The SRA publishes 220 free SQE1 sample questions, and several prep providers add free questions, mocks or daily sets. The 130 newer SRA questions show the share of real candidates who answered each one correctly, which makes them a free benchmark. Below are the free sources as published on 26 October 2026, and a routine to use them.
What the SRA gives you free
The SRA's SQE1 sample questions page holds 220 questions in two sets. The original 90 (45 for each paper) came out before the first sitting in November 2021. The pre-tested 130 (65 for each paper) have all been used in live SQE1 assessments, and the SRA chose them to be representative in difficulty and length. Both sets are free, in English and Welsh, online and as PDFs.
Two limits matter. First, the SRA says the samples "are not designed to be a full mock exam" and do not cover every topic. Second, they do not explain the answers. Online, you see the correct letter and, for the pre-tested set, a line such as "Candidates who answered correctly: 53%" (FLK1 question 46). Why the other four options fail is left to you.
The SRA also links a free demonstration of the exam software on Pearson VUE. Use it once, so the screen is familiar on the day.
How do you use the SRA samples as a benchmark?
Use the pre-tested set's candidate scores to decide which of your mistakes to fix first. A question that most real candidates got right, and you got wrong, is a gap that will cost you marks. A question that most candidates got wrong is less urgent.
- Sit the 65 pre-tested questions for one paper closed book, in 117 minutes. That is the January 2027 pace of 108 seconds a question (our arithmetic from the SRA's 85 questions in 153 minutes).
- Mark it, and next to each question you got wrong, write the SRA's percentage.
- Sort your misses into three groups: 60% or more of candidates got it right (fix these first), 40 to 59% (fix next), under 40% (hard for most people; review last).
- Compare your overall score with the cohort's: on average, 57.0% of candidates answered the FLK1 set correctly and 49.2% the FLK2 set.
Those averages are not pass marks. The SRA's Assessment Board sets a pass mark for each paper at each sitting.
Other free SQE1 questions, as each provider describes them
Several SQE1 providers offer something free. The table lists each offer in the provider's own words, read on 26 October 2026, alphabetically. It is not a ranking, and we have not tested these products. Offers change, so check the linked page before you sign up. Neither the SRA nor Kaplan accredits or endorses any training provider.
| Provider | What is free, as the provider states it |
|---|---|
| ActusPrep | 100 diagnostic questions across FLK1 and FLK2, and study guides |
| Barex | A preview with one topic pack per subject, one FLK session mock and capped AI tutor use |
| FQPS | Two full mocks, one FLK1 and one FLK2, each 2 × 85 questions |
| Law Drills | 30 question credits in selected subjects |
| Lawdojo | A 25-question diagnostic with a worked answer for each, and 10 AI tutor messages |
| LexVerity | The first section of each of 13 subjects with its question bank; no mocks |
| QLTS School | Two mock tests of 50 questions, one for FLK1 and one for FLK2, plus sample material |
| Solon Prep | 400+ questions: 250 practice questions plus a timed mock session |
| SQE Daily | One question a day by email, with a worked answer |
| SQE Samurai | 240+ practice questions across 12 units |
| SQE1 Prep | Five practice questions a day, a 20-question readiness quiz and the first topic of each subject |
Together with the SRA's 220, that is enough free material for a full routine. For what the paid versions cost, see our dated table of SQE1 prep prices.
Three checks for any free question
Free questions vary, so check three things before you rely on a set. Before you pay for a bank, use our fuller list of eight checks for any SQE1 question bank.
- The format. From January 2027, each paper is 170 questions in two sessions of 85, each with its own subjects. Some free material still describes 180-question papers with 90-question sessions. That changes your pace, so prefer mocks built as 2 × 85 (what changed in January 2027).
- The law date. The January 2027 sitting examines law and practice up to and including 11 September 2026. A question written to older law can teach you the wrong answer.
- The explanations. A question that explains only the right option teaches half the lesson. In single best answer questions, the marks are won by knowing why the near-miss options fail.
How many practice questions should you do for SQE1?
The SRA does not set a number of practice questions, and no number on its own predicts a pass. The January 2027 exam is 340 questions across two papers. Between 26 October 2026 and FLK1 on 11 January 2027 there are 11 weeks: five questions a day comes to 385, and 20 a day to 1,540 (our arithmetic).
What you do with each question matters more than the total. A question you answer, check and forget teaches little. A question where you say why each wrong option fails, then write the rule down, teaches you the rule and the trap. In my view, a smaller number reviewed properly beats a larger number skimmed. The one volume target worth keeping: sit at least one timed 85-question session for each paper before January, so the pace of 108 seconds a question is familiar.
A free routine for the 11 weeks to January
This routine uses only free material and fits the January 2027 sitting. FLK1 runs from 11 to 15 January and FLK2 from 18 to 22 January 2027.
- Week 1: work through the SRA's 90 original questions, untimed, to learn the style. Start an error log: the subject, the rule you missed, and why the wrong option tempted you.
- Every day: a short set of five to 20 questions from a free bank, aimed at your weakest subjects. Before you check the answer, say why each wrong option fails.
- Every week: read the error log back. Turn each miss into a one-line rule and find it in the SQE1 Assessment Specification.
- Around week 5: run the benchmark above on the 130 pre-tested questions, one paper at a time, and re-aim the daily sets at your "most candidates got it right" misses.
- Weeks 6 to 10: at least one free timed session of 85 questions for each paper, using a provider's free mock.
- Week 11: re-sit the SRA questions you got wrong, read the error log once more, and rest before 11 January.
SQEase's free plan
SQEase, the platform I run, has a permanent free plan, so this section is about our own product. It gives five SQE1-style questions a day, reset at midnight UK time, and every answer explains the correct option and each wrong one. You also get 15 messages a day with Lex, our AI tutor, to ask about them, and one free calibration mock when you sign up on sqease.uk. It is closed book and timed, and the result shows each paper and each subject.
When we designed the free plan, we made its first two weeks a sweep: 70 different questions across every subject on both papers, in the proportions the SRA publishes. A diagnostic that skips a subject cannot find a gap in it. From day 15, most of each day's five go to the subjects you get wrong most often. The honest limit: five a day builds a habit, not a full preparation. Pair it with the SRA's samples and a timed session for each paper. The free plan and the paid plans are on our pricing page.
Questions candidates ask
Are the SRA sample questions available as a PDF?
Yes. Both sets are on the SRA's sample questions page as PDFs and online, in English and Welsh. In the PDFs, the pre-tested set's candidate scores are in the answer grid at the end.
Are the SRA samples harder than the real exam?
Slightly, on the SRA's own figures. On average, 53.1% of candidates answered the pre-tested questions correctly, against 56.2% across live SQE1 assessments up to July 2025. The gap is mostly FLK2: 49.2% on the sample set against 54.9% on live papers.
Are the SRA samples up to date for January 2027?
The SRA says the samples always reflect the law examinable in the upcoming sitting. If the law changes in the four months before a sitting, it updates the samples after that sitting. For January 2027, the law cut-off is 11 September 2026.
Do the SRA samples explain the answers?
No. They give the correct option and, for the pre-tested set, the share of candidates who chose it. To learn why the other options fail, work it out against the specification or use a source that explains every option.
How this was written: Finlay Salisbury wrote and edited this post. AI tools helped with research and drafting. Every legal and factual point was checked by him against the linked primary sources. He is not a solicitor, and this is study information, not legal advice.
Disclosure: I run SQEase, a paid SQE1 practice platform, so I have a commercial interest in how candidates prepare. This piece relies on the SRA's published sources, linked throughout, and does not rank or review other providers. SQEase practice questions are written by AI and checked by automated multi-model processes. They are not reviewed by a solicitor and are not SRA or SQE1 exam questions.
