Why Two Candidates with the Same Mock Score Can Get Very Different Real Results
A candidate scores 65% on a BPP mock and feels comfortable. Another candidate scores 65% on a QLTS mock and feels nervous. They walk into the same SQE1 sitting four weeks later. On the average gaps, the first candidate scores about 58% on the real exam, a thin margin. The second scores about 79%, a comfortable pass.
What happened? Both candidates calibrated their preparation against a mock score, and neither of them was wrong to. The problem is that a 65% on one provider's mocks is not the same signal as a 65% on another. Different providers calibrate their mock difficulty differently, and the size of the gap between mock score and real-exam score varies dramatically.
This post translates the published mock-vs-real data into something useful. We walk through each major SQE1 mock provider, show the average difference between their mock scores and real exam scores, and tell you what your mock score actually predicts about your readiness. If you have ever wondered whether your 70% mock is a comfortable pass or a borderline fail, this guide is for you.
The numbers come from Law Drills' SQE mocks-vs-real comparison, last updated in August 2026 to include the January 2026 sitting. It draws on hundreds of data points that candidates shared in interviews and on social media, so the figures are self-reported averages, and they assume each mock was sat under exam conditions.
The One-Table Summary
| Provider | Mock-to-real adjustment | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Revise SQE | Real ≈ mock + 4.1% | Widely seen as the most accurate predictor |
| BPP | Real ≈ mock − 7.3% | Mocks easier than real |
| BARBRI | Real ≈ mock − 9.4% | Mocks easier than real |
| SRA sample questions | Real ≈ sample − 7.6% | Mostly the original 90; the pre-tested 130 run closer to real |
| QLTS | Real ≈ mock + 13.8% | Mocks much harder than real |
A few worked examples to make it concrete:
- A 65% on Revise SQE mocks → expect roughly 69% on the real exam.
- A 65% on BPP mocks → expect roughly 58% on the real exam.
- A 65% on BARBRI mocks → expect roughly 56% on the real exam.
- A 65% on QLTS mocks → expect roughly 79% on the real exam.
- A 65% on SRA sample questions → expect roughly 57% on the real exam, inside the range where published pass marks have fallen.
These are averages, and individual results vary widely around them. We unpack each in turn, with the typical ranges and what they mean for your prep decisions.
Revise SQE Mocks: Real ≈ Mock + 4.1%
Revise SQE mocks come out of the research data as widely considered the most accurate predictor of real SQE1 performance. Average gap between mock score and real exam score: real performance is 4.1% higher than mock performance. The typical range across candidates is roughly −3% to +15%, one of the narrower ranges in the study.
What this means in practice:
- If you are scoring 60% on Revise SQE mocks, you are most likely sitting at roughly 64% on the real exam — a pass with margin.
- If you are scoring 55% on Revise SQE mocks, your real-exam expectation is around 59% — a likely pass, but with thin margin.
- If you are scoring 50% or below on Revise SQE mocks, expect roughly 54% or less on the real exam, inside or below the range where published pass marks have fallen.
The relatively narrow range is the more interesting fact. With Revise SQE mocks, your score is on average a slightly conservative estimate of your real result. With most other providers, you need a larger margin of safety to absorb the variation.
Strategic implication: if you can only do one set of mocks, Revise SQE is the cleanest signal of where you stand. Combined with topic-level data from a high-volume bank like our 4,400+ question library, it gives you both calibration and coverage.
BPP Mocks: Real ≈ Mock − 7.3%
Average difference: real exam scores tend to be 7.3% lower than BPP mock scores. Typical range: roughly −14% to +7%. Which BPP mock you sit matters: Law Drills reports that BPP's "hub" practice mocks are much easier than its Inspera-format summative mocks.
Worked examples:
- 65% on BPP mocks → roughly 58% on the real exam — a thin margin.
- 70% on BPP mocks → roughly 63% on the real exam — a pass with margin.
- 60% on BPP mocks → roughly 53% on the real exam — borderline; consider deferring.
Strategic implication: if you are a BPP candidate, treat your mock scores as likely overestimates. Aim for a 70% mock score to feel comfortable about a pass, not 60%. We compare BPP and other providers in detail in SQE1 prep course providers compared 2026.
BARBRI Mocks: Real ≈ Mock − 9.4%
Candidates score an average of 9.4 percentage points lower on the real exam than on BARBRI mocks. A BARBRI candidate scoring 70% on their mock should expect roughly 61% on the real exam.
The variation is wide: Law Drills puts the drop at anywhere up to 23 points.
Worked examples:
- 70% on BARBRI mocks → roughly 61% on the real exam — a pass with some margin.
- 75% on BARBRI mocks → roughly 66% on the real exam — comfortable pass.
- 65% on BARBRI mocks → roughly 56% on the real exam — borderline fail risk.
Candidates who report the gap describe BARBRI's questions as generally simpler than the real exam's.
Strategic implication: BARBRI candidates should target 75%+ on mocks to feel comfortable about a pass. A 65% mock score is dangerous; aim higher. Pairing BARBRI mocks with a full mock from a second provider, such as our full mock exams, gives you a cross-check.
SRA Sample Questions: Real ≈ Sample − 7.6%
The SRA's free 220-question sample bank is the most authoritative free resource, but its two sets behave differently.
- Community data: across Law Drills' dataset, candidates score about 7.6 percentage points lower on the real exam than on the SRA samples. Law Drills finds the original 90 questions, released before the first sitting in November 2021, much easier than the real exam, and the newer pre-tested set much closer to real difficulty.
- The SRA's own data: the 130 pre-tested questions, all used in real sittings, were answered correctly by 53.1% of candidates on average, against 56.2% across real SQE1 assessments up to July 2025. On that measure they are slightly harder than the live average, not easier.
Worked examples, using the community average (best suited to the original 90):
- 75% on SRA samples → roughly 67% on the real exam — comfortable pass.
- 70% on SRA samples → roughly 62% on the real exam — a pass with margin.
- 65% on SRA samples → roughly 57% on the real exam — inside the range where published pass marks have fallen.
- 60% on SRA samples → roughly 52% on the real exam — borderline at best.
Strategic implication: use the original 90 to learn the format, not as a readiness signal. Sit the pre-tested 130 under timed conditions and treat that score as the better guide, since those questions track the real exam much more closely.
The full strategy guide for using the SRA bank effectively is in our SRA SQE1 sample questions guide.
QLTS Mocks: Real ≈ Mock + 13.8%
QLTS mocks run harder than the real exam, by more than any other provider in the study. Average difference: real-exam scores are 13.8 percentage points higher than QLTS mock scores. Variation range: roughly +5% to +22%.
Worked examples:
- 50% on QLTS mocks → roughly 64% on the real exam — a pass with margin.
- 55% on QLTS mocks → roughly 69% on the real exam — comfortable pass.
- 45% on QLTS mocks → roughly 59% on the real exam — a pass, but with thin margin.
- 40% on QLTS mocks → roughly 54% on the real exam — inside the range where published pass marks have fallen.
Because the real papers are easier than QLTS's calibration, the gap goes in the candidate's favour.
Strategic implication: if you are using QLTS mocks, a 50% score is a likely pass. Do not panic at sub-60% performance. Many candidates find low QLTS scores discouraging, but the difficulty is the point: it over-prepares you for the real paper.
Why the Calibration Gaps Exist
Three things explain why the gaps differ, and how far to trust them.
Mock design. Providers write and calibrate their mocks differently, and some run more than one kind. Within BPP, the "hub" practice mocks are much easier than the Inspera-format summative mocks; within the SRA bank, candidates find the original 90 easier than the pre-tested 130.
Who reports. Apart from Law Drills' own mocks, the figures come from candidates' own reports in interviews and on social media, not from matched results. Treat them as the shape of the gap, not a prediction of your score.
Test conditions. Real SQE1 sessions are 85 questions in 153 minutes (90 until July 2026) — gruelling. The study's figures assume mocks were sat under exam conditions: full length, timed, no notes, no pausing. A mock spread over relaxed sittings with notes open will flatter you. The closer your mock conditions match the real exam, the smaller the gap.
The takeaway is that no single mock score should be taken at face value. Calibrate against the provider's published or community-reported gap.
What to Do With Your Score: A Decision Framework
Given the variability, here is a practical decision framework for translating mocks into action.
Step 1: Convert to a comparable "real exam expectation"
Take your mock score and apply the provider's adjustment:
- Revise SQE: add ~4%
- BPP: subtract ~7%
- BARBRI: subtract ~9%
- SRA samples: subtract ~8% for the original 90; the pre-tested 130 need less
- QLTS: add ~14%
Step 2: Compare to the pass threshold
Since January 2024 the SRA has reported SQE1 results as a scaled score from 0 to 500, with a pass mark of 300 for each paper, and it no longer publishes a raw percentage. The raw pass marks it did publish, for the four sittings up to July 2023, ranged from 52% to 57%. Using that range as a guide, a real-exam expectation of:
- 65%+ = comfortable pass
- 58–65% = pass with margin
- 52–57% = thin pass at best; risky given sitting variance
- Below 52% = likely fail
Step 3: Decide whether to sit or defer
If your current mock score, adjusted for provider calibration, gives a real-exam expectation below 60%, ask honestly whether you should defer. The SQE1 fee rose to £2,006 for assessments from September 2026, so a resit now costs more if a thin margin turns into a fail. Deferring to the next sitting and doing another four weeks of practice is often the cheaper play.
If your adjusted expectation is 65%+, you are well-prepared. Continue your taper — see the 4-week last-minute revision plan — and protect your sleep.
Step 4: Diversify your sources
Single-provider mock scores are a noisy signal. To calibrate well, take at least one full mock from each of two different providers before booking. A 65% on Revise SQE plus a 50% on QLTS, both adjusted, gives you two real-exam expectations of roughly 69% and 64% respectively — a tight, defensible range. Two scores from one provider give you only one data point.
How Topic Tracking Beats Total Score
A score is a summary; the topic-level breakdown is the strategy document. Across providers, a common pattern in candidates who fail despite "good" mock scores is uneven coverage. They average 70% across all topics by combining 90% on Contract and 50% on Trusts. The real exam exposes the Trusts gap.
When you look at your mock results, ignore the headline percentage for a moment and check three things:
- Your lowest-accuracy subject. If it is below 60%, the next 30 hours go there.
- The spread between your highest and lowest subjects. A spread above 25 percentage points is a warning sign — your prep is uneven.
- Your time-to-answer distribution. If you are spending 2+ minutes on hard questions, your stamina will collapse in a real 85-question session.
Our practice bank and the topic-by-topic revision guides are built around exactly this kind of granular tracking.
A Note on Mocks Done Too Early
A subtle mistake: candidates who sit a full mock before they have completed content acquisition get scores that are far below what they will eventually achieve. A mock taken three months out, before you have covered Trusts or Solicitors Accounts, says nothing useful about your real-exam readiness — only about your current state.
Save your full mocks for the last 6–8 weeks before your sitting. Between then and now, do topic-specific practice questions and shorter (30–50 question) timed blocks. The full SQE1 exam-day guide covers stamina training in more detail.
Where to Go From Here
Mock scores are a tool, not a verdict. Used correctly, they tell you whether your preparation is converging on a pass with margin. Used naively, they create either false confidence or unnecessary panic.
- Get a free baseline: SQE1 quick quiz
- Full mock exams in real-exam conditions: pricing plans
- The official SRA samples — and how to use them: SRA SQE1 sample questions guide
- Provider course comparison: SQE1 prep course providers compared 2026
- The MCQ technique that improves any mock score: SQE1 MCQ technique guide
- Convert wrong answers into durable recall: SQE1 flashcard strategy
- Prioritising hours by topic volume: SQE1 high-yield topics guide
- Reading the latest pass-rate context: SQE1 July 2026 results analysis
- If your score is borderline: SQE1 last-minute revision plan
- If you have already failed and need to resit: Failed SQE1? Complete resit guide
A mock score is a measurement, not a destiny. Calibrate against the provider, track the topic-level breakdown, and aim for the real-exam expectation that gives you margin — not the headline number that gives you comfort.
