Comparing mock exam performance vs real exam performance for SQE1
Author: An Nguyen & Joe Nicklin
Last updated: 8th June 2025
How do provider mocks compare to the real SQE exam?
The SRA doesn’t release past papers, so it’s up to prep providers to fill the gap.
At Law Drills, we’ve survey candidates after each SQE exam and combined that with broader research across social media to analyse how performance in mock exams stacks up against the real thing.
The result: this data-driven breakdown below to help you prep smarter.
Use this to understand the gaps, close them, and walk into that exam confident, prepared, and ready to smash it.
The tl/dr - prep with as many mocks as you can, and definitely do the QLTS paper (free), ReviseSQE (affordable) and SRA (free)
Summary of Mock exam performance vs. Actual exam performance for SQE1
QLTS
The QLTS question bank is generally perceived as tougher than the SQE itself. Some find it discouraging while others appreciate this challenge, finding it beneficial for thorough preparation. Be warned: if you do the free QLTS mock, you will score poorly on it.
Summary: Students performed significantly better in the actual exam by 5% to 22% vs their QLTS mock score. The average gain in the real exam is 14.5%
Notes: These scores are mostly based on student performance in the free QLTS mock exam vs the real exam.
Some direct quotes from past candidates:
“QLTS mocks are gold; they’re harder than the real exam but invaluable for prep.”
“Scoring around 50% on QLTS mocks translated to 60-70% in the real exam. Definitely tougher but helps you prep well.”
“QLTS practice questions are challenging, sometimes more than necessary, but very close to the real exam.”
“I agree with your comment that QLTS mocks are harder than the actual exam… I think that QLTS mocks are phrased very similarly to the real exam, to the extent that I recognised a few questions in the real exam. I think that the difficult questions on the exam are super similar to QLTS mocks.”
“QLTS’s mocks were much harder than the exam, but you had a better chance of scoring higher.”
“QLTS course on top- the questions are really really like the real thing and the mocks are invaluable”
“QLTS is beyond competition. I am personally with QLTS and their MCQs bank is a gem. Their mocks truly reflect the real SQE1 exam.”
"These are good for practicing, but you have to keep in mind that the questions are very difficult."
"QLTS aren't as recognised as UOL or BPP and their practice questions are too hard (I just did FLK 1 and QLTS were not representative)."
[the] QLTS free sample mocks (only similar to the 'hardest' subset of questions in the SQE)
"I think that QLTS mocks are phrased very similarly to the real exam, to the extent that I recognised a few questions in the real exam. I think that the difficult questions on the exam are super similar to QLTS mocks."
"I think the real exams are slightly easier than the QLTS mocks and Revise SQE mocks."
Revise SQE
Revise SQE’s question bank is well-regarded for helping candidates get accustomed to the SQE’s format. Many users find Revise SQE questions to be quite similar to the exam, though some report they are marginally easier.
Mock performance vs real: Students who used Revise SQE mock exams tended to get higher scores on the actual SQE1 exam, with gains typically between -5% and +10%, and an average gain of +2.7%
Notes: Because this mock is popular and affordable, we have a good number of data points here. Students using these mocks come from a wide range of backgrounds and many are using different prep providers as well.
Some direct quotes from past candidates:
“ReviseSQE books were pretty representative of the exam; if you’re scoring in the 60s, you’re likely in a good place.”
“ReviseSQE books and mocks: … their two mock exam books were incredibly useful. I think the questions in these had a similar(ish) style to the actual SQE1.”
“A couple of days before the exam I did the ReviseSQE books and got 79% in FLK1 and 72% in FLK2. These scores are pretty representative I would say - if you are getting 50%, you're likely to fail, you should be getting 60% here as a 'first attempt' (i.e. don't look at the ReviseSQE material until you're ready to do the exam).”
"I think the real exams are slightly easier than the QLTS mocks and Revise SQE mocks."
"the 'Revise SQE' mock exams are, in my view, the closest to the actual exam questions."
Barbri
In general, candidates reported that Barbri's mocks were helpful, but their high scores on Barbri mocks didn’t fully reflect in their real exam results. The Barbri’s question bank is structured, but it's generally perceived as easier than the actual SQE, leading many to seek additional resources for their exam preparation.
Mock performance vs real: Many students who took Barbri mocks reported scoring lower on the actual exam, with drops ranging from -15% to -2%, with an average decrease of -9.1%
Notes: This is based on a good number of data points. Barbri does not release free or separate mocks, so these scores are likely from people who have signed up for a Barbri prep course.
Some direct quotes from past candidates:
“Barbri’s mocks felt too easy compared to the real SQE; they gave a false sense of security.”
“Scoring high on Barbri mocks didn’t fully reflect real exam difficulty; I used other question banks to fill the gap.”
“Barbri’s mocks were easier than the exam (I was scoring 80-90% on Barbri and then scored 68% and 71% on the real deal)."
“The Barbri questions are easier than the actual SQE questions. I wouldn’t say the difference is massive but it isn’t insignificant.”
“Their mocks are a bit easier than the real thing, however they still prepare you well in terms of how to approach questions.”
“I found their mocks easier than the real thing but only slightly.”
“Their mocks are easier than the real exam but are quite effective in terms of showing you where you are”
“The Barbri course is RIDICULOUSLY easy compared to the exam, there were topics on the exam we didn’t even cover, and the questions are far too simple.”
SRA Sample Papers
The Solicitors Regulation Authority offers free sample questions. While useful as a starting point, many candidates find these questions significantly easier than the actual SQE - potentially giving a misleading impression of the exam’s difficulty.
Mock performance vs real: The SRA sample papers appeared to be particularly easy, with students often scoring lower on the actual exam by about -5% to -20%, with an average drop of -12% vs the SRA sample paper
Notes: This seems to be the general consensus, but the range of reported differences in scores is wide from -25% to +2% suggesting very mixed views on just 'how easy' the SRA sample papers are vs the real thing. Also note, that the SRA added additional questions to their sample papers in Dec 2024 that are reported to the more representative of the real exam.
Some direct quotes from past candidates:
“SRA free sample questions: These are so easy compared to the actual exam to the point where it’s a bit of a joke that the SRA releases them. I got 80-90% in both papers and got significantly lower than this in the actual exam. A few of the questions were similar in style to the real thing, to be fair, but it's rare. It’s important to keep this in mind and not get complacent if you score highly on these.”
“The SRA sample questions seemed easier [to the exam].”
“did the SRA sample mocks (much easier than real exam)”
“Also, don’t get sucked in by the SRA sample questions they issue - they were far easier than the actual questions on the day.”
“SRA practice questions are not particularly reflective - do questions from a mix of sources if you can.”
“The SRA sample papers are deceptively easy - don't believe they are like the real thing.”
"These are so easy compared to the actual exam to the point where its a bit of a joke that the SRA release them. I got 80-90% in both papers and got significantly lower than this in the actual exam. A few of the questions were similar in style to the real thing to be fair, but it's rare. It’s important to keep this in mind and not get complacent if you score highly on these."
ULaw
ULaw’s practice questions are often praised for closely resembling the SQE’s format and difficulty. Candidates reported higher scores on ULaw mocks vs. the actual SQE, but in general found the question style realistic and balanced.
Mock performance vs real: ULaw mock exam users generally saw lower scores on the actual exam, with declines between -15% and -3%, and an average decline of -8% vs the ULaw mocks
Notes: We don’t have many data points here, so take this with a grain of salt
Some direct quotes from past candidates:
“ULaw’s questions are the most similar to the actual exam in my opinion.”
“By the end, I was consistently getting ~80% in tests on the ULaw question bank, which matched my real exam scores fairly closely.”
“I sat SQE1 in Jan 24 and think ULaw’s questions are good preparation. My average score in the six weeks before my exams was ~83% for both FLKs and I got 81% in both real exams.”
“ULaw’s questions were realistic and felt similar to the actual SQE format.”
“I found ULaw’s practice questions comprehensive and balanced, not overly tough but a close match to the real thing.”
“ULaw provides more questions (someone told me 1000+) and imo they are the most accurate to the actual SQE1.”
“I thought that the questions you can get from the textbooks (which you can put on the app) were closer to the style and difficulty of the SQE exam”
“I would merit them as indicative of the SQE.”
BPP
BPP offers a question bank that covers foundational topics, although some candidates find the questions simpler than what is needed for the SQE. Issues with question bank depth (i.e. not enough) and alignment with SQE specifications (i.e. they're repurposed from other courses like the GDL and LPC) have also often been raised.
Mock performance vs real: BPP mock exam users saw small but consistently lower scores in their actual SQE1 scores, typically between -10% and -2% with an average drop of -4.5% vs the BPP mock exams
Notes: We don’t have many data points here, so take this with a grain of salt
Some direct quotes from past candidates:
"In my opinion the issue is the number of questions they provide and their difficulty: there are less questions given than with other providers (50-70ish per subject + 2 mocks of 100qs where a decent proportion of the content was unfortunately recycled) and they are easier in difficulty than the SQE1. To give an indication, I was scoring probably around 10% higher in BPP questions than the actual SQE exam."
“BPP’s questions cover the basics but don’t fully match the depth needed for the SQE.”
“Solid foundation in practice questions but could use more depth to fully simulate the SQE.”
“The actual study materials (workbooks) BPP provide are pretty good and they were tailored to the SQE1 well. The issue was the number and type of questions – there weren't nearly enough to feel comfortable going into the exam and they were easier than other providers.”
“BPP is pretty subpar; seems like every week we have to email about adapt (their question bank) not matching the spec.”
The summary
So what should I do? Simple - prep with as many mocks as you can. And definitely do the QLTS paper (free), ReviseSQE (affordable) and SRA (free)
Now you know as much as we do. We'll update this piece of research as we collect more data and after each exam sitting.
