LNAT Exam - Eligibility, Dates, Fees, Syllabus

LNAT exam is a standardised admission test to study law at nine UK and two non-UK universities. The test is taken by students to stand out from the crowd who are already well-qualified. It gives a common yardstick to universities to assess law school applicants.

Though LNAT is not the only criterion that determines selection to study law, it is an extra piece of information that helps the selection committee to arrive at a decision. There are no definite LNAT scores required by universities and the cut-offs vary every year.

Here is a comprehensive guide to help understand and the LNAT registration process, syllabus, exam pattern and others which are necessary to have a clear idea of the exam.

What is LNAT Exam?

The LNAT full form is National Admission Test for Law. The exam serves two important purposes one is that it helps students to determine whether they are the right fit for a legal career or not and the second is it assists universities to check if you will succeed in law courses.

LNAT is a computer-based examination generally taken by those aspiring to study a bachelor's programme in law. It is administered by Pearson VUE under contract with the exam. The content of the test is managed by LNAT Consortium members made up of six universities.

The exam, in a nutshell, is a test of verbal reasoning skills, ability to understand and interpret information, inductive and deductive reasoning abilities and ability to analyse and draw conclusions from the information. The LNAT exam should not be considered a test of intelligence or that it requires you to have legal knowledge.

Why Take LNAT Exam?

LNAT is an important part of undergraduate law admissions and helps admission officers to evaluate students apart from the other subjective parts of the application process. The reasons why law aspirants who want to study in the UK should choose to take the exam are:

• It is a singular test designed especially for law and used by LNAT universities to provide a single degree or join LLB degrees.

• It is a fair and just way to compare equally academically meritorious candidates.

• The exam reduces the universitys dependency on grades to determine the candidature of applicants.

• The test checks the potential of candidates rather than their achievement thus widening the scope of higher education.

• The LNAT results are secure, confidential and delivered on time.

• It also helps to check the English proficiency test of international students without requiring them to take an additional English language proficiency test.

LNAT Exam Eligibility

There are no pre-defined LNAT eligibility criteria defined by the Pearson VUE which administers the test. Universities may have their individual entry requirements. However, the students must have the following criteria to sit for the test:

• Must have completed higher secondary from a recognised board.

• Must be interested to study bachelor's inlaw in the accepted colleges.

• Must have a valid ID card.

• Must be proficient in the English language.

• Should have the ability to think beyond the bookish syllabus.

LNAT Exam Registration Process

Interested students have to complete the LNAT registration process to sit for the exam. In order to register, applicants have to undergo the following process:

• Step 1: Create an account on the LNAT website.

• Step 2: Select a test centre.

• Step 3: Book the test using your user ID and password.

• Step 4: Pay using a debit card or credit card.

• Step 5: Get confirmation via email or SMS.

LNAT Exam Fees

The LNAT exam fees depend upon the country from which the test taker is taking the test. That said, it does not depend upon the nationality or place of residence. Notably, the fees for the exam are to be paid online while booking the test. It has to be paid in GBP.

Besides debit and credit cards, the fees can also be paid using vouchers. However, one should note that swift and Maestro cards are not the accepted modes of payment. Students with financial limitations can avail of a bursary system. The exam fee for LNAT is given below:

LNAT Important Dates 2023

The dates for LNAT 2023 have been released by the LNAT consortium. Before applying for the exam, you must note that you can sit for the exam only twice. The important dates related to the LNAT exam are given below:

LNAT Exam Centres in India

There are 500 LNAT test centres around the world, with more than 20 exam centres located in the major cities of India. Students must access the test centre that is near to their house and book the test ahead to avoid last moment rush.

Here is the list of LNAT exam centres in India or, more specifically, the exam cities :

LNAT Syllabus and Exam Pattern

The LNAT exam lasts for 2 hours 15 minutes and is divided into two sections. The questions in the first section are broken into 12 argumentative passages and 3 to 4 multiple choice questions on each passage. The categories from which questions are asked are law, ethics, education, media, science, politics and philosophy.

Students get the opportunity to review their answers during the 1 hour 35 minutes but cannot do so when they move to the next section.

In the second section, test-takers need to write an essay on any one topic out of the three given. The purpose of this section is to understand the ability of students to argue economically and come to a conclusion. It is necessary to have a good command of the English language in order to qualify for this section.

The details of the two sections along with the number of questions and time required are given below:

LNAT Exam Results

The LNAT results will be released on and from October 21, 2022, for universities to download them. After that, the LNAT results including essay scores will be released and sent to universities of the candidates choice within 24 hours of finishing the exam.

The results will be referred to by the admission tutors as part of the admission process. And, to determine the eligibility of the test-taker for admission to law programmes in the participating colleges, scores of the essay and MCQ portion will be made use of in the best possible way.

There is no fixed weight to the LNAT and the scores are utilised by universities in different ways. Test results are emailed to test-takers twice a year. Those who take LNAT on or before January 26 will get it by mid-February 2023 and those attempting post that, will get it by mid-August 2023.

LNAT Exam Acceptance

The LNAT exam is accepted by 9 law colleges in the UK and a university in Singapore. Other non-UK universities may accept the test which the students should check directly with the university. The UK universities accepting LNAT exams are:

LNAT Exam Preparation Tips

Quite simply, Lawyers need reading and reasoning skills to work professionally. They have to perform tasks like reading legal documents, interpreting legal doctrine, identifying or spotting something in facts and forming counterarguments. The following preparation tips will be helpful for answering the multiple choice questions and the essay question:

• Knowing to Select the Relevant Details: Students should understand the stages of development of an argument. They should also sort the relevant details from the irrelevant.

• Read Quickly: As legal practice involves reading lots of material, therefore it is necessary to learn to read quickly. The passages should be read thoroughly and the gist of the matter should be focused upon.

• Identify Arguments: It is necessary to identify the core of the arguments and the evidence to provide its support. Also, the writers attitude is to be understood.

• Avoiding Assumptions: In the passages, students may encounter arguments and they should avoid making assumptions of any kind. Instead, they should read well to thoroughly understand what is being said.

• Structure the Essay: The essay section is only 40 minutes and it is necessary to select the right topic. One should jot down the points well ahead to write in a flow.

As someone who wants to study in the UK, one must take the LNAT exam and secure a good score. Although universities do not specify any minimum marks requirement, they do require students to appear for the test. Moreover, the exam helps determine students' future success in a legal career.

If you have any queries about LNAT or other entrance exams such as LSAT, write to us at abroad@collegedekho.com.