SQE2 January 2027: How to Plan Your Prep With the Time You Have Left

If you’re aiming for the January 2027 sitting, the first assessment day is 26 January. Counting from early November, that’s about twelve weeks. It’s enough time to prepare properly, but not enough to spend the first month deciding how to start.   What’s different about the January 2027 sitting? The order. For October, the written assessments came first and the orals followed. For January, the SRA lists the orals first and the written assessments afterwards. If you’re used to thinking of orals as the thing you do after the written, that changes your plan: you need to be speaking your structures out loud well before the end of January, not leaving it to the last fortnight.   How many weeks do you really have? Work backwards from 26 January. Then take out Christmas and New Year, any work deadlines you already know about, and anything else you can’t move. What’s left is your real number, and it’s usually smaller than it looks on a calendar. If you want a longer look at how to fit this around work, my post on building an SQE2 revision plan alongside a full-time job goes into it.   A steady weekly rhythm beats a sudden sprint I’d rather you build a rhythm you can keep than a plan that only works for a fortnight. A simple version: active recall on weekdays, in short sessions, testing yourself from memory rather than re-reading. Then timed mock practice and a review of your structures at the weekend. The reason I push this is something I see often. The issue usually isn’t that a candidate doesn’t know the material. It’s that they haven’t done enough timed practice for exam timing to feel automatic. That’s a habit you build over weeks, so it needs to start early.   When should you start timed practice? Earlier than feels comfortable. You don’t need to be “ready” first. Start with one timed attempt most weekends, and debrief it properly: line by line against the model answer, with one specific change to carry into the next attempt. Add more as January gets closer. How to Review SQE2 Mocks Properly covers the debrief in detail. One caution: mocks help with timing and application, but they don’t cover every topic. Keep working through your syllabus alongside them.   Planning around Christmas Put the holiday in your plan deliberately, rather than hoping you’ll find time. I’d plan two lighter weeks, keep at least a few days properly off, and keep short recall sessions going so the break doesn’t cost you everything. If you’re working, check your leave for the last week of January now, not in December.   Don’t leave orals to the end Because the orals come first in January, practise them aloud from early on. Record yourself. Do the client interview with another person. If you haven’t read it, The SQE2 Oral Assessments: What to Expect, How to Prepare and What to Avoid is a good place to start.   A short checklist for this week Decide whether January is realistic, and book before the closing date (4 Dec 2026). Work out your real weekly hours, then fix your weekly rhythm. Choose your resources and stick with them. Put Christmas and your leave dates in the plan. If you’re not sure January is right for you, that’s fine. A sitting you’re ready for beats a sitting you’ve rushed. If you want a structured place to start the active recall side, my Outlines are built as a base for active recall and brain dump sessions.