Is the LNAT hard to pass?

Mar 05, 2024

Written By Tom Hale

The LNAT aims to assess the candidate’s intellectual ability, rather than their knowledge of subjects, as well as their aptitude for critical reasoning and comprehension. The time restraints, paired with 42 complex multiple choice questions (MCQ's) make the LNAT a challenging test. However, there are still many ways you can improve your score.

What is the LNAT?

The LNAT is the National Admissions Test for Law. It is the main aptitude test for certain law courses in the UK. Introduced in 2004, it is intended to assess one’s ability to reason and think critically, two skills vital for a successful law career.

Currently nine UK universities require the LNAT. These are:

- University of Bristol

- Cambridge University

- Durham University

- University of Glasgow

- King’s College London

- London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

- University of Oxford

- SOAS University of London

- University College London (UCL)

In addition to these, two international universities also require the test. These are:

- SUSS, Singapore University of Social Sciences

- IE University, Spain

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What makes up the test?

The LNAT is made up of two parts, spread over two hours and fifteen minutes. The first part is a computer-based multiple choice exam. In this section you’ll be given a passage of text to read and then given 42 MCQs. Each question is worth one mark and it is this that makes up your LNAT score.

The second section is slightly different. In this section you will be asked to write one essay from a selection of three topics. This question does not contribute to your LNAT score but is a great chance to show your reasoning skills.

Both the LNAT score and your essay are made available to the universities you apply to.

But is it hard to pass?

Is the LNAT hard to pass? Well, put simply, no. There is no pass or fail mark for the LNAT. Taking the test means that you passed it. In that sense it is not hard to pass.

However, where the true difficulty lies is that it is up to the university to discern whether your mark meets their requirements. Universities do not have specific requirements for the LNAT, but they’ll look at your score in the context of the rest of your application, and the LNAT scores of their other applicants.

What’s a good LNAT mark?

The benefits of a MCQ based test is that we can get a grasp of the quantitative data and see where to aim for. The LNAT is marked out of 42 but extremely few people get this grade. A score of 27 and above is typically seen as above average, however the average LNAT score is typically in the mid-20s.

Although anything above 27 is usually considered a very good mark, it is no guarantee that you will be accepted into your chosen university. This is another reason the LNAT is so hard, there is no guarantee involved.

Yes, you can write a superb essay and get good marks in the MCQs but it is still up to the universities discretion. The score is considered alongside the rest of your application, such as your predicted grades and your personal statement.

Don’t be put off

So technically the LNAT is not hard to pass, since there is no pass grade. But unfortunately, it is still a challenging exam.

Don’t be put off by the difficulty, however. There is no substitute for good, well thought out preparation and practice. Plus, universities consider your LNAT score alongside the rest of your application.

The LNAT is hard but don’t be scared of it, let this difficulty be a challenge for you to overcome.

LNAT