPP preparation? Law Drills offers the comprehensive, mobile-friendly practice that fills the gaps BPP students consistently identify, helping you approach your SQE with genuine confidence.