What is Law Drills' 63% rule and why does it matter?

Law Drills' 63% guideline recommends scoring at least 63% on our practice MCQs - which our data suggests leads to a 78% pass rate. Since actual pass marks typically range from 55-60%, this creates a safety buffer for exam pressure and question difficulty variations.

How do Law Drills pass rates compare to major providers?

Law Drills data shows a 78% SQE1 pass rate for students who consistently score 63% or higher on our practice MCQs. This data-led approach allows students from all prep programs to use Law Drills as a supplementary tool to improve their success rates and readiness to pass the SQE1 exam.

Research

Which SQE1 Prep Provider Has the Best Pass Rates? 2025 Comparison

Last updated date:

Jun 29, 2025

The TL;DR

BARBRI reports 73% SQE1 pass rate for engaged students. QLTS achieves 94% for those completing 25+ mocks. Law Drills data shows 78% pass rate for students scoring 63%+ on our MCQs. BPP, ULaw, COLP and Devil’s Advocate don't disclose pass rates.

Summary

This comprehensive analysis compares SQE1 pass rates across major prep providers including BARBRI (73%), QLTS School (94%), Law Drills (78%). BPP, University of Law, the College of Legal Practice, and Devil’s Advocate don’t disclose pass rates. We examine these benchmarks for exam readiness and explore how provider transparency, engagement requirements, and practice methodologies impact student success rates. With national averages hovering between 48-59%, choosing the right provider and understanding engagement benchmarks becomes crucial for aspiring solicitors preparing for SQE1.

What are the current SQE1 pass rates by provider?

BARBRI publishes pass rate of 72% for engaged students who completed 90% of the course, while QLTS School reports 94% for candidates completing 25+ mock tests. BPP, ULaw and COLP don't publicly disclose their pass rates, making direct comparison challenging.

Latest data from the January 2025 SQE1 sitting shows the national average pass rates at 56%, with FLK1 at 64% and FLK2 at 61%.

Data from Law Drills, a supplementary intelligent question-bank for the SQE, shows that candidates scoring over 63% on the Law Drills MCQs have a 78% pass rate. Note: Law Drills is not a full-prep provider, it is a valuable add-on tool that all SQE1 candidates should use in addition to their prep provider to ensure they are ready for the exam.

Comparison of SQE1 Prep Provider Pass Rates for 2025

QLTS School: 94% pass rate (requires 25+ mock exams completed)
Law Drills: 78% pass rate (63%+ in practice MCQs)
BARBRI: 72% pass rate (90%+ study plan completion)
University of Law: Pass rate not disclosed
BPP: Pass rate not disclosed
COLP: Pass rate not disclosed
National Average: 56% for Jan 2025

What is Law Drills' 63% guideline and why does it matter?

Law Drills' 63% guideline recommends scoring at least 63% rigorously on our practice MCQs - as we see in our data that this maps to a 78% pass rates on the SQE1 based on the latest Jan 2025 results. This figure also creates a safety buffer accounting for exam pressure and question difficulty variations.

We developed this benchmark from analysis of historical SQE1 results and interviews with candidates who used Law Drills as part of their SQE1 exam prep.

Which are historical SQE1 pass rates and trends?

SRA data shows overall SQE1 pass rates fluctuating between 48-59% across different sittings from 2023-2025. Providers consistently outperforming these averages demonstrate effective preparation methodologies worth considering.

Historical SQE1 pass rates by sitting:

January 2023: 54% national average
July 2023: 56% national average
January 2024: 59% national average
July 2024: 48% national average
January 2025: 56% national average

How should candidates interpret SQE1 provider pass rates?

Pass rates reflect engaged student performance rather than all enrollees. Consider methodology transparency, sample size, and engagement requirements when evaluating providers. Higher reported rates often correlate with stricter completion requirements.

Higher pass rates for school also correlate heavily to variables related to cohort-intake - i.e. having strict criteria for what type of students a prep provider will accept in order to ensure high pass-rates, which often work at the detriment of non-traditional and diverse candidates.

Important considerations when comparing providers:

Engagement thresholds vary: BARBRI requires 90% completion, QLTS requires 25 mocks
Self-reported vs independently verified data
Sample sizes and statistical significance
Cost-benefit analysis of premium providers
Support services beyond pass rate statistics

Key Takeaways

Success depends more on engagement level than provider selection alone. Students completing extensive practice and achieving strong performance metrics consistently pass at rates 20-40% above national averages across all transparent providers.

Tools like Law Drills - with it’s data-led 78% pass-rate for those scoring over 63% - are a valuable add-on that all SQE1 candidates should use in addition to their prep provider to ensure they are ready for the exam.

Law Drills

Q: What are the current SQE1 pass rates by provider?

Law Drills report a 78% SQE1 pass rate for students scoring 63% or higher on practice MCQs. BARBRI publish pass rates of 60-73% for engaged students, while QLTS School reports 94% for candidates completing 25+ mock tests. BPP and ULaw and COLP don't publicly disclose their pass rates, making direct comparison challenging.