SQE2 January 2027 Booking: Seat Reservation Form & Dates

Last updated: 9 October 2026. Every date checked against the SRA's January 2027 SQE2 booking pages and its assessment dates and booking windows page.

SQE2 January 2027 booking opens with a three-day window. Seat reservation forms are emailed from 6pm on Tuesday 13 October 2026, and you must complete yours by 5pm on Friday 16 October 2026. Then a second deadline follows: once your payment request arrives, you have 48 hours to pay or the seat is cancelled.

Which SQE2 January 2027 booking route are you on?

Not everyone books the same way. The SRA runs two routes for January 2027, and which one applies depends on where you are in the SQE. You can only book SQE2 once you have passed SQE1 or been granted an exemption from the whole of it.

Route A: passed or exempt from SQE1, or resitting SQE2

You book with the seat reservation form. It is the SRA's "recommended and preferred method", and the rest of this guide is mainly for you. If you are booking on the strength of an SQE1 exemption, make sure it shows as confirmed in your SQE account first. Our SQE exemptions guide and the SQE2 exemption finder explain who qualifies.

Route B: waiting for July 2026 SQE2 results

You have nothing to do in October. Jump to booking a January resit.

Sitting SQE2 in October 2026, or SQE1 in January 2027

January is not open to you, because your results arrive after the January window has finished. SQE2 results take 14 to 18 weeks, so the SRA notes that SQE2 resits are always at least six months apart. If you are sitting SQE1 in January, see our SQE1 January 2027 booking guide instead.

Source: SRA, January 2027 SQE2 booking pages and assessment dates and booking windows, read 9 October 2026.

SQE2 January 2027 key dates and deadlines

All times are UK time. The dates in bold are the ones that can cost you your seat.

1. Sat 26 September 2026Examinable law cut-offYou are assessed on the law as it stood on this date.
2. Tue 13 October 2026, from 6pmSeat reservation forms emailedOnly if your pre-booking steps are complete.
3. Fri 16 October 2026, 5pmForm deadline, and deadline to accept a reasonable adjustment proposal
4. 13 November, 10am to 2 December, 5pmPayment requests emailed: 48 hours to pay each one
5. Tue 17 November 2026July 2026 SQE2 results
6. Thu 3 December, 10am to Fri 4 December, 5pmRescheduling and direct booking of remaining seats; booking closes
7. 26 to 27 or 28 to 29 January 2027Oral assessments (you attend one sitting)
8. 2 to 4 February 2027Written assessments
9. Thu 20 May 2027Results

Source: SRA booking pages and booking windows table, read 9 October 2026. Full dates for every sitting are on our SQE exam dates page.

How big is the January sitting?

January is one of the smaller SQE2 sittings, so there is less competition for oral venues than in April, but also fewer seats.

Source: SRA statistical reports for January 2026 and April 2026. More on our SQE2 pass rates and courses page.

Booking from outside the UK

The UK is still on British Summer Time in mid-October. Convert both times before you plan your week:

If you are in Asia, the form lands overnight. You can complete it the next morning, but do not leave it to the Friday.

Before 13 October: complete your pre-booking steps

For SQE2, the SRA is blunt about what happens if you skip a step:

Log into My SQE and check each of these:

Step 1: your SQE account and email address

If you passed SQE1 you already have an account. Check that its email address is one you read every day: the form, the payment request and every change of plan go there and nowhere else.

Step 2: ID verification

The step most likely to take longer than you expect. Your ID name must match your SQE account exactly. If your ID has expired or your name has changed since SQE1, fix it now. See our SQE ID validation guide.

Step 3: the Monitoring and Maximising Diversity Survey

The questions are optional. Submitting the survey is not.

Step 4: the reasonable adjustments question

Answer it even if you are not asking for adjustments. On SQE2, completing this section is how you make a request, so a blank section is both an incomplete step and a missing request.

Step 5: your SQE1 exemption, if you have one

The SRA lists confirming exemptions among the pre-booking tasks. Check it shows on your account.

Reasonable adjustments for SQE2 January 2027

Adjustments are common: in the SRA's last reporting year, 9% to 15% of candidates at each sitting had them, and Kaplan put 2,596 adjustment plans in place, up 46% on the year before. One application can now cover SQE1, SQE2 and resits. If you have requested adjustments, or plan to, four rules are different for you:

• You still complete the seat reservation form. A request does not replace it.
• Accept your proposal by 16 October 2026. That is the deadline to accept a proposal you have been sent, not to apply. If you have no proposal yet, contact the SQE team now.
• You pay by phone. Your payment request still arrives from 13 November, but asks you to call. The 48-hour limit still applies.
• Do not book through your candidate account. The December direct booking route is not for you. To change a seat, email accessibility@sqe.sra.org.uk.

Sources: SRA January 2027 SQE2 booking page; SRA Board, SQE report, March 2026.

How to complete the SQE2 seat reservation form

The form asks for your preferred dates and locations. For SQE2 that means two separate choices. Make both before 6pm on the Tuesday.

Choosing your oral sitting and venue

You attend one oral sitting only: the first (26 and 27 January) or the second (28 and 29 January). The orals are held in person in Birmingham, Cardiff, London and Manchester. Depending on demand, Kaplan uses up to five London centres and one each in the other three cities, and the SRA warns that not every location is available for every sitting. The orals can only be taken in England and Wales, so if you live abroad, budget for travel and a hotel.

Choosing your written centre

The written assessments run at Pearson VUE test centres in the UK and abroad, across 2 to 4 February. In the SRA's last reporting year they were sat in 37 countries, so most candidates can sit them much closer to home than the orals.

Why you should submit on the Tuesday evening

The SQE2 pages do not say how competing forms are prioritised. Assume earlier is better: for SQE1, seats go in the order completed forms arrive. Complete the form in one go on the Tuesday. If something goes wrong (the email is in spam, or nothing arrives), you still have Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning to sort it out. Do not spend them waiting.

Paying for your SQE2 seat: the 48-hour rule

A reserved seat is not a booking. You book when you log into your SQE account, review the seat you have been offered, accept it and pay. If you decline the seat, you lose your place.

How to prepare for a three-week payment window

• Have £3,086 ready. That fee covers the oral and written assessments together. A payment that size can hit a daily card limit or a fraud check, so check your limit or warn your bank.
• Employer or training provider paying? Get the prepaid voucher before 13 November. The SRA accepts cards or a prepaid voucher. Our guide to asking your employer to fund the SQE may help.
• Check your inbox and spam every day from 13 November to 2 December, and mark the SQE address as a safe sender.
• Plan around travel. If you will be offline for two days in that window, make sure you can still pay.

Rescheduling and late booking: 3 and 4 December

Online booking opens in your SQE account for just over a day, from 10am on Thursday 3 December to 5pm on Friday 4 December 2026. Booking for January 2027 closes at the end of it.

If you already have a seat

You can move it to another location, subject to availability, through the Bookings page. Be careful with the orals: the SRA says rescheduling an oral means cancelling and rebooking your whole oral booking, so check that the seat you want is free before you give up the one you have.

If you missed the seat reservation form

This is your only other way in. A limited number of seats can be booked directly, and you pay at the time of booking. You will be competing with July 2026 candidates who need to resit, which is why the SRA "strongly recommends" the form instead.

Waiting for July 2026 results? How to book a January resit

There is nothing to do until results day, Tuesday 17 November 2026, and you do not need a seat reservation form this time. If you do not pass and want to resit in January:

1. Make sure your pre-booking steps are complete as soon as you have your result.
2. Be logged in at 10am on Thursday 3 December, when online booking opens.
3. Book and pay before 5pm on Friday 4 December. Seats are limited, so do not leave it to the Friday.

With reasonable adjustments, do not book through the candidate account: complete the reasonable adjustments section of the pre-booking steps instead.

Think about timing before you book. Results day to the first oral is about ten weeks: enough to work on the assessments your result shows were weakest, not enough to start again from scratch. You have up to three attempts at SQE2 within the six-year SQE window, so January is not your last chance. Our SQE2 results analysis shows how pass rates have moved across sittings.

What the January 2027 SQE2 sitting looks like

The format: 16 assessments, one pass mark

The SQE2 format is not changing. You sit four oral assessments over two half days (two client interviews with attendance notes, and two advocacy assessments) and 12 written assessments over three half days, across five practice areas. There is one pass mark for SQE2 as a whole. The SQE2 assessment specification guide breaks down every station.

What changed for this sitting

Changes from the SRA's 2026 annual review apply to every assessment from 1 September 2026, including January 2027:

• Ethics and Professional Conduct is now marked as its own criterion.
• Money laundering is examinable in Property Practice.
• Tax rates and reliefs come as an attachment to the question.
• Your interview notes are marked alongside the attendance note.

Each one is explained, with how to prepare, in our guide to SQE2 changes for 2026 and 2027. For both papers, see SQE changes 2027.

The fee

The SQE2 fee is £3,086, covering oral and written together, at the level set from September 2026 (previously £2,974). It is VAT exempt and covers the assessment only. Under the SRA's contract with Kaplan, fees rise every year with inflation. Compare preparation costs on our SQE2 mocks price guide.

Your SQE2 January 2027 checklist

1. Work out your route from the cards at the top of this guide.
2. Check ID verification, the diversity survey, the reasonable adjustments question and any SQE1 exemption in My SQE.
3. Check the email address on your SQE account.
4. Need adjustments? Make sure you can accept your proposal by 16 October.
5. Choose your oral sitting, your first and second choice venues and your written centre.
6. Diary Tuesday 13 October, 6pm UK time, converted to your time zone.
7. Diary Friday 16 October, 5pm UK time as a hard deadline.
8. Have £3,086 or your voucher ready, and check your inbox daily from 13 November to 2 December.
9. Waiting for July results? Diary 17 November and 10am on 3 December instead.

Keep reading

SQE2 January 2027 booking: FAQ

When is the SQE2 January 2027 seat reservation form sent?

From 6pm UK time on Tuesday 13 October 2026, by email to the address registered on your SQE account. You only receive it if your pre-booking steps are complete.

What is the deadline for the SQE2 January 2027 seat reservation form?

5pm UK time on Friday 16 October 2026. The same date is the deadline to accept a reasonable adjustment proposal for the January 2027 sitting.

When are the SQE2 January 2027 exam dates?

The oral assessments run in two sittings, 26 to 27 January 2027 and 28 to 29 January 2027, and you attend one of them. The written assessments run from 2 to 4 February 2027.

When does booking close for SQE2 January 2027?

Friday 4 December 2026 at 5pm, at the end of the online booking and rescheduling window that opens at 10am on 3 December.

When are SQE2 January 2027 results published?

Thursday 20 May 2027. SQE2 results are published 14 to 18 weeks after the assessment.

When do I pay for SQE2 January 2027?

When your payment request arrives. Requests are emailed between 10am on 13 November and 5pm on 2 December 2026, and you must pay within 48 hours or your seat is cancelled.

How much does SQE2 cost in January 2027?

£3,086 for the oral and written assessments together, at the fee level that took effect in September 2026. The fee is VAT exempt and covers the assessment only.

Can I resit SQE2 in January 2027 if I fail the July 2026 SQE2?

Yes. July 2026 results are released on 17 November 2026. If you need to resit, complete your pre-booking steps and book directly in your SQE account between 10am on 3 December and 5pm on 4 December. You do not need a seat reservation form.

Can I resit in January 2027 if I sat SQE2 in October 2026?

No. October 2026 SQE2 results are due on 23 February 2027, after the January window has finished.

What if I miss the SQE2 seat reservation form deadline?

A limited number of seats can be booked directly through your SQE account between 10am on 3 December and 5pm on 4 December 2026, subject to availability. Candidates with reasonable adjustments cannot use this route.

Where are the SQE2 oral assessments held?

At exam venues in Birmingham, Cardiff, London and Manchester, although not every location may be available for every sitting. The written assessments are at Pearson VUE test centres in the UK and internationally.

What is the examinable law cut-off for SQE2 January 2027?

26 September 2026. You are assessed on the law as it stood on that date.