What skills does LNAT test?

Apr 02, 2024

Written By Helena Kudiabor

The LNAT is the national admissions test for law, and is used by universities when assessing their law degree applicants. In this article, you’ll learn about what skills the exam assesses and how you can prepare for it.

What is the LNAT?

The LNAT is required by nine universities in the UK, to assess applicants for their undergraduate law degrees. The LNAT is not like a typical exam, in the sense that you cannot revise for it. In order to prevent students who have studied law previously an unfair advantage, the exam doesn’t test your knowledge of the law or legal systems.

Instead, it tests whether you have the skills necessary to succeed as a lawyer. The LNAT is used alongside A-Level results, personal statements and interviews, to give a more accurate picture of the student’s abilities.

What is the format of the LNAT?

The LNAT is made up of two sections: a multiple choice section and an essay section. The multiple choice section involves 12 passages, and 42 multiple choice questions about the passages. You’ll have 95 minutes to read all 12 passages and answer the questions, which aim to assess your understanding of what you’ve read. The multiple choice section is marked by a computer, and you’ll receive a score out of 42. This score is known as your LNAT score.

The second section asks you to write an essay. You’ll be given three essay questions, and will have 40 minutes to choose a question and write the essay. Questions discuss topical issues and current affairs, such as abortion, feminism and the olympics. The essay won’t be marked, but your university will still be able to read it, so it’s an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you can craft a strong argument.

What skills does the LNAT test?

The LNAT aims to assess the verbal reasoning skills you need to succeed as a lawyer. These are:

- Comprehension (understanding new ideas)

- Interpretation (explaining the meaning of something)

- Analysis (breaking a complex topic into smaller parts)

- Synthesis (combining a number of different ideas to come up with a new idea)

- Induction (making broad generalisations based on specific observations)

- Deduction (coming to a conclusion based on general principles.)

How can I develop these skills?

One way to develop your verbal reasoning skills is by reading quality newspapers, such as The Independent and The Economist. As you read, consider what assumptions are being made, what discourses are missing and possible counterarguments. You could also start watching political debates and conduct similar exercises, but be sure to set your personal biases aside.

To put these skills into practice, you should do a couple of LNAT practice tests, available on the LNAT official website. These allow you to get a feel for the test, and to see which areas you need to improve upon. You could even try the LSAT, which is the American equivalent, if you need some additional practice. Although bear in mind that the LSAT is designed for graduate students, and the passages are a little shorter.

Hopefully this article has helped you understand the format of the LNAT, and how you can best prepare.

LNAT