About the Legal & Law tests
~8 min read · Updated April 2026
Becoming a solicitor in England and Wales now runs through the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE), the standardised assessment that replaced the GDL/LPC route in 2021. SQE1 is two long single-best-answer papers (FLK1 and FLK2) testing functioning legal knowledge across the full curriculum. LNAT remains the front door for several leading law schools, and a working knowledge of the UK legal system is now expected at interview by any decent City or regional firm.
Our free legal mocks mirror the official SRA format for SQE1, the National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT) multiple-choice format, and the kind of UK Legal System quizzes used by chambers and law firms at first-stage screening. UK English, current procedural rules and the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 throughout.
What the tests actually involve
SQE1 is sat over two days. FLK1 and FLK2 each contain 180 single-best-answer questions over five hours (with a break in the middle). The pass mark is set per sitting using a modified Angoff method, typically around 55–60%.
LNAT is in two parts: a 95-minute multiple-choice section with 42 questions across 12 passages, and a 40-minute essay. Universities use the multiple-choice score plus the essay quality to decide interview offers.
UK Legal System quizzes used at firm screening are usually 20–30 short questions covering courts, sources of law, key statutes and basic procedural concepts.
What's covered
FLK1: business law and practice, dispute resolution, contract, tort, the legal system, constitutional law and the legal services regulatory framework.
FLK2: property practice, wills and the administration of estates, solicitors accounts, land law, trusts, and criminal law and practice.
LNAT: argument analysis, inference, assumptions and reasoning across passages from law, philosophy, ethics, science and current affairs.
UK Legal System: the structure of the courts, civil and criminal jurisdiction, the doctrine of precedent, primary and secondary legislation, the role of the Supreme Court since 2009 and the Civil Procedure Rules 1998.
How to study and pass first time
For SQE1, practice under timed conditions is non-negotiable — 1 minute 40 seconds per question for 180 questions in one sitting tests stamina as much as knowledge.
For LNAT, the multiple-choice section rewards careful reading. Always answer based strictly on what the passage says, never on what you happen to know to be true.
For UK Legal System knowledge, learn the court hierarchy first — Magistrates and County (first instance), Crown and High Court (intermediate), Court of Appeal, Supreme Court (since October 2009).
Common mistakes to avoid
Confusing the burden of proof in civil cases (balance of probabilities) with the criminal standard (beyond reasonable doubt).
On SQE1, getting tripped up by single-best-answer phrasing. Often more than one option is technically correct — pick the one that is most precisely correct.
Forgetting that the Supreme Court replaced the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords in October 2009 — older textbooks still refer to 'the Lords' as the apex court.
Why active practice testing works
SQE1 single-best-answer is a format most candidates have never sat before. Mocks build pattern recognition for the question style, not just the content.
Each SQE1 sitting costs £2,108 in 2026, with a re-sit costing the full fee again. Free practice is one of the highest-return revision activities in UK legal training.
For LNAT, raw IQ helps but practice helps more — most candidates who hit the top band have done at least three full mocks under timed conditions.
Booking and what to expect
SQE1 books through the SRA's online portal once or twice a year, typically January and July sittings, at Pearson VUE centres worldwide.
LNAT books through the official LNAT site between August and June for the following admissions cycle. The fee is £75 in the UK / EU and £120 elsewhere.
For SQE1, expect a long day with a strict break schedule. Phones, watches and any personal items go in lockers; only ID, water and Pearson VUE-issued scratch paper are allowed at the workstation.