Law is no easy subject to wrap your head around but is one that many students find themselves drawn to. In the academic year of 2020-21, over 31,000 students applied to study law at university, with just over 21,000 being granted admission. Being such a competitive subject, many Russell Group universities will ask students to sit a compulsory admissions test (the National Admissions Test for Law, or ‘LNAT’) before offering them a place.
The LNAT was developed as a fair way to assess students’ potential to study law at undergraduate level. As many students won’t have had exposure to law as a subject in secondary school or sixth form, it can be a daunting process, so preparation for the exam is crucial.
To simplify matters, we have laid out some of the need-to-knows about the LNAT to help you get started but we have specialised LNAT tutors with a wealth of experience preparing teenagers for the exam, and all have impressive track records.
What is the LNAT?
The LNAT exam is sat every year by prospective law students entering into higher education in the UK. Other countries may have their own variants of this (like the LSATs in the US) but ultimately these tests are intended to gauge a student’s intellectual ability rather than their existing legal knowledge. The LNAT will measure critical verbal reasoning skills that form the foundation of a legal education, including:
- Comprehension
- Interpretation
- Analysis
- Induction
- Synthesis
- Deduction
Alongside UCAS applications, admissions interviews and A-Level results, the LNAT is intended to give admissions teams a more rounded impression of a student’s aptitude and ability to study law.
What does the LNAT exam involve?
The LNAT assessment is 2 ¼ hours and is divided into two parts. The first is a 95-minute multiple-choice section based on twelve argumentative passages and the second is an essay writing section that requires students to argue a case and draw on a wide range of topics.
Within section two, students will be able to choose from one of three essay questions to best demonstrate their ability to discuss and debate a case before coming to a robust conclusion. This section is 40-minutes in length and will require students to have a strong command of written English.
Our LNAT tutors thoroughly prepare teenagers for both elements of the test, honing in on areas of improvement and polishing existing skills.
Past papers and targeted one-to-one discussions form the basis of our tuition. Tutors also keep a close eye on their students’ progress through regular testing, reading recommendations and they engage teenagers in debates about current affairs and legal issues.
What do I need to prepare for the LNAT?
First and foremost, check application dates! Each university will have specific dates and requirements so it’s important to wrap your head around these well in advance so you’re able to sit the test and submit an application in plenty of time. Timelines are typically as follows:
August
Registration for the LNAT exam opens in August for admissions for the following academic year and you must sit the test in the UCAS year in which you are applying to study. To give an example, registration for the LNAT in August 2023 would be for entry into a university from September 2024.
September – January
Generally, LNAT testing begins in September, a year prior to admission and runs until the end of January.
Oxbridge typically requires applicants to have sat their exam and submitted UCAS applications by mid-October, and the London School of Economics calls for submissions by the end of December.
Late LNAT admissions
Late admissions are accepted up until June, however we encourage all applicants to sit their exam well in advance to ensure applications can be considered by university admissions boards.
LNAT Fees
Test fees are determined by an applicant’s test centre location, not on place of residence or nationality. At the time of writing, there is a fee of 75 GBP to sit the exam within the EU and 120 GBP to do so outside of the EU.
For candidates that may struggle to fund their LNAT test, there is an LNAT bursary scheme available but this can take up to a week to process and must be applied for prior to booking the exam. Some students in the UK and EU receiving state benefits may also be eligible for test fees to be waived but this should also be checked in advance of booking your test.
When will I get my LNAT results?
Results are not as simple as a ‘pass’ or a ‘fail’ and are primarily for the benefit of universities to use alongside A Level results and UCAS applications to inform admissions decisions.
Candidates will receive their results via email but the date will be dependent on when they sat their LNAT exam.
- Students that take the exam in the September to January period will have their results emailed to them by mid-February.
- Candidates taking the test after the end of January will receive their results in mid August.
Can I resit the LNAT exam?
Candidates may only sit the LNAT once between 1st September and 31st July of the following year, although exceptions are occasionally made in cases of extenuating circumstances.
Therefore applicants cannot resit the exam until the following academic year and results cannot be carried over from one year to the next, so it’s important for students to be prepared.
Our specialised LNAT tutors can help prepare you for the exam
University admissions tests can be a source of stress and anxiety for teenagers and parents alike, especially as the format doesn’t allow students to approach revision in the same way they would for core subjects.
At Hampstead and Frognal Tutors, our team includes a number of full-time law tutors, Oxbridge graduates, legal professionals and teachers at leading private schools, all equipped to help students finesse their skills and approach the LNAT with confidence. Our tutors also attend regular training sessions to ensure they remain up-to-date with any changes to the LNAT syllabus and can support other aspects of university applications, such as personal statements and Oxbridge interviews.
We know all students are unique; some will benefit from a few intensive revision sessions, some will require longer-term support and some will thrive in online tutoring sessions. Our tutors will help identify a student’s individual learning style and implement a bespoke programme of tuition to equip them with strong essay writing, problem-solving and verbal reasoning skills so they are prepared for anything the paper might throw at them.
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