Revising for the PGDL this year is particularly difficult. It’s a new course this academic year. It also has new exam questions designed for the SQE (namely multiple choice questions, and we’ve written a blog about technique for answering MCQs.
The best revision tip is always this: practice, practice, practice! When revising, get hold of as many past papers as you can. Practice answering these under timed conditions. Then take a breather and come back to read your answer – does it read well? Does it make the point you were trying to convey in your head? Did you miss any key factual or legal points? Did you run out of time? Practice will help you to perfect your technique and keep a cool head in the real exam.
That’s great… but how can you practice without past exam papers?
Of course, the PGDL is a relatively new course, so there are few practice questions nor past papers available. So what are your options?
- Your law school should also provide you with mock assessments during the year. Practise these again and review any examiners reports or feedback for useful hints as to what the examiner will look for.
- Check with your law school as to what they suggest for more past papers – they may make previous GDL exams available to you.
- The SRA has also published a selection of SQE MCQs online. You can find 90 sample questions and answers here
- CILEX also publish their exam questions and answers every year. These won’t be directly relevant to your PGDL exams and will generally be at a lower level, but there is an overlap on the syllabus and some of these will be useful practice of the material if you’ve run out of other options