LNAT Advice and Guidance

Book your LNAT test here.

Don't forget - All applicants to UCL Laws Undergraduate Programmes must take the LNAT alongside their UCAS application.

LNAT Guidance from UCL Laws 

Our top tips for preparing for the LNAT

1. The test is designed to provide an assessment of a candidate’s potential for studying law. You should read the information available on the LNAT website, including the ‘Guide to Preparing for the LNAT’.
2. Practise, practise, practise.
   1. The best way to improve at anything is to practise, and the LNAT is no different. You are only allowed one attempt at the LNAT, so the more practise you do now the better prepared you will be. Start with small steps now.
3. The LNAT must be completed at a test centre, and this will be an unfamiliar place, using unfamiliar software. One of the best things you can do to familiarise yourself beforehand in order that you’re able to perform as your best without being unsettled by the environment is to use the official LNAT test simulator. This will familiarise you with the real LNAT as it will appear on screen during your LNAT test. You’ll be able to practise navigating the screens, ensuring you:
   1. Don’t make any mistakes in navigation (such as ending the test too early!),
   2. That you’re comfortable using the navigation so that you don’t need to spend time and your precious mental energy figuring it out on the day, and
   3. Feel familiar with the environment and are therefore able to relax, as it’s something you’ve seen before.

That way you will be able to perform well in the test itself.

As well as practising to learn about the test structure itself, you can also benefit from practising the individual components of the test, namely the multiple choice question section (95 minutes) and the essay component (40 minutes).

The multiple choice section is divided into 12 sub sections; each sub section has between 3 and 4 questions giving 42 questions in total. Each question has only one correct answer. By practising this part of the test, you will:

• Improve your ability to read and comprehend complicated passages of text, at test speed..
• Get an understanding of how much time you need to allocate to answer the questions within the time limit.
• Be able to pace yourself and your reading time appropriately so that you don’t run out of time at the end.

It’s better to have time to consider and answer all of the questions, than taking too long at the start and not having the time to properly consider the later questions. Don’t forget that if you are really struggling on a question, that it is OK to leave it and return at the end if you have time. Don’t let getting stuck on one question deflect your concentration from answering the others or dent your confidence. You are not expected to get full marks in this test. Don’t overanalyse the questions – they are not there to trick you. Do think carefully about every word in the question. What are you being asked? The answer is in the text.  

The LNAT essay provides a choice of three essay questions, you must select and answer one. Think about what the LNAT is testing. The LNAT is not testing you for knowledge of the law. The LNAT as a whole is designed to assess your verbal reasoning skills. Skills which are essential to the successful study of law.

• Verbal reasoning skills include comprehension, interpretation, analysis, synthesis, and deduction.
• The LNAT questions are based on short passages of text that you are given during the test.
• There is no subject-specific revision you can do for the LNAT questions. However, the passages of text will fall into these seven general categories: law, philosophy, politics, media, science, ethics, and education.In fact, relying too much on your own prior knowledge can be a false friend in this kind of assessment. Do not rely on what you know from other sources in answering the multiple-choice questions. The questions are always only about the passage itself. If there is something in the passage you disagree with or know to be incorrect, that does not matter, treat the passage as true for the purposes of the test.
• Once again, there is no prior knowledge of these areas that is required to be able to do well in the test, but a general awareness of current affairs is recommended, both by UCL and by the LNAT itself.

LNAT Essay Guidance

The essay component of the LNAT provides Faculty Admissions Tutors with an invaluable tool in assessing your writing skills, as well as the ability to formulate, develop and defend an argument. A very good answer will have a thoughtful structure, a clear message displaying reflective thought, and a good grasp of detail. Tutors will assess your essay for:

• Comprehensiveness and accuracy;
• Clarity of argument and expression;
• Integration of a range of arguments;
• Insight into the theoretical issues.
• ‘Read ahead – The more you know about current affairs, the greater the chance you will have of getting essay questions you understand and have some prior knowledge and familiarity with.
• Read a broadsheet newspaper. The advice provided on the LNAT website is worth repeating:

As you read -

• Think about the issues being raised;
• What assumptions are being made?
• What information is being relied on to draw which conclusion?
• How would you frame a counterargument?

Reading a quality daily newspaper will help you to be aware of the world around you. The LNAT essay topics will not be specifically about current affairs, and you will not be judged by what facts you know. But knowing how the world ticks, in general terms, will help you to write intelligently about a host of different topics.

We have listed some newspapers below worth considering. You can read the online versions (usually freely available, although registration may be required). If you do read the online versions, remember to read the comment pieces as well as the news. (One question you might ask yourself: What exactly is the difference between news and comment? Is the contrast really apparent in practice?)

• The Economist
• The Financial Times
• The Guardian
• The Independent
• The Irish Times
• The New York Times
• The Scotsman
• The Sydney Morning Herald
• The Daily Telegraph
• The Times
• The Washington Post

Pick the right question – Identify which question you have lots of knowledge about, not necessarily the one that you feel most strongly about. You will need to argue different points of view so make sure you have enough information to make a balanced discussion. Make sure you fully understand the question; if you don’t, pick another question.

• Plan the structure of your essay – You will only have 40 minutes, so before you start writing, think about what points you want to make and how you will create a concise, balanced argument on your chosen topic. Make sure the structure of your essay is logical and progresses in a structured way.
• Plan your time – A common mistake is for students to spend too much time on writing their introduction or making a single point. Allocate time to planning the essay structure, writing the introduction, middle, conclusion and to checking your work.
• Make your essay stand out – Consider what supporting evidence your argument has and how it can be used to best effect. Try not to be obvious and give ‘middle of the road’ bland answers. Instead, try to ‘think outside the box’ and demonstrate creativity in your arguments. Could the question itself be flawed?
• Evaluate any flaws or potential implications in the points you make. Don’t just give opinions – Without having an in-depth knowledge of a subject, it is easy to fall into the trap of using opinion to argue, rather than giving evidence. The essay is not looking for your assertions, but how you can build a case using the evidence you have available.’
• Practise writing essays under timed conditions on a computer, prior to sitting the test. Ask your teachers to set questions for you!