Published 14 October 2026. Based on our review of 12 SQE1 products that advertise AI features, carried out in October 2026, and on the published research linked at the end.
A new SQE1 question bank seems to appear every week. Many are built around AI: an AI tutor, AI explanations, or thousands of AI-generated questions, sometimes from a website that is only a few months old. Cheap practice questions sound like good news for candidates facing a £2,006 exam. But a question bank is only worth paying for if the questions are right, current and as demanding as the real exam. This guide explains what to check before you pay, and why an unreviewed AI question bank is no better than asking a free chatbot to write questions for you.
- We looked at 12 SQE1 products that advertise AI tutors, AI explanations or AI-generated questions. Several launched in 2026. None named a qualified solicitor who writes or reviews its questions.
- Review takes time that new products rarely have. Checking 5,000 questions properly at 10 minutes each is over 800 hours of expert work, before any rewriting.
- The research is clear: AI-written multiple-choice questions contain more errors, test lower-order skills and are easier than expert-written ones. Every study we found says they need expert review.
- The real exam is human-written. Kaplan says solicitors write and review every SQE question and that no AI-generated question has been used in any SQE assessment.
- The SRA does not approve any prep materials. "SRA-aligned" is a description a provider chooses for itself, not a stamp of approval.
- Use our two-minute check below before you buy any question bank, AI-based or not.
The new wave of AI SQE1 question banks
In October 2026 we reviewed 12 SQE1 products that advertise AI features, reading only what each product says about itself on its own website. We quote each of them, in their own words, in the next section. The point of this guide is still a method you can apply to any product, including ones that launch next week. What we found:
- Many are new. Several of the websites were registered or publicly launched in 2026, and some only months ago.
- The volumes are large. Claims ranged from a few hundred questions to tens of thousands, and some advertise "unlimited" questions generated on demand. Several gave different question counts in different places on their own sites.
- The AI is described in different ways. Some say AI drafts the questions and a person reviews them. Some describe automated quality checks. Some advertise an AI tutor or AI-written explanations and say nothing about who wrote the questions.
- Names are missing. None of the 12 named a qualified solicitor who writes or reviews its questions. Where people are named, they are founders, tutors or recent candidates, not credited question reviewers.
- The exam-likeness claims are self-awarded. "SRA-aligned", "mirrors the real exam" and "written the way the SRA writes them" were common. None of these are SRA terms.
Some of these products may be carefully checked behind the scenes. The issue is that, from the outside, you cannot tell, and a candidate deciding where to spend months of revision deserves to know.
The SRA does not regulate, endorse, accredit or recommend SQE training providers, and it does not review or approve any training courses or materials. Its own guidance tells candidates to check a provider's content against what the SQE actually tests. A product calling itself "SRA-aligned" is making its own claim.
What 12 SQE1 products say about themselves
We checked the websites of 12 SQE1 products that advertise AI features on 14 October 2026. The table quotes only what each product says about itself, word for word, so you can compare like with like. We have not assessed the quality of any product's questions. Wording may have changed since we checked; follow the links to see the current version.
| Product | What it says about AI | What it says about who writes or reviews questions | Questions claimed |
|---|---|---|---|
| SQE1 Prep sqe1prep.co.uk | "We use AI as a drafting tool" (AI policy) | "every batch is reviewed against source"; "Built by people who sat the exam". No reviewer named. | 4,400+ |
| SQEase sqease.uk | "questions, explanations and Lex responses are generated by AI models" | "No person reviews each question before you see it." | 4,735 |
| Law Drills practiceworks.io/lawdrills | "AI-Native SQE Prep"; "The tutor will also craft personalised questions, specifically created for you."; lists OpenAI as "Lead tutor & content creator" | "Every question is written to the official SRA syllabus and expert guidelines, then put through automated quality checks before it reaches you." | "Unlimited practice questions" |
| LexIQ lexiq.co.uk | "Thousands of AI-generated SQE1 MCQs" | "Designed by a practicing barrister" (unnamed) | "Thousands" |
| Your Legal Ladder yourlegalladder.com | "Much of the content on YourLegalLadder is generated or assisted by AI." | "carefully curated and reviewed for accuracy". No reviewer named. | 2,500+ |
| OpenExamPrep open-exam-prep.com | "AI-generated questions" (Quiz Me feature) | Terms: materials "have not been vetted, reviewed, or approved by" any certification body | 125+ |
| Kinnu Law kinnu.xyz | "a bespoke AI model … produces questions" | "multiple layers of human review by recent exam passers, top tutors and legal experts". No reviewer named. | Over 3,000 |
| Applaa applaa.com | "Every question comes with an AI-written explanation" | Not stated | 10,000+ |
| Ant Law antlaw.ai | "24/7 AI Q&A Support … separate from our professionally written practice questions" | "All questions created by legal professionals with extensive SQE teaching and examination experience". No one named. | 14,000+ (also "5,000+ FLK1" and "5,000+ FLK2") |
| CELE SQE celebar.com | "an AI tutor in 53 languages" | "written by solicitors"; FAQ: "created by qualified solicitors and legal education experts". No one named. | 10,000+ |
| Lawdojo lawdojo.co.uk | "An AI tutor on every question" | "built by a common law qualified lawyer and legal professionals". No one named. | 2,263 |
| The Qualified Path thequalifiedpath.co.uk | "AI-generated daily schedule". No AI claim about its questions. | "Written independently". No author named. | Not stated |
Source: each product's own website, checked 14 October 2026. Quotes are copied word for word; "…" marks words we left out.
Read side by side, the differences are clear. Some products say plainly that AI generates their questions, and one says no person reviews each question before you see it. Others say people write or review them, but none of the 12 names the qualified solicitor who does. Before you pay, ask any of them, including us, who wrote and checked each question.
Is a paid AI question bank better than free ChatGPT?
If a product's questions are generated by a general-purpose AI model from a syllabus topic, and no qualified person checks each question before you see it, you are getting much the same thing you could get by typing "write me ten SQE1 questions on easements" into a free chatbot. The paid version may look tidier, track your scores and put the questions in a timed interface. The underlying risks are identical:
| Free chatbot | Unreviewed AI question bank | Expert-written and reviewed questions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who decides the law is correct? | The model | The model | A qualified person |
| Law checked against a cut-off date? | No | Usually not stated | Should be |
| Five plausible options, one best answer? | Sometimes | Sometimes | Checked for each question |
| Difficulty matched to the exam? | Tends to be easier | Tends to be easier | Calibrated by people who know the standard |
| Explanations checked? | No | Usually not stated | Yes |
| Price | Free | Paid | Paid |
That is why we say an unreviewed AI bank is no better than a free chatbot. With the chatbot, at least, you know nobody has checked the answers.
The review maths: why "thousands of questions in weeks" is a warning sign
Reviewing an SQE1-style question properly means reading the scenario, confirming the law at the right date, checking that the best answer really is the best, making sure each of the four wrong options is plausible but wrong, and checking the explanation. Ten minutes per question is a conservative estimate for an experienced reviewer.
| Questions | One reviewer, 10 min each | Working weeks (37.5 hours) | Three reviewers per question, as Kaplan describes for the real exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | 167 hours | 4.4 weeks | 500 hours |
| 5,000 | 833 hours | 22 weeks | 2,500 hours |
| 20,000 | 3,333 hours | 89 weeks | 10,000 hours |
Our calculation, before any rewriting of questions that fail review, and before the law changes and they need checking again.
So when a website a few months old offers tens of thousands of questions, it is fair to ask how many people reviewed them, and when. A provider that has done the work will be happy to tell you.
What the research says about AI-written questions
We found no published study of AI-written law exam questions. There is a growing body of research in medical education, where exams use the same single best answer format, and it points one way.
- Around half had writing flaws, and one in five had errors. A 2025 study in Advances in Physiology Education found item-writing flaws in 49% of 65 ChatGPT-written practice questions and factual or conceptual errors in 22%. The authors said the approach works only when supervised by a subject expert trained in question writing.
- Easier and shallower. A 2025 study in BMC Medical Education compared 100 ChatGPT-4o questions with 100 written by experts for a high-stakes emergency medicine exam. The AI questions were easier, tested mainly recall and understanding rather than application and analysis, and had more factual errors (6% against 4%), more irrelevant questions (6% against 0%) and more questions at the wrong difficulty (14% against 1%).
- Faulty questions every time. A 2024 systematic review in the same journal found that every included study reported AI-generated questions that were faulty or unsuitable for exams.
The "easier" finding is the one that should worry SQE1 candidates most. If your practice questions are easier than the exam, your practice scores will tell you that you are ready before you are. In July 2026, the typical first-time SQE1 candidate finished just below the pass mark.
Six flaws to look for in a practice question
You can spot most weak questions yourself. Here is an example we wrote to show the common problems, on a topic where the law changed recently. It is deliberately flawed; do not learn from it.
A landlord in England let a house to a tenant on an assured shorthold tenancy in 2024. The landlord now wants the property back but has no particular reason. Which notice should the landlord serve?
A. A section 21 notice
B. A section 8 notice
C. A notice to quit under the Law of Property Act 1925
D. A court summons
E. No notice is needed
Answer given: A.
- Out-of-date law. Section 21 "no fault" possession notices were abolished for private tenancies in England from 1 May 2026 under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, and existing assured shorthold tenancies became assured periodic tenancies. A model trained on older material will happily keep teaching the old rule.
- Recall, not application. The scenario gives almost no facts to work with. Real SQE1 questions make you apply the rule to a client's situation.
- Implausible options. "A court summons" and "No notice is needed" are throwaway options nobody would choose. In the real exam, all five options should look plausible to a weak candidate.
- Invented or mangled law. Option C attaches a real-sounding notice to the wrong statute. AI tools regularly invent section numbers, cases and procedures that sound right.
- Two arguable answers. Depending on the date and facts, more than one option could be argued. A good question has one best answer that an expert can defend line by line.
- The wrong difficulty. Even when it is correct, a question like this is easier than the exam, so getting it right tells you little.
If several questions in a free trial show these signs, the rest of the bank probably does too.
The two-minute check before you pay
Ask these questions of any SQE1 question bank, AI-based or not. A good provider will answer most of them on its website.
- Who wrote the questions? Are authors named, and what are their qualifications?
- Who reviewed them? Is each question checked by a qualified person before it goes live, or only "batches" or a "sample"?
- Is AI used, and for what? Drafting, explanations, tutoring? If AI drafts questions, what happens to each one before you see it?
- As at what date was the law checked? SQE1 tests the law in force four calendar months before the assessment window. Does the provider say which sitting the bank is updated for?
- How are errors handled? Can you report a mistake, and does a person reply?
- Does it follow the January 2027 format? 170 questions per paper in two sessions of 85, with fixed subjects per session.
- Does it cover ethics and Solicitors Accounts properly? Ethics runs through every session; accounts sit in the property and wills session.
- How old is the product, and does its question count add up? Compare the launch date with the number of questions using the review maths above.
- Are the free questions as hard as the official samples? Try ten of each. If the product's feel noticeably easier, its scores will flatter you.
- What does it promise? Be wary of pass guarantees and "SRA-approved" wording: the SRA does not approve prep materials.
Red flags and green flags
No named authors or reviewers. "Unlimited" or tens of thousands of questions from a new site. Inconsistent question counts. No date for the law. Explanations that cite cases or sections you cannot find. Questions noticeably easier than the SRA samples. "SRA-approved" or "guaranteed pass".
Named, qualified people behind the content. Every question reviewed before release. A stated law cut-off or sitting. A working error-report process with human replies. Questions as demanding as the official samples. Clear statements of what the product does not cover.
Already bought an AI question bank? How to use it safely
- Use it for recall, not readiness. Quick-fire drilling can help memory. Do not use its scores to decide whether to book.
- Check every explanation that surprises you against the SQE1 assessment specification, legislation.gov.uk or gov.uk.
- Keep an error log. Note each question you think is wrong and why. If the log grows quickly, stop relying on the bank.
- Benchmark against the official samples. The SRA's 220 sample questions, 50 of them used in previous exams, are your yardstick.
- Sit full, timed mocks from an expert-written source before you book, in the January 2027 format.
How FQPS Academy writes its questions
Every FQPS Academy question, explanation and revision card is written and reviewed by legal experts before any student sees it. Our questions follow the SRA's single best answer format and the SQE1 assessment specification, and our full mocks use the January 2027 format of two 85-question sessions per paper. We think candidates should hold every provider, including us, to the checklist above.
The bottom line
AI has made it cheap to produce SQE1 questions in bulk. It has not made it cheap to check them. On exam day you will face questions written by solicitors, reviewed by more solicitors and standard-set by a solicitor panel. Before you pay for any question bank, find out who wrote and checked its questions, and when. If nobody can tell you, you are better off saving your money and using the official samples.
Try expert-written SQE1 questions free
Create a free FQPS account and sit one full FLK1 and one full FLK2 mock in the January 2027 format (2 × 85 questions each). No card needed.
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AI-generated SQE1 questions: FAQs
Are AI-generated SQE1 question banks worth buying?
Only if each question has been checked by a qualified person before you see it, and the provider tells you who did that and when the law was last checked. If questions are generated by a general AI model and not individually reviewed, you are paying for much the same output a free chatbot would give you, with the same risk of errors, out-of-date law and questions that are easier than the exam.
Which SQE1 question banks say they use AI-generated questions?
On their own websites, checked on 14 October 2026: SQEase says "questions, explanations and Lex responses are generated by AI models" and that "No person reviews each question before you see it"; LexIQ advertises "Thousands of AI-generated SQE1 MCQs"; Your Legal Ladder says "Much of the content on YourLegalLadder is generated or assisted by AI"; Law Drills describes itself as "AI-Native SQE Prep"; SQE1 Prep says it uses "AI as a drafting tool" and that "every batch is reviewed against source"; and Kinnu Law says a bespoke AI model produces its questions before human review. None of the 12 products we checked names the qualified solicitor who writes or reviews its questions.
Are AI-generated SQE questions accurate?
Not reliably. Research on AI-written multiple-choice questions found factual or conceptual errors in around one in five questions and item-writing flaws in around half, and found AI questions easier and more recall-based than expert-written ones. Every study we found concluded that expert review is needed before students use them.
Are real SQE1 exam questions written by AI?
No. Kaplan, which runs the SQE for the SRA, has said its solicitors write, edit and review SQE questions, with a minimum of three solicitors of England and Wales involved in each review, and that it has not used any AI-generated questions in any SQE assessment.
Does the SRA approve SQE question banks or prep courses?
No. The SRA says it does not regulate, endorse, accredit or recommend training providers and does not review or approve any training courses or materials. Terms such as "SRA-aligned" or "SRA-style" are a provider's own description, not SRA approval.
How can I tell if an SQE question bank is good?
Check who wrote and reviewed the questions and their qualifications, whether AI is used and how its output is checked, the date the law was last checked, how errors are reported and fixed, whether it follows the January 2027 format, and whether its free questions are as demanding as the SRA's official sample questions.
Is it a problem if practice questions are easier than the real SQE1?
Yes. Practice scores on easier questions overstate how ready you are, and the typical first-time SQE1 candidate in July 2026 finished just below the pass mark. Judge readiness on questions at least as demanding as the official samples, sat timed in the real format.
Where can I find reliable free SQE1 questions?
Start with the SRA's 220 official sample questions on the SQE website, 50 of which were used in previous exam papers. Our guide to free SQE1 sample questions lists other free sources, and a free FQPS account includes a full FLK1 and FLK2 mock in the January 2027 format.
Is FQPS Academy content AI-generated?
No. Every FQPS Academy question, explanation and revision card is written and reviewed by legal experts before students see it.
Sources
- FQPS check of 12 SQE1 products that advertise AI tutors, AI explanations or AI-generated questions, based on each product's own website, checked 14 October 2026; quoted word for word in the table above.
- SRA, SQE trademark, updated 28 January 2026, and Choosing an SQE training provider, updated 28 January 2026.
- Legal Cheek, Kaplan's use of AI for SQE 'question development' comes under scrutiny amid US Bar row, 25 April 2025.
- Camarata T et al., LLM-generated multiple choice practice quizzes for pre-clinical medical students: prevalence of item writing flaws, Advances in Physiology Education 49(3), 2025, doi:10.1152/advan.00106.2024.
- Law AK et al., AI versus human-generated multiple-choice questions for medical education, BMC Medical Education 25:208, 2025.
- Artsi Y et al., Large language models for generating medical examinations: systematic review, BMC Medical Education 24:354, 2024.
- GOV.UK, Implementing the Renters' Rights Act 2025: our roadmap.
- SRA, SQE update, December 2025 (sample questions), and SQE update, September 2026 (January 2027 format).
- SQE website, How much does the SQE cost?, and SQE1 statistical report, July 2026, via sqe.sra.org.uk/sqe-results/reports.
The SQE and SOLICITORS QUALIFYING EXAMINATION trade marks are the property of and are used under licence from the Solicitors Regulation Authority. FQPS Academy is an independent SQE preparation provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the SRA or Kaplan. This article is general information, not legal or regulatory advice. Our product review reflects what providers said on their websites in October 2026 and may have changed since.
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