The short version
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination has two stages: SQE1, which tests Functioning Legal Knowledge across thirteen subjects, and SQE2, which tests practical legal skills. If you are already qualified as a lawyer in another jurisdiction, the SRA can exempt you from SQE1, SQE2, or in some cases both.
An exemption is a recognition that you have already demonstrated, elsewhere, what that part of the SQE is designed to test. It is not a shortcut, and it is not automatic.
Who can apply
Exemptions are open only to qualified lawyers. The SRA defines that as someone who holds a professional legal qualification conferring rights to practise — in England and Wales, elsewhere in the United Kingdom, or abroad.
This is the point most people get wrong. A law degree, however good, is not a professional qualification conferring rights to practise. An LL.B or an LL.M on its own will not support an exemption application.
What the SRA is actually assessing
The question is not how impressive your qualification is. It is whether your qualification and experience match the content and standard of the SQE assessment you want to skip. That is a mapping exercise, and the burden of showing the match is entirely on you.
For an individual assessment exemption the SRA typically wants:
- evidence your skills meet the solicitor statement of competence at level three;
- work samples, appropriately redacted — attendance notes, client correspondence;
- detailed references from your supervisors confirming and corroborating the work experience you rely on.
Who decides
The SRA, and only the SRA. It is responsible for deciding whether a candidate is exempt and which part of the SQE, if any, an exemption applies to. Applications are assessed by the SRA and, where applicable, by an external assessor. No adviser, tutor, agent or course provider can grant an exemption or influence the decision.
How long it takes
The SRA states it will decide within 180 days of receiving a fully completed application, provided all mandatory evidence and documentation are included. Agreed exemptions are often decided considerably faster. The single biggest cause of delay is an incomplete evidence bundle.
Three mistakes that sink applications
- Applying after a failure. You cannot apply for an exemption from an assessment you have failed or are awaiting results for. The SRA treats a fail as clear evidence the standard has not been met; you must resit and pass.
- Asserting experience instead of evidencing it. "I have ten years in commercial litigation" is not evidence. Redacted work samples and corroborating supervisor references are.
- Mapping to the wrong thing. Applicants describe their career. The SRA wants the match to the competence standard. Those are different documents.
Not sure how your own qualification reads against the criteria? We advise on SQE exemptions — we assess your position and help you evidence the application you make. The SRA decides the outcome.
What an exemption does not do
An exemption removes an assessment. It does not admit you as a solicitor. You still need to satisfy every other admission requirement, including qualifying work experience and the SRA's character and suitability requirements.
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Last reviewed 2 August 2026. This guide is general information about the SQE qualification process, not legal advice, and not advice on your individual circumstances. LexVerity Legal Ltd is not authorised by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Only the SRA can decide an exemption. Always check the current position on the SRA's own website before you act.