Incorporate Review and Practice Cycles

A good study plan isn’t linear; it should be cyclical. Plan to revisit each subject at least 3–4 times before the exam. For instance, you might do an initial learning pass for all subjects in the first two or three months, then a second pass that is more review-focused and practice-heavy, and a final pass in the last month for intensive quizzing and ironing out difficulties.

At the end of each week or each major topic, schedule a short review session.

This could be as simple as spending Sunday afternoons consolidating the material you studied that week: re-reading your summary SQE notes, reviewing flashcards, and—most importantly—re-doing the multiple choice questions you got wrong. Keep a “mistake log” or “review folder” of tricky MCQs and revisit them weekly until you get them right without hesitation. You might also test yourself by explaining the week’s hardest concept aloud or writing a mini-outline from memory.

Additionally, schedule periodic progress checks. Every few weeks, take a set of practice questions or a mock test under timed conditions to assess how you’re doing. The results of these practice tests should actively inform your study plan.

You should cross-reference your performance with your ongoing list of weak topics (as discussed earlier in relation to strategic prioritisation), and use that list to adjust your upcoming schedule.

This ensures you’re not only reinforcing the areas where you’re struggling, but also tracking your progress as items drop off the list.

Regular Self-Assessment

Data from QLTS suggests that the more mock assessments you complete, “the better prepared you’ll be and the higher your chances of success”, with candidates who completed 25 or more SQE1 mock tests achieving a pass rate of 94%, by far exceeding the overall SQE1 pass rate of 53% in July 2023.

Build in time for quizzes or mini-mocks. For example, every Sunday, you might do a 30-question quiz covering everything studied that week (and a few from older topics too).

Track your scores and note which areas are weakest so you can adjust your study plan (spend more time on those areas).

Periodically, perhaps at the midpoint of your prep, take a full-length practice test to gauge your progress and stamina. The earlier you identify weak spots, the more time you have to fix them.

Remember, an important part of time management is making sure you allocate your study hours efficiently – focus more on what you don’t know rather than what’s already comfortable.

Use SQE Mock Exams as Milestones

Mark a couple of dates in your plan for taking practice exams under timed, exam-like conditions to simulate the SQE1 assessment. For instance, schedule a mock exam halfway through your study period and another one about 3-4 weeks before the real exam.

Treat these as you would the actual SQE1: set aside a morning or afternoon, sit down in a quiet space, and attempt a large block of SQE practice questions (SQE1 is typically 180 questions per paper, often done in two 2-hour 33 min sessions on a day, so you might do 90 questions in ~2.5 hours for a realistic trial).

Doing this will not only test your knowledge but also your stamina and timing. After each mock, thoroughly review your performance.

Identify which questions you got wrong and why – was it a lack of knowledge, a misunderstanding of what was asked, or a careless error? Use these insights to adjust your study plan.

For example, if you realise you’re repeatedly missing questions about the Taxation of businesses (perhaps you forgot which taxes apply when), that’s a signal to revisit your Business Law notes on taxation. If you find you ran out of time in the mock, you may need to practice pacing (more on time management in the exam strategy section below).