The LNAT which stands for The Law National Admission Test is an exam that all candidates who wish to apply to study law at most of the top universities in the UK, including the LLB Bachelor of Laws at LSE, must take as part of the admissions process. The LNAT score, alongside all other information on the UCAS application form, constitutes an important part of the admissions procedure and can make a difference in the final admissions decision. LNAT is a 2-hour 15-minute exam, divided into two sections A and B. The first part consists of 42 multiple-choice questions based on 12 passages of the academic text and it has to be completed in 95 minutes. Afterwards, candidates have 40 minutes to write an argumentative essay on one of the three available topics.
Students wishing to commence their legal studies at LSE in September 2024, or for deferred entries in September 2025 have to take the LNAT between 1 September 2023 and 31 December 2023 to be guaranteed equal consideration in the admissions process. Candidates should register with Pearson VUE on the LNAT website which is the test administrator, and take the exam at one of their test centres located in the UK or overseas. Each candidate can only sit the test once per application cycle, which is why it is important to spend some time to prepare and develop a strategy which will allow you to ace the exam and secure admission to study law at your dream university.
LNAT is a critical thinking test, which does not require prior knowledge of the law, and its focus is on logical reasoning, attention to detail and argumentation. Since there is no precise material you have to study for the test, preparation for the LNAT may appear quite tricky, however, there are some ways in which you can maximize your chances of scoring high. If LSE is your dream university, your primary focus should be the multiple-choice section of the LNAT. For most applicants, LSE admissions will only consider part A of the test, and the essay will usually not be considered. Check our website for more information on the LNAT entry requirement.
Below I present some of my tips to score well on section A of the test.
In section A, you will be presented with a set of 12 text passages from different academic backgrounds you might not have seen or studied before, which is why preparation for it is not very straightforward. However being a well-read, curious person would certainly put you in an advantageous position. What helped me to score high on the test was actively engaging with different journals, articles and books which deepened my understanding of different issues, but also helped me to become faster and more efficient at reading academic texts. Regularly reading non-fiction, for example, opinion sections of popular newspapers and thinking critically about the points raised in the articles afterwards, will benefit you on exam day.
One of the most valuable tips for acing section A of the LNAT is regularly practising the types of questions that appear on the exam. You can find a lot of sample papers on the official website of the LNAT, which will allow you to accommodate yourself with the exam format. Another option, which I’d recommend is buying an exercise book with examples of LNAT questions and explanations of the answers. This will allow you to practice and understand your mistakes and can be extremely useful in learning how the questions are structured. While practising 12 passages at once daily may not be achievable in a busy study week, trying to do at least a few passages with a timer on, will allow you to prepare well for the test and reduce the anxiety on the exam day.
Good luck!
