Aspiring lawyers can tailor tests to target weaknesses
The University of Law (ULaw) has teamed up with an online learning tool to prepare its students for the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE).
The law school giant says its tie-up with Synap, a Leeds-based start-up that specialises in online quizzes, will form an “integral part” of new training programmes developed by the university to prepare students for the SQE, which is due to be introduced in autumn 2021.
The app uses “personalised learning algorithms” to help students create and tailor quizzes to their strengths and weaknesses. Students can also monitor the analytics from their quizzing efforts and adapt future tests accordingly.
The app is accessible by phone and will also be available to students completing ULaw’s recently revamped Bar Practice Course (BPC).
Professor Andrea Nollent, ULaw vice-chancellor and CEO, said:
“The University is delighted to announce Synap as our exclusive partner in providing the online learning platform for the SQE1 assessment and our new BPC programme. Innovation for the improvement of learning is central to ULaw’s ethos and our students expect the best and latest tools, such as Synap, to enable them to achieve their goals.”
The SQE, or super-exam as it’s known colloquially, will be split into two parts: SQE1 focusing on black letter law and taking the form of a multiple-choice assessment, while SQE2 will test prospective students’ practical legal skills such as advocacy and interviewing.
Last month Legal Cheek revealed that ULaw’s former chief executive, Nigel Savage, had teamed up with Freshfields’ innovation chief and Slaughter and May’s ex-managing partner to launch a new law school targeting the SQE market.
The College of Legal Practice (COLP), a subsidiary of the not-for-profit College of Law Australia and New Zealand, has teamed up with BARBRI, whose US bar exam mirrors the proposed multiple-choice question format of SQE1.