A trainee who shared the moment she found out her solicitor exam results has said she has been overwhelmed by the response of the profession.
Maab Saifeldin posted a video of her discovering the results of her SQE2 results – and finding out she had not passed. The in-house lawyer said she was ‘embarrassed’ at not having achieved her dream and kept reliving each exam paper, wishing she could have her chance again.
The video starts with Saifeldin saying she was on the brink of becoming a solicitor, then opening the web page. When she sees the results, she says simply ‘no’, before breaking down in tears and repeating the words ‘I didn’t pass’. It finishes with her asking ‘where did I go wrong?’
In a written post, she admitted her confidence was knocked by the result but that she wanted to share the moment she found out to make sure others in the same position did not feel alone.
Saifeldin added: ‘This is an incredibly vulnerable post and video but as I have always been very transparent about my journey to qualification and shared my highlights, it is fair to share the setbacks too.’
The LinkedIn video has had more than 1,500 responses and 130 comments, with lawyers lining up to offer support and encouragement, as well as praise for being so candid about what she was feeling.
One week on, the Lancaster graduate said the results were still ‘devastating’ and that she had missed the pass rate by 4%.
But she added: ‘All of your messages and comments has made me feel less alone and uplifted my spirits in ways that I cannot describe. My confidence was really hit and I doubted my intelligence a lot but all of you made me realise my intelligence and intellect is not dictated by exam success.’
Saifeldin updated that she is now going to take a break from SQE and solicitor qualifications to figure out what she wants to do and how she can achieve it. This was her second attempt to pass SQE2.
Candidates for the SQE get three attempts at the first and second parts. These have to be taken within six years from the first attempt. If any candidate fails three times, they have to wait until the six-year period expires before re-applying, and previous passes will not be carried forward.
The SQE assessment, including resits, costs £1,888 for SQE1 and £2,902 for SQE2. A first stage appeal costs £350 and a final appeal £850 – both of which are refunded if the appeal is upheld.
The SQE1 is a multiple choice test while SQE2 is an assessment on six different legal skills in six types of exercise.
A total of 5,006 candidates completed both parts of SQE1 (known as FLK1 and FLK2) this year. Of these, 4,168 candidates sat SQE1 for the first time and achieved a pass rate of 48%.
The overall pass rate, including those who were resitting, was 44%.
A total of 932 candidates received their results for the July sitting of the SQE2. Of these, 860 candidates sat SQE2 for the first time and achieved an 77% pass rate. The overall pass rate, including those who were resitting, was 74%.
Read Saifeldin’s LinkedIn post here:
