What is in the LNAT test?

Apr 02, 2024

Written By Sophie Wilson

The LNAT test is an aptitude test for prospective law students. There is a list of eleven universities that require the test to be taken, and this is available on the LNAT website. It is important to remember that it is not a test of a student’s knowledge of the law, but rather about finding out how students approach questions and their style of thinking.

What is in the test?

The test is made up of two parts. The first is computer based and is made up of 42 multiple choice questions. A passage will be given and questions will be answered in relation to the reading of this. A mark out of 42 will then be given, and this will be known as your LNAT score. There is not a pass or a fail mark, but rather the score is used to accompany your existing application.

There are two types of questions in this first section. The first is argument and analysis questions, where the overarching argument of the passage is asked about. Where more than one reason is given for the author having a certain viewpoint, the most important reason should be identified. The second style of the first section involves literary style questions. These ask about the words used in the passage, and what synonyms could be used (for example) to replace certain words.

The second part of the test is an essay. There will be a choice of three essay questions of which you must choose one. This is not marked by the test centre and does not make up part of the LNAT score, but it is still available to universities, so is still important.

The essay can be on a variety of topics, and they are typically not law related. What is important is forming an argument and clearly conveying a viewpoint; this tests your ability to communicate your ideas.

To prepare for this second section, it is helpful to practise writing out a good argument under timed conditions. By using some of the past papers available on the LNAT website, and setting a timer for forty minutes, this parallels the conditions of the test and improves ability to construct a strong argument under pressure.

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How long does the test take?

The test lasts for two hours and fifteen minutes. The first section is 95 minutes long; the second section is 40 minutes.

How can you best prepare for this test?

This is not a test that you can revise for. A good way to prepare is to familiarise yourself with the format of the test, and what the questions will look like. There are sample papers available to download on the LNAT website.

The LNAT website recommends some ways to exercise relevant parts of the brain in preparation for taking this. Their top tip is to read a quality newspaper every day, and to think about things like what issue is being brought up in these articles and how you would raise a counter argument to that viewpoint.

It’s also a good idea to have some knowledge on how the world works and about pressing issues in the world.

How do I know if I have done well?

As there is no pass or fail mark, the only way for a student to look at their score is by comparing it to the national average. This changes each year, and it depends on the difficulty of the test. The national average is usually about 50%, or 21/42.

If you’re interested in the average score for applicants to a specific university, you can submit a freedom of information request to the university. They should provide you with the average LNAT score for successful applicants.

LNAT