What Can I Ditch When Studying for the SQE?

Let’s be honest – the SQE syllabus is massive. It asks students to retain a huge amount of functioning legal knowledge across 15 subject areas, often in a very short amount of time. It’s no surprise that many students find themselves running out of energy by Day 2 of the SQE1 assessment, FLK2 often suffers after an all-in push on FLK1.

So it’s not a silly question when students ask us:

“Is there anything in the SQE syllabus I can skip?”

And the honest answer?

Yes, but only if you’re strategic.

You won’t hear this from most course providers. Their job is to teach everything and sell you a full course tied to long-form materials. But at Revision Killer, our job is different, we’re here to help you pass. We believe in being clear, efficient and pragmatic.

So, what’s safe to ditch?

If time is tight and your energy is low, two subject areas are worth reconsidering:

Solicitors Accounts and Tax.

Here’s why:

1. They're not examined in isolation

Solicitors Accounts and Tax don’t have their own standalone sections. Instead, they show up within other subjects, for example, in Business Law, Property, or Wills. On average, they account for less than 5% of the total MCQs. That’s a tiny fraction of your score.

2. They're low return, high effort

The amount of time required to fully master these topics isn’t worth the limited mark potential, especially if you’re already behind or overwhelmed. If you’re not ready to skip them entirely, focus just on the basics. Many of the questions that do appear are relatively simple.

3. They're not everyone's strong suit

Let’s face it, most law students didn’t sign up for numbers. Accounts and Tax can feel abstract, formulaic, and stressful. If these topics are slowing you down or draining your motivation, it may be smarter to focus on areas where you’re more confident.

This advice comes from years of experience, both teaching the LPC and working directly with hundreds of SQE students. Some of our best-performing students made calculated decisions like this. They didn’t try to be perfect. They tried to pass, and they did.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. But if you’re looking for a way to reduce stress, manage your revision load, and improve your pass chances, this is one of the most useful trade-offs you can make.

We don’t say this lightly. We say it because we’ve sat where you sit. And we built Revision Killer to help students like you feel less overwhelmed and more in control.