Lilya Nagornaya

1. What’s your background, and why did you decide to do the SQE?

First thing describing myself? I am a forever student for sure, both literally and metaphorically. Since I entered university in 2015, I have technically never stopped being a student, aside from some short breaks. I studied in my country and abroad, and now I am a student at a lovely College of Legal Practice here in the UK, preparing for the SQE2. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in “Jurisprudence” and two Master’s Degrees in “Law” and “International Law”. Law is one of my great passions. I love how it operates, evolves, and adapts to the challenges of the time. Hence, coming to the UK, I knew from the early days that I needed to get into this field. This is where the SQE came to light. I didn’t necessarily realise the need to take the SQE until I started thoroughly researching the job market and what’s on offer. Answering simple questions in my head about how I actually see my progression in a legal career, it became evident that yes, SQE, we’re going to meet each other. It feels crazy now, but I am so glad I’ve accepted this challenge.

2. How did you prepare, and what made the biggest difference in your success?

I showed up. Motivated or not, tired or moody, but I did. Probably being disciplined and seeing the whole picture helps me stay on track. I always choose to keep going. Saying that, I do not mean that there are no days when I do less than needed or that every study session is very productive. There were some days when it was pretty much about pushing myself through 10 MCQs or just quickly answering some drills in Law Drills (very helpful for learning actually). In this journey, every effort counts. What helped me a lot was ensuring I had a very clear structure of daily tasks (e.g., the unit I needed to read, practical tasks), so I basically didn’t need to “invent” anything myself—it was already there. This understanding helped me stay focused because I knew that everything for success was here; I just needed to allocate the time and be patient. “Poco a poco,” as a Spanish phrase says—little by little. In my particular case, success came from a combination of a solid background in law, which helped me grasp English Law quicker, consistent effort, and a lot of support from the people surrounding me. To everyone who is reading this and preparing for the SQE1: please, don’t isolate yourself, stay connected, and enjoy life. At the end of the day, we need to have positive emotions and endorphins to operate properly.

3. What was the hardest part, and how did you push through it?

It would be fair to highlight two things here: namely, juggling SQE1 preparation with a full-time job and other commitments, and the pressing feeling of a never-ending flow of new information. The first one is pretty obvious—you basically need to say “no” to many things that you would rather do instead of reading, making notes, and going through the MCQs on a Friday night. Especially when you’re invited somewhere and have to decline, or when the subject you’re on is not really your biggest interest. Here, the “whole picture” I mentioned earlier came to help many times, as I knew exactly why I was doing what I was doing and that it wouldn’t last forever. Also, joining those parties, gatherings, and social events from time to time was the right thing to do. It’s all about balance. When it comes to the amount of information to process and retain, I didn’t do anything specific to “push through”—I just knew that it’s a part of the journey. I love to learn new things and overcome challenges; SQE1 came bringing both. I knew from the beginning that it was going to be very intense. Thus, I would probably say that it’s helpful to process and accept that beforehand.

4. If you had to do it again, what would you do differently?

Before I get to my answer, I want to say that this one is actually a very good question to reflect on, and it may be useful to ask yourself every now and then to adapt changes while in motion.

Now to the answer. I have a specific thing to say here because I am already preparing for the SQE2, and I’ve started to change my techniques and habits. The following is not applicable to everyone, but for those whose native language is not English, it may be worth trying.

Through the SQE1 prep, I rarely switched to my native language, for which I had several reasons. Firstly, I truly didn’t feel the need. Secondly, why would I if the exam and all the materials are in English? However, I’ve recently reflected on the fact, that the complexity of a specific topic, concept, etc., is sometimes very high regardless of the language. By this, I mean that all of us occasionally struggle to analyse information properly even in our own languages. Once, when another tricky bit showed up, I paused to check if going through it in my native language could help my brain. Long story short—it actually did. This is like a mini tool that can be very handy, and from my experience, it leaves you with two layers of retained knowledge, where one helps the other. Forgot a bit in one language? It may well be that the other comes to help. Especially useful when you feel tired. Though, this approach should be used carefully, from time to time, without constantly relying on it. Why? Coming back to the fact that the exam is in English, the same as the future work itself. If the language barrier is still there, it is wise to allocate some time to improve the skills.

5. Any final piece of advice for SQE candidates?

Be creative; look for learning techniques that work specifically for you. Celebrate your wins small and big. Be kind to yourself when the result is not what you imagined or hoped for. Rest well and don’t forget to enjoy life. You can do it!