Short answer: SQE1 is sat at Pearson VUE test centres, in the UK and in 26 countries and territories abroad. The SRA's current list names 56 UK towns and cities, from Aylesbury to Wrexham, and abroad it runs from Sydney to New York by way of Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore and Frankfurt. You do not pick a centre from that list: on the seat reservation form you state a preferred centre and dates, seats are allocated in the order forms arrive, and the address and your report time come by email once the booking is complete. There is no centre in Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kenya or Ghana, and SQE2's oral assessments are only held in England and Wales. Everything below is from the SRA's locations and assessment-day pages, read on 20 September 2026; the SRA calls its list "illustrative", so treat it as where centres are aimed for, not a guarantee.
If you are working out when to book rather than where, the booking guide has the January 2027 steps and the dates and deadlines page has the calendar. This page is about the room you will sit in: where it can be, how it is chosen, and what it is like.
How your test centre is chosen
For January 2027 the SRA is using a seat reservation form rather than a first-come booking window. The form is emailed to registered candidates on 22 September 2026 and is due back by 5pm on 24 September. On it you give your preferred assessment dates and preferred test centre, seats are allocated in the order forms are received, and you are then emailed to pay and complete the booking. A limited number of seats go on direct booking in the candidate account from 19 to 23 November, where you choose a date and location from whatever is left. Booking closes on 23 November 2026.
Three things follow from that process.
- The centre on your form is a preference, not a booking. Popular centres, above all London, fill in the order forms arrive. Return the form the day it lands, and give a realistic second choice.
- Your confirmation email is the source of truth. After booking, the SRA emails the address of the centre, the time you must report for check-in, the start time and the length of the day. Report times differ between candidates and centres, and if you are late you cannot enter. Check that email again the week before, not the list on this page.
- FLK1 and FLK2 are separate days. In January 2027 FLK1 runs from 11 January and FLK2 from 18 January. They are booked as two slots, so the centre and the day can differ between the two papers.
The SRA also publishes the Pearson VUE test centre search tool (client code KAPLANSQE). It is useful for finding an address and seeing what is near you, but the SRA's own caveat matters: the tool shows every Pearson VUE centre, not only those used for the SQE, and a centre appearing in it does not mean it will be available for your sitting. Availability is only visible when a booking window opens.
UK test centres
The SRA's list of where it aims to hold SQE1 and SQE2 written assessments, as published on 20 September 2026. Several of the entries in the south-east are Greater London or within the M25, so "London" on your form is not the only way to sit in the capital.
| Nation | Towns and cities on the SRA's list |
|---|---|
| England (49) | Aylesbury, Basildon, Birmingham, Bristol, Chelmsford, Chester, Colchester, Croydon, Derby, Dudley, Exeter, Grimsby, Hayes, Horley (Surrey), Hove, Huddersfield, Hull, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, Oldham, Oxford, Peterborough, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, Salisbury, Sheffield, Skipton, Slough, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Southwark, St Leonards-on-Sea, Staines, Stevenage, Stockport, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sutton Coldfield, Uxbridge, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Worthing |
| Wales (3) | Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham |
| Scotland (2) | Edinburgh, Glasgow |
| Northern Ireland (2) | Ballymena, Belfast |
The SRA's wording on the list: "This list is illustrative only and may change. The inclusion of a city here is not a guarantee that it will be available for your chosen assessment window. Some cities may only be available at certain times of year." In practice that means the big cities are reliable and the smaller towns depend on capacity in that window.
Some large cities are absent. Leeds, Leicester, Coventry, Cambridge and York are not on the current list. The nearest listed centres are Huddersfield, Sheffield or Skipton for Leeds and York, Derby or Nottingham for Leicester, Birmingham or Sutton Coldfield for Coventry, and Peterborough or Stevenage for Cambridge.
International test centres
Outside the UK the SRA aims to offer SQE1 and the SQE2 written assessments in these countries and territories. Start times can vary at international centres, and the SRA warns that staff may speak only the local language and that signage will be in the local language.
| Country or territory | Cities |
|---|---|
| Australia | Melbourne, Perth, Sydney |
| Austria | Vienna |
| Canada | Toronto (SQE1 only; SQE2 written is not offered in Canada) |
| China | Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen |
| Czech Republic | Prague |
| Egypt | Cairo |
| France | Paris |
| Germany | Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich |
| Greece | Athens, Attiki |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| India | Bangalore, Chennai, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi |
| Ireland | Dublin |
| Italy | Rome |
| Japan | Tokyo (Chiyoda and Shinjuku), Osaka |
| Malaysia | Kuala Lumpur |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam, Eindhoven |
| Poland | Warsaw |
| Saudi Arabia | Riyadh |
| Singapore | Singapore |
| South Africa | Johannesburg, Pretoria |
| South Korea | Seoul |
| Spain | Barcelona, Madrid |
| Switzerland | Geneva, Lausanne |
| Türkiye | Istanbul |
| United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi, Dubai |
| United States | New York (SQE1 only; SQE2 written is not offered in the USA) |
Two SRA rules sit alongside the list. SQE2 written assessments are not offered in the USA, Canada, New Zealand, or Central and South America, so a candidate who sits SQE1 in New York or Toronto will need to travel for SQE2. And no SQE assessments are offered in Ukraine, Belarus or Russia. The fee is the same wherever you sit: £2,006 for SQE1 with no international surcharge, as the cost breakdown sets out.
Countries with no SQE1 centre
This is the section most candidates outside the UK are looking for, so it is worth being precise. On the SRA's list as read on 20 September 2026 there is no SQE1 test centre in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Brazil, Mexico or anywhere in the Caribbean. The list is illustrative and the SRA adds cities from time to time, but you should plan on the basis of what is published.
If you are in one of those countries the realistic options are the nearest listed cities and the UK itself:
- West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana): nothing on the continent's west coast. The listed African centres are Cairo, Johannesburg and Pretoria; for most candidates London is at least as practical, and the guide for Nigerian lawyers works through the visa and cost implications.
- East Africa (Kenya): Cairo, or the South African centres, or the UK.
- Pakistan and Bangladesh: Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the closest listed centres, with Riyadh and Istanbul the alternatives; India's six centres are on the list but travel there is not realistic for most Pakistani candidates. The guide for Pakistani lawyers covers the trip.
- Sri Lanka: the Indian centres (Chennai and Bangalore are the nearest), Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: New York and Toronto for SQE1, but remember SQE2 written cannot be taken in either; the international lawyers guide explains the two trips that implies.
Whatever you choose, sit FLK1 and FLK2 in the same trip if you can. The two papers are a week apart in January 2027, and two international journeys cost more than a week's accommodation; the funding guide covers what help exists with the travel bill.
What a Pearson VUE test centre is like
The SRA's assessment-day page sets out the rules, and they are the same at every centre, including abroad.
- Check-in. You register, show ID and go through security checks. Some centres use security wanding: an infrared wand over your clothing, then a metal-detection wand if it alerts. Anything metal or magnetic worn for medical or religious reasons must be declared in advance through the reasonable adjustments process or candidate services, and the deadline for that is booking closing.
- Belongings. Nothing personal goes into the assessment room: no water, phones, watches, bags, books or notes. Everything goes in a locker, and storage is limited, so bring a small bag. You are given an erasable whiteboard and a marker pen, handed back at the end.
- The room. You are monitored throughout, including by CCTV, and you may not leave your seat until a test administrator escorts you out. The SQE does not have exclusive use of Pearson VUE centres: other candidates in the room may be sitting different exams of different lengths, arriving and leaving while you work.
- The clock. Each paper is two sessions of 85 questions and 2 hours 33 minutes. Leaving the room during a session, for water, the bathroom or medication, is an unscheduled break and the timer keeps running. Water and refreshments are neither provided nor allowed in the room, so bring your own for the break.
- The break. A 60-minute scheduled break follows session one. You may leave the building and get your belongings, but you must be back within 50 minutes to re-register, with an ID check, before session two. Late back means no session two.
- Comfort. There is no dress code, but bulky outer clothing may have to come off at security, and the SRA suggests layers because centre temperatures vary. Foam ear plugs and non-electronic ear defenders are allowed without permission; other comfort aids follow the Pearson VUE list. Centres are in city centres and the SRA does not control building or traffic noise outside.
The exam-day guide turns those rules into a plan for the day itself, and the reasonable adjustments guide covers separate rooms, extra time and access arrangements, all of which are agreed before booking and set up at the centre for you.
How to choose between centres
- Travel time beats postcode. A centre 40 minutes away on one train is better than one 20 miles away across a city at rush hour. Report times can be early, and being late means no entry, so plan the journey for the worst version of that morning.
- Two days, possibly two places. FLK1 and FLK2 are booked separately. If your preferred centre has a seat for one paper but not the other, a second centre for the second paper is a normal outcome, not a problem.
- Staying over. If the journey is more than about ninety minutes, a hotel the night before is usually cheaper than the risk. The exam-anxiety guide has the night-before routine.
- International candidates: language and time zone. Staff and signage may be in the local language only, and start times vary. If you have a choice between a centre in a country whose language you speak and one nearer, the SRA's own advice is to weigh that.
- Use the tool for the address, not the availability. The Pearson VUE search tool tells you where centres are. Only the booking system tells you which are open for your sitting.
Once the seat is confirmed, the preparation question changes from where to how: the January 2027 format post explains the two-session structure you will meet on the day, and the free mock exam guide shows how to rehearse it, including the 60-minute break, which SQE1 Prep's full mocks build in.
