Key facts
- Kaplan makes reasonable adjustments for SQE candidates with a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and considers requests for other conditions case by case (SQE Assessment Regulations, regulation 11).
- For assessments from October 2026, apply and have your adjustment plan arranged before the deadline for the seat reservation form of the sitting you book (check the official website).
- Since June 2025 there is one application and one plan for SQE1 and SQE2, valid for up to two years (check the official website).
- With 25% extra time, an SQE1 session of 85 questions grows from 2 h 33 min to 3 h 11 min 15 s, or 2 min 15 s a question (our calculation).
- The SRA reports no difference in pass rates between candidates who have a reasonable adjustment and those who do not.
Can you get reasonable adjustments for SQE1?
Yes. Kaplan, which delivers the SQE for the SRA, makes reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and considers requests for other conditions case by case. For assessments from October 2026 you must apply and have your plan arranged before the deadline for the seat reservation form of the sitting you book (check the official website). (SRA, SQE Assessment Regulations) (Legal Cheek, 23 February 2026 (secondary source))
If you have dyslexia, ADHD, autism, dyspraxia or another condition that affects how you read, process or sit a timed test, an adjustment is there to remove a disadvantage, not to give you an edge. The SRA reports no difference in pass rates between candidates who have a reasonable adjustment and those who do not. (SRA, SQE – the story so far) Apply early: the deadline is tied to booking your sitting, not to the exam day.
Who can ask for reasonable adjustments?
Under the Equality Act 2010 you have a disability if you have a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. (Equality Act 2010, s 6) “Substantial” means more than minor or trivial (Equality Act 2010, s 212), and an effect is long-term if it has lasted, or is likely to last, at least 12 months or the rest of your life; an effect that is likely to recur is treated as continuing. (Equality Act 2010, Sch 1 para 2)
- Disability: Kaplan will make reasonable adjustments to methods of assessment so that you are not disadvantaged because of it. (SRA, SQE Assessment Regulations)
- Other conditions: Kaplan also considers reasonable requests to accommodate candidates with other conditions, at its discretion and case by case. (SRA, SQE Assessment Regulations) The policy published in February 2026 added guidance for impairments that do not meet the legal threshold, such as an acute injury. (Legal Cheek, 23 February 2026 (secondary source))
- Neurodivergent conditions: Kaplan’s report on candidates with a reasonable adjustment plan for a neurodivergent condition covered autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and combinations of them. (Legal Cheek, 28 January 2026 (secondary source))
You do not have to settle the legal question yourself. Describe what your condition does in a timed, screen-based exam – reading speed, concentration, fatigue, noise, pain – and let your evidence show it.
Which adjustments are available?
| Adjustment | Described for | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Extra time | Neurodivergent candidates; chronic pain; visual impairment. One careers website gives the usual amount as 25% extra time, more where the evidence supports it (check the official website) | (Legal Cheek, 17 June 2025 (secondary source)) (LawCareers.Net, SQE and reasonable adjustments (secondary source)) (AllAboutLaw, how long is the SQE1 exam (secondary source)) |
| More or longer rest breaks | Candidates who tire easily; visual impairment | (AllAboutLaw, how long is the SQE1 exam (secondary source)) (LawCareers.Net, SQE and reasonable adjustments (secondary source)) |
| A separate room | Neurodivergent candidates; visual impairment | (Legal Cheek, 17 June 2025 (secondary source)) (LawCareers.Net, SQE and reasonable adjustments (secondary source)) |
| Screen reader, adjustable font, coloured overlays, enlarged or coloured materials | Visual impairment | (Legal Cheek, 17 June 2025 (secondary source)) (LawCareers.Net, SQE and reasonable adjustments (secondary source)) |
| A reader or a recorder; computer or paper format | Visual impairment; alternative assessment format | (LawCareers.Net, SQE and reasonable adjustments (secondary source)) |
| Medication during the assessment | Chronic pain | (LawCareers.Net, SQE and reasonable adjustments (secondary source)) |
| FLK1 and FLK2 in different assessment windows | Where your adjustments allow it (normally both papers are sat in one window) | (SRA, SQE Assessment Regulations) |
These are examples, not a menu. The current policy is on the SRA’s SQE website: SQE reasonable adjustments. In April 2026 the SRA added a video that explains which adjustments are available and how to apply. (SRA, SQE Update April 2026)
What does extra time mean in an SQE1 session?
From January 2027 each FLK paper has two sessions of 85 questions in 2 h 33 min, about 1 min 48 s a question. (SRA announcement, 10 September 2026) (SRA, SQE1 sample questions) Extra time changes the pace you practise at:
| Extra time | Session length | Time added | Time per question | 40-question practice set |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | 2 h 33 min | – | 1 min 48 s | 72 min |
| 25% | 3 h 11 min 15 s | 38 min 15 s | 2 min 15 s | 90 min |
| 50% | 3 h 49 min 30 s | 1 h 16 min 30 s | 2 min 42 s | 108 min |
Session length = standard time × (1 + extra time). Enter your adjusted minutes in the exam pace calculator to get checkpoints for your own plan, and check in your plan whether rest breaks sit inside or outside the timed session.
How do you apply, and by when?
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Open your SQE account | Requests are made through your SQE candidate account, which also shows the status of an application, the adjustments agreed and their expiry date. (SRA, SQE Update June 2025) |
| 2. Gather evidence | A report from a disability assessor such as a specialist consultant, GP or occupational health adviser (LawCareers.Net, SQE and reasonable adjustments (secondary source)), and details of adjustments you had during your education or training (Legal Cheek, 23 February 2026 (secondary source)). The SRA has information for disability assessors you can pass on. |
| 3. Apply once | Since June 2025 the application form asks targeted questions, and there is one application and one plan for SQE1 and SQE2, valid for up to two years (check the official website). (SRA, SQE Update June 2025) |
| 4. Agree the plan in time | Apply and have the plan arranged before the deadline for the seat reservation form of the sitting you book (check the official website). (Legal Cheek, 23 February 2026 (secondary source)) |
| 5. Book and check | Book your sitting, then check before the day that the booking reflects your plan. Raise any gap at once. |
If you need a new report, allow time to get it before the deadline. A plan you already hold may expire before your resit or SQE2, so check the expiry date in your account whenever you book.
Do adjustments change your chances?
Kaplan’s report on SQE sittings between September 2024 and July 2025 covered more than 1,500 (check the official website) candidates with a plan for a neurodivergent condition. (SRA, SQE Update February 2026) Among first-time sitters, their pass rates were slightly higher than those of other candidates:
| Paper | Plan for a neurodivergent condition | Other candidates |
|---|---|---|
| FLK1 | 64.7% (check the official website) | 60.5% (check the official website) |
| FLK2 | 62.4% (check the official website) | 57.6% (check the official website) |
Source: (Legal Cheek, 28 January 2026 (secondary source)) The report cautions that the group is not fully representative of all candidates in age, ethnicity, sex and socio-economic background; the SRA concludes that these candidates are not disadvantaged by the SQE. (Legal Cheek, 28 January 2026 (secondary source)) The figures do not show that adjustments raise scores. The process itself still needs work: feedback from candidates with reasonable adjustments remained below overall satisfaction in 2024/25, although scores for the application process, the information given and adjustments matching the plan rose. (SRA, SQE quality assurance report 2024-25)
What if your adjustments are missing on the day?
- Before you start: if you made a request and present yourself for the assessment, you are treated as having accepted that suitable adjustments were offered, and you make a declaration to that effect. (SRA, SQE Assessment Regulations) So raise anything that does not match your plan with the test centre staff before the session starts.
- During or after: a mistake or irregularity in how the assessment was run is a mitigating circumstance if it materially and adversely affected your performance. (SRA, SQE Assessment Regulations) Note the times and what happened, then claim by 4pm on the fifth working day after your booked assessment day, for each FLK paper separately (check the official website).
Our SQE1 exam day checklist covers the rest of the day.
How can you revise in a way that fits your plan?
- Practise at your adjusted pace, using the table above, so the timing feels normal by the exam.
- Rehearse with the same tools: if your plan includes a screen reader, overlays or a larger font, use them in practice too.
- Test yourself little and often. A large review of study techniques rated practice testing and spaced practice of high utility, and rereading and highlighting of low utility. (Dunlosky et al., 2013)
- Revise one session’s subjects at a time: from January 2027 each session covers a fixed group of subjects, in random order within the session. (SRA announcement, 10 September 2026) Our guide to how SQE1 is structured lists them.
Can your employer make adjustments too?
If you are working while you qualify, an employer also has a duty to make reasonable adjustments (Equality Act 2010, s 39): to take reasonable steps to avoid a substantial disadvantage that a practice, a physical feature or the lack of an auxiliary aid causes a disabled person. (Equality Act 2010, s 20) If an SQE1 result affects your training contract, see training contracts and failing SQE1.
Common mistakes with SQE adjustments
- Waiting until booking opens to apply.
- Assuming an old plan still runs: check its expiry before every booking.
- Practising only at the standard pace of about 1 min 48 s a question.
- Sitting without your adjustments and raising it only afterwards.
- Leaving out adjustments you had at school or university because they feel like old news.
When should you get support?
- Your GP: if you are struggling to cope with stress, or the things you are trying are not helping. (NHS, stress)
- LawCare: free, confidential support for people in the legal profession by phone, online chat and email. (LawCare, helpline, chat and email support)
- Urgent help: call 999 or go to A&E if a life is at risk; NHS 111 can tell you where to get urgent help, and Samaritans are on 116 123. (NHS, urgent help for mental health) (NHS, stress)
This page is general information, not legal or medical advice.
What this means for you
- Choose your sitting and note its seat reservation deadline.
- Collect your evidence and past adjustments now, then apply once for SQE1 and SQE2.
- Practise at your adjusted pace from the start: begin with the free SQE1 quick test and plan your weeks with the FLK revision planner. Our SQE1 course schedules reviews in short sessions.
- If exam nerves add to the load, our guide to exam anxiety has a plan for before, during and after.
What this page covers
- Last updated
- Based on
- SRA SQE Assessment Regulations; Equality Act 2010; SRA SQE Updates and quality assurance report; dated secondary sources for examples, deadlines and the neurodivergent figures
- Includes
- Who can ask, examples of adjustments, extra time per session, how and when to apply, outcome data, problems on the day, revision, support
- Not included
- The full policy text, seat reservation dates of each sitting, decisions on individual cases, legal or medical advice
Frequently asked questions
Can you get extra time in SQE1 for dyslexia?
Extra time is one of the adjustments that can be agreed for a specific learning difference such as dyslexia. One careers website describes it as usually 25% extra time, more where the evidence supports it (check the official website); the amount in your plan depends on your evidence and is agreed case by case.
Can you get reasonable adjustments for ADHD or autism in the SQE?
Yes, if your condition puts you at a disadvantage in the assessment. Kaplan’s report on neurodivergent candidates covered autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia, with more than 1,500 (check the official website) candidates holding a plan between September 2024 and July 2025.
When do you have to apply for SQE reasonable adjustments?
Under the policy for assessments from October 2026, apply and have your plan arranged before the deadline for the seat reservation form of the sitting you book (check the official website). If you need a new report from an assessor, allow time to get it first.
Do you need to apply again for SQE2 or a resit?
Not usually: since June 2025 there is one application and one plan for SQE1 and SQE2, valid for up to two years (check the official website). Check the expiry date of your plan in your SQE account before every booking.
Do candidates with reasonable adjustments pass less often?
No. The SRA reports no difference in pass rates between candidates with and without a reasonable adjustment. In Kaplan’s report, first-time sitters with a plan for a neurodivergent condition passed FLK1 at 64.7% (check the official website) against 60.5% (check the official website) for other candidates.
What if your adjustments are not in place on the day?
Raise it with the test centre staff before the session starts. A mistake or irregularity in how the assessment was run is a mitigating circumstance if it materially and adversely affected your performance; note what happened and claim by 4pm on the fifth working day after your booked assessment day, for each FLK paper separately (check the official website).
Related tools and pages
Sources
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: SRA SQE Assessment Regulations (regulations 3–7, 9–13 and 15). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: SQE – the story so far: candidates and their characteristics. Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: SQE Update – June 2025 (new reasonable adjustment process and application form) (June 2025). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: SQE Update – February 2026 (new report explores neurodivergent candidates’ performance) (February 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: SQE Update – April 2026 (new video explains SQE reasonable adjustments process) (April 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: SQE Quality Assurance Report 2024-25 (candidate feedback, reasonable adjustments) (21 April 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: Important changes to SQE1 for January 2027 onwards (10 September 2026). Accessed 25 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: SQE1 sample questions. Accessed 21 October 2026.
- The National Archives, legislation.gov.uk: Equality Act 2010, section 6 – Disability. Accessed 25 October 2026.
- The National Archives, legislation.gov.uk: Equality Act 2010, section 212 – General interpretation (“substantial” means more than minor or trivial). Accessed 25 October 2026.
- The National Archives, legislation.gov.uk: Equality Act 2010, Schedule 1, paragraph 2 – Long-term effects. Accessed 25 October 2026.
- The National Archives, legislation.gov.uk: Equality Act 2010, section 39 – Employees and applicants. Accessed 25 October 2026.
- The National Archives, legislation.gov.uk: Equality Act 2010, section 20 – Duty to make adjustments. Accessed 25 October 2026.
- Legal Cheek (legal news, secondary source): SRA tweaks how SQE students apply for reasonable adjustments (17 June 2025). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Legal Cheek (legal news, secondary source): SQE students must apply for reasonable adjustments earlier under new rules (23 February 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Legal Cheek (legal news, secondary source): Neurodivergent students not disadvantaged in the SQE, report finds (28 January 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- LawCareers.Net, Law Business Research (careers website, secondary source): SQE and reasonable adjustments: everything you need to know (17 March 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- AllAboutLaw (careers website, secondary source): How long is the SQE1 exam? (reasonable adjustments: extra time and breaks) (19 November 2025). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J. & Willingham, D. T., Psychological Science in the Public Interest 14(1), 4–58: Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques (2013).
- NHS (nhs.uk): Stress – symptoms, things you can try, and when to get help (GP, NHS talking therapies, NHS 111, Samaritans) (6 March 2026). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- LawCare (mental health charity for the legal sector): Helpline, online chat and email support for anyone in the legal community. Accessed 30 October 2026.
- NHS (nhs.uk): Where to get urgent help for mental health (26 April 2023). Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority (SQE website, delivered by Kaplan): SQE reasonable adjustments: policy, types of adjustment, how to apply.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority (SQE website, delivered by Kaplan): SQE reasonable adjustments: information for disability assessors.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority (SQE website, report by Kaplan): SQE outcomes for neurodivergent candidates with reasonable adjustments (report, 28 January 2026).
- Brigitte's FLK, brigittesflk.com (preparation website, secondary source): SQE Mitigating Circumstances: what counts, evidence and the SQE1 deadline. Accessed 30 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority: SQE Mitigating Circumstances Policy.
High Performer Certs is an independent study platform. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and it is not authorised or accredited by the SRA or the SQE assessment provider. The SQE and SOLICITORS QUALIFYING EXAMINATION trade marks are the property of and are used under licence from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.