SQE1 from January 2027: what changes and how to revise for it

From the January 2027 sitting the SRA is changing how SQE1 is built. Each FLK has fewer questions, and each session now covers a fixed group of subjects instead of every subject. The change applies to first-time candidates and resitters alike. This guide sets out what the SRA has announced, which subjects sit in which session, what has not changed, and the separate updates to the FLK that apply to assessments after 1 September 2026.

Fewer questions: 170 per FLK, 340 in total

Each Functioning Legal Knowledge assessment (FLK1 and FLK2) goes from 180 questions to 170. Each FLK is sat in two sessions on the same day, so you now answer 85 questions per session rather than 90. Across SQE1 that is 340 questions instead of 360. The SRA says it made the change after reviewing data from all earlier SQE1 assessment windows, and in response to candidate feedback that the assessment could feel rushed. The time allowed does not change: 2 hours 33 minutes per session.

Subjects grouped by session

Until now every subject could appear in both sessions of an FLK. From January 2027 each session covers its own subjects. FLK1 session 1: Business Law and Practice, Dispute Resolution and Legal Services. FLK1 session 2: Tort, Contract Law and the Legal System (the Legal System of England and Wales, Constitutional and Administrative Law and EU Law). FLK2 session 1: Wills and the Administration of Estates (with Solicitors Accounts in that context), Trusts Law and Land Law. FLK2 session 2: Property Law and Practice (with Solicitors Accounts in that context), Criminal Liability and Criminal Law and Practice. Ethics and Professional Conduct is still tested across all subject areas, so it can appear in every session. Within a session the questions stay fully randomised: you will not get one subject's questions together, they appear in a mixed order.

What has not changed

The blueprint is unaffected. Under the SRA's FLK blueprint, most FLK1 and FLK2 subjects are each assessed at 14 to 20% of the paper, Legal Services at 12 to 16%, and Ethics and Professional Conduct, with money laundering in FLK1 only, can make up to 20% of the questions. The SRA's announcement lists the blueprint, randomisation, ethics being pervasive and the 2 hours 33 minutes per session as unchanged.

Updates to the FLK from 1 September 2026

Separately, the SRA's annual review of the assessment specifications and the FLK applies to assessments taking place after 1 September 2026, so it covers the January 2027 sitting. Most changes add clarity to existing lines rather than adding new topics. A few examples from FLK1: the Legal System line on the court hierarchy no longer lists the appeal system, because appeals are tested under Dispute Resolution and Criminal Law and Practice; in Legal Services, criminal legal aid is removed from the eligibility line, because it can be tested under Criminal Law and Practice in FLK2; and contract terms are now split into interpretation and classification (conditions, warranties and innominate terms). FLK2 has more detail on wills (knowledge and approval, the burden of proof when challenging validity, the methods of revocation), grants of representation, and trusts (the rule in Re Rose, the rule in Strong v Bird and Choithram v Pagarani, and knowing receipt and dishonest assistance). The SRA also confirmed that where a tax question needs a particular rate, threshold, exemption or relief value, it will be provided. Read the SRA's full list of changes against your revision notes.

How to revise for the new format

Plan your revision in the same blocks as the sessions. For FLK1, treat Business, Dispute Resolution and Legal Services as one block and Tort, Contract and the Legal System as another, and do the same for the two FLK2 blocks. Practise in mixed sets within a block, because that is how a session will feel. Keep ethics in every block, since it can be asked anywhere. Do at least a few timed runs of 85 questions in 2 hours 33 minutes (about 1 minute 48 seconds per question) so the pace is familiar. Our FLK1 subjects and FLK2 subjects pages list every practice question by subject, the mini tests give you short mixed sets, and our SQE1 revision timetable shows how to work back from your exam date.

Dates and booking for January 2027

FLK1 runs from 11 to 15 January 2027 and FLK2 from 18 to 22 January 2027. Online booking for anyone who did not complete a seat reservation form opens at 10am on 19 November 2026 and closes at 5pm on 23 November 2026, and seats are limited. Rescheduling is open over the same dates. The SRA strongly recommends completing the seat reservation process rather than relying on direct booking. See SQE1 exam dates and the SRA's own pages before you act, because deadlines can change.

Keep practising

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Sources

SRA: Important changes to SQE1 for January 2027 onwards
SRA: SQE1 Annex 4, FLK blueprint
SRA: SQE changes (Sept 2026)
SRA: January 2027 SQE1 booking