Mastering the LNAT: Your Comprehensive Preparation Guide
If you are keen to gain entry to law school, you will need to sit the LNAT or the Law National Aptitude Test. This test will assess candidates’ verbal reasoning skills and logical thinking abilities and is used by many leading law schools.
It is crucial that you are adequately prepared for such a test. Your performance will be the determining factor that universities use to predict how well you will do in your career and your studies. Job Test Prep can give you the resources to make sure you are prepared and know what to expect from the assessments.
Table of Contents
What is the LNAT?
The LNAT is the main test used in the UK for admissions into law universities. Pearson VUE, which LNAT Consortium Ltd manages, administers the test.
Other qualifications such as A levels (or similar depending on where you are based globally) and interviews will form part of the assessment process. Each school will give the results of the LNAT a different weighting depending on its selection policy.
Contrary to what you may imagine, the LNAT is not designed to measure knowledge of the law, or indeed any other subject. This is an attempt to reduce any bias that may occur due to personal backgrounds, education, or socioeconomic standing. The LNAT is designed purely to assess the key skills and aptitudes that are likely to be required during the study or the practice of law.
The LNAT will include the following components:
- Advanced verbal reasoning skills
- Making logical inferences and deductions
- Distinguishing between fact and opinion or speculation
- Determining what is relevant and what is not
- Identification of strong and weak arguments
What does the LNAT test entail?
The test takes 2 hours and 15 minutes and is in two parts. It contains multiple-choice questions and an essay question. Overall, it looks easier than the Clifford Chance Training Contract assessment or Linklaters Training Contract.
Although the test is done online, you will be given a pen and paper to take notes should you need to.
Multiple-choice section:
In this section, there will be 42 questions centred around 12 argumentative passages, each with 3-4 questions. This is the longest part of the whole test and takes one hour and 35 minutes. Your score will be assigned by a computer, and the maximum score you can achieve is 42.
Within the multiple-choice options, there is only one correct answer, and this relates solely to the given passage. You should ignore any other information you may possess about the subject. As with many tests, some questions will appear easier than others. This is intentional, and the test is designed to evaluate your ability to cope with different situations along with your quality of knowledge.
The answer is always within the passage and under no circumstances are you expected to speculate the answer. This is an important point to remember, especially if you are unsure about an answer or if you are anxious that you do not know the answer. Just go back and re-read the passage carefully to uncover the correct solution.
Sample questions could include something like:
- Which one of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
- According to the passage, which one of the following findings would most clearly undermine the evidence for …?
- Which one of the following phrases, as used in context, most clearly reveals the author’s opinion about …?
- The author’s use of the phrase ……… serves to…..?
For each question, there will be a choice of around five possible answers from which you must select the correct answer. Remember, the answers are in the text!
You need to ensure that the answer you choose is the very best possible choice from the ones you are given. Don’t get caught out with options that are intentionally close to the answer. However, if you begin to run out of time and you really cannot decide on an answer, then give your best guess.
You will not have marks taken away for a wrong answer, and you might get lucky. One thing is for certain, you will have no chance of a mark if you do not answer at all!
Essay Section
For this part of the assessment, you will be given a time limit of 40 minutes. You will be given a choice of three subjects and you must choose one to write your essay on.
The primary purpose of the essay task is to evaluate how articulately you are able to construct an argument. You will need to give strong supporting statements in favour of your chosen subject. You do not need to have lots of knowledge about the subject, but the examiner will be looking for your use of logic over the possession of facts.
You can make a range of assumptions as long as they are not contradictory and have a logical purpose. It is important to make it clear to the reader what your assumptions are by stating them clearly and demonstrating your train of thought.
The essay should have a maximum word count of 750 words and ideally around 500-600 words. If your essay is too short, you will not achieve a sufficient evaluation and if your essay is too long, there may be parts of it that are ignored altogether. You will have a word count tool to help you gauge your essay length.
Before beginning your essay, it is advisable to make a brief plan to ensure that you include the salient points in a clear, concise, and well-structured way. With such a low word count, it could be very easy to lose your thread or to go off track with an idea of the main points of your argument before you start.
How can I prepare for the LNAT?
The best way to prepare for the test is to make sure you are familiar with the types of questions you may encounter and to recognise the format of the test. Avoiding any uncomfortable surprises can greatly reduce your nerves or anxiety on the day of your test. Job Test Prep can provide you with specific resources for the LNAT to help you achieve this familiarity.
The more calm and confident you feel, the better you will be able to focus, and the greater your chances of achieving your best results. It is also not a surprise that practising the kinds of skills that you expect to encounter in the test will definitely improve your performance and sharpen those skills — practice does indeed make perfect!
Whilst Job Test Prep is not affiliated with the test providers, the resources available can provide you with explanations and tips about the tests along with a range of verbal reasoning questions to hone your skills. It will also help you if you have had plenty of time to practise answering in a multiple-choice format.
A good way to prepare for the essay section of the test is to start writing perhaps one short essay a week so that you get used to the length of time you will have and how to construct an articulate essay.
Also, try reading articles in newspapers and current affairs journals. Read the article with a critical eye and try to ascertain what is being said in the article and any underlying messages.
For example:
- Can you identify the main points or issues in the article?
- Are there any assumptions that are being made and what are they? Are all the facts in the article?
- What are the conclusions being drawn by the writer?
- Are there any counter-arguments to be made?
- Has the writer drawn you in as the reader?
When will I get my LNAT results?
The multiple-choice section of the paper is marked at the assessment centre, but the essay is sent to your chosen universities 24 hours after completion.
If you take the test in a year period up to January, you will receive your results in February but for tests taken after that time, your results will arrive in July.
Different universities will have different testing deadlines and it is very important that you adhere to these. If you miss the deadline, then your application will not be considered and you will have to wait until the next cycle.
LNAT tests are used by the following universities:
- University of Birmingham
- University of Bristol
- Durham University
- University of Glasgow
- KING’S College, London
- The University of Nottingham
- University of Oxford
- SOAS University of London
- UCL Faculty of Laws
In summary
A career in law is still regarded as one of the most prestigious positions both nationally and globally. Getting the correct education and qualifications is vital and it is therefore understandable that competition for university places is fierce. The universities, just like employers, will be looking for the very best candidates, candidates who have the aptitude and skills to enable them to succeed.
Make sure that you are fully prepared for all that the test will entail to have the very best chance of success. Get familiar with the format and the style of questions. Finally, remember that practice makes perfect. Job Test Prep is able to provide you with the tools you need to make sure that you are well-practiced and on the educational path to secure your dream career!
Written by Karen Stanley
Karen is a former teacher of 20 years and ten times published author. She writes content for educational organisations and businesses, nationally and internationally. She coaches new and budding writers through to publication and is passionate about creativity; she runs creative writing workshops in schools and fostering agencies.
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Sarah is an accomplished educator, researcher and author in the field of testing and assessment. She has worked with various educational institutions and organisations to develop innovative evaluation methods and enhance student learning. Sarah has published numerous articles and books on assessment and learning. Her passion for promoting equity and fairness in the education system fuels her commitment to sharing insights and best practices with educators and policymakers around the world.
