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SQE at BPP or College Legal Practice?

Hey everyone,

I recently completed my LLB at a university that's not part of the Russell Group, and unfortunately, I haven't secured a training contract. However, I'm determined to kickstart my preparation for the SQE early next year.

I've been looking into the College Legal Practice as a potential option, but I haven't been able to find any feedback from students beyond what's on their website. If anyone here has taken their SQE prep courses, I'd love to hear about your experiences!
On a related note, I'm also considering the BPP, SQE/LLM preparation course. Has anyone here attended their online or in-person classes? I'm particularly curious whether attending the course online would make me miss out on any important interactions or resources compared to in-person instruction. I'd also appreciate any comments or insights you can provide about the Sqe prep course or the provider.

Thank you

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 1

17Student17

I think BPP online as long as you have the self discipline to attend every class and do the homework and sessions should be fine compared with in person. I do think attending the LPC in person for the core modules can be more helpful for some people. I think the materials will be pretty much identical and plenty of people miss classes and watch them later online which they shouldn't but they still pass if are academically able. I don't know about the College of LP. The City Consortium firms are putting their future trainees in for the BPP SQE enhanced course for SQE1 and 2.

Reply 2

DPAbel

I'm studying a part time LLM at the College of Legal Practice (CoLP), which includes SQE prep. So far, I've completed SQE1 (passed) and sat SQE2 (results on 22nd Aug). I've found them to be pretty good and felt prepared for both exams. I've included some brief notes about each SQE prep course and their LLM to hopefully help you when deciding.

SQE1

All content was structured on an online calendar. Each week I had up to 6 units of structured self-study. Each unit contained a video or podcast, reading, an activity and practice SQE1 questions. In addition I had up to 2 surgeries (like a seminar) for 30 minutes to discuss with subject experts. Throughout the course I also sat timed mock exams building up in the amount of questions assessed.

CoLP provided printed manuals covering all the assessment specification for SQE1 as well as digital copies.

At the end of the module we had an SQE1 mock exam, which formed the LLM grade for that module.

SQE2

This module was much more practice-based to build on the skills assessed in SQE2. Each skill and practice area combination that could come up in the exam was covered in structured self-study. For each combination there was a demonstration of the skill, two activities to help you build the skill, and practice exam questions. In addition, for each combination I had an assessed exam question and feedback from a subject expert. This was graded in the same way as SQE2 and meant I had weekly meetings to discuss my progress and ask any questions about each practice area/skill. At the end, we had a mini-SQE2 exam which formed the LLM grade for that module.

To keep up with your legal knowledge, you also have access to their SQE1 content.

LLM

So far, I've done their Dispute Resolution and Employment Law modules. Both modules were heavily practice-focused. Each week I had to submit practical tasks based on a fictional case. I then had weekly feedback to discuss the work. The tasks were then submitted as a portfolio which formed 60% of the module grade. I also completed a reflective diary for 20% and an oral assessment for the final 20%.

I've enjoyed the LLM tasks as they've helped to broaden knowledge & understanding of practice (in areas I do and don't cover in my own work). It also helps to have that chance to discuss issues in practice with subject experts who are themselves working in practice.

Review of CoLP

I've really enjoyed my time with CoLP so far. They've been incredibly supportive throughout. I chose them for three reasons:

1. Online (I needed online study that was flexible with my full time job)
2. Cost (I am relying on the postgraduate loan for tuition and SQE exam fees as my employer cannot contribute)
3. Support (I liked their focus on having regular contact with a tutor)

The one negative experience I have had has been the flexibility of timings. Most of their contact time with tutors have been during the work day. However, I have to say they've usually been able to juggle times for me when it has clashed with something. I've made sure to discuss any issues with my employers and they've been quite flexible for me when needed. I cannot fault their willingness to listen and look for solutions.

Hope this helps! I'm happy to answer any questions about SQE or my prep course experience. Good luck in choosing the right provider for you if you're still searching :smile:

Reply 3

BDP123

Hi there,

I echo the above comments from DPAbel. I study with COLP (part-time) and they have been fantastic!

The content is pitched at exactly the right level, there are lots of practice questions and everyone has a personal tutor. It is fast-paced, but as long as you keep up with the work an dedicate the right amount of hours, I am certain you will do well :smile:

For me, the key difference between COLP and other providers is the support COLP offers. All of the staff are so friendly an are very responsive. My personal tutor was great at helping me work through the course.

I definitely recommend COLP. Perhaps attend one of their virtual open evenings?

Many thanks,
Ben