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Are you planning to sit for the LNAT examination in 2025-26? Then, you must know how to prepare for the LNAT examination. Proper preparation of the LNAT (National Admissions Test for Law) is essential for admission into top universities like Oxford University and Cambridge. The examination would assess your critical thinking skills, comprehension, and essay writing skills, and not your legal knowledge. In this blog, we have provided you with the steps you need to take to prepare for the examination. You will learn how to write an essay effectively, how long you should prepare, how to take the LNAT test practice and the right books to prepare for the exam.
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Steps to Prepare for the LNAT Exam
To successfully clear the LNAT exam, you need to prepare well. Preparation requires a proper understanding of the exam structure, building reading comprehension, and acing writing skills and more. Below, we have provided five steps that you can take to prepare for the LNAT exam this academic cycle.
Understand the LNAT Structure
The first step is to understand the LNAT examination structure. This is a two-part examination consisting of Paper 1 and Paper 2. The first paper will be in MCQ format, and the second one will be an essay. You are given a total of 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete the paper. The LNAT examination would test your key skills in terms of comprehension, inference (reading between the lines), and argument analysis. Create a simple chart of time per question to get a sense of pace. Familiarising yourself with the structure will help you cut down the exam stress and manage your time.
Build Core Reading Skills
The LNAT examination tests your reading skills. If you are wondering how to prepare for the LNAT, know that you need to polish your reading skills. To attain this goal, you can read opinion pieces regularly from papers like The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. Understand the difference between view and point, and practise skimming paragraphs for the main point. Learn signal words like “therefore, on the other hand”, and “however,” to build your argument flow. Keep a journal of the new words. You can also time yourself on short passages to build speed without missing accuracy.
Learn Multiple‑Choice Techniques
One of the tricks on how to prepare for the LNAT exam is to master answering the MCQ questions. You can focus on one skill per session. Learn how to identify assumptions, spot flaws, or conclusions. Don’t guesswork. Instead, try to eliminate 1 wrong answer before choosing. You need to practise answering MCQ questions in blocks of 10 under timed conditions. After each block, review your answer and see why the answer was the correct one. Make your checklist like: Read the question twice, underline keywords, eliminate two options, and select the best answer.
Essay Planning & Writing
Your LNAT test practice must also include preparing for the essay. Indeed, you will not receive the LNAT essay answers, and it goes directly to the university. Nevertheless, universities do consider your answer for admission. The examination tests whether you can write clear, logical, and persuasive answers under pressure. Therefore, remember a simple essay structure: introduction, two balanced arguments, counter‑argument, and a mini‑conclusion. Spend 5 minutes planning your answer, and write down 3 points for each side with an example.
You can avoid using long quotations in the essay answer. Use short sentences. For example, your essay must reflect one idea per line. Once you have completed the essay, take 3 minutes to review your answer to check for grammatical errors and to ensure that your answer links back to the main argument.
Review Performance & Get Feedback
Now you know how to prepare for the LNAT examination properly. Ensure that after each practice test, you are totalling your score. You need to keep an error log to record the question, your answer, the right answer, and the reason for the mistake. You can consult your teachers and peers to get feedback on your essays and ask them about the areas to improve. Thereafter, work on your weak area. Ensure that you are adjusting your study plan weekly to add more reading time or essay practice sessions, if required.
To learn more about how to prepare for the LNAT exam, watch this video:
How to Prepare for the LNAT Essay?
You need to prepare for the LNAT essential session. While answering the essay question, ensure that you are following a proper essay format. You are answering to the point, and not dragging your answer. Your essay must reflect clear thinking and solid English language skills.
The LNAT test practice for the essay writing session can be done easily. Choose the topics you don’t know well, as such topics force you to plan an answer, take 5 minutes to map out your argument, ensure that you are listing pros and cons, and follow the essay structure. You need to include everyday examples in your answers. For example, a local news story. Aim to write at least 350 words in 40 minutes. Therefore, practice managing your time for the paper.
Also Read: LNAT Exam Dates 2026: Key Timelines for UK Law Applicants
How Long Should You Prepare for the LNAT Exam?
Now you know how to prepare for the LNAT examination. The next thing to know is the time you need to dedicate. While the ideal learning time varies depending on the student, on average, a plan of 6 to 8 weeks of preparation is essential.
- During the first two weeks, focus on building the main skills. Dedicate at least 30 minutes daily reading articles and identifying arguments.
- In weeks 3 and 4, you can shift to mixed practice. Dedicate time for LNAT test practice: 95‑minute MCQ sessions and one timed essay per week.
- Use the 5th week to review your mistake log and practice your weak areas. There must be 20–30 minutes for this at a time.
- For the last 2 weeks, you can simulate the test day twice. Keep 2 hours and 15 minutes and practise taking the test in a quiet environment. Ensure that you are able to complete both the sessions and practice time well.
- Ensure that you are taking enough rest during the test preparation to avoid burnout. Those starting later can increase their daily practice sessions but keep total study time around 40–50 hours.
Also Read: University of Cambridge Admission Requirements: Eligibility Criteria and Application Process
How to Take the LNAT Practice Test?
The LNAT practice test papers are available on the official website. You can visit the official website of the LNAT examination to take the practice test. These are some of the things you must keep in mind.
- The official website offers free LNAT practice tests. These questions mirror the actual questions asked. Therefore, first take these practice tests. Go to the practice test page to start the practice test.
- Ensure that you replicate the testing conditions. You can turn off your phone, set a timer for 95 minutes to answer MCQs and 40 minutes to answer the essays.
- Track your time, break MCQs into four 23‑question blocks, and give yourself 23 minutes to complete per block
- You can keep a notebook to record the types of questions asked, what was the right answer, and the reason you answered wrong.
- After each practice test, spend double the amount of time reviewing your answer. Write one one-sentence summary for each question to know why an answer was right or wrong.
LNAT Preparation Books
How to prepare for the LNAT exam? Get the right books. You need the right books to prepare for the examination. It is important to know that the primary source is the official LNAT website. You can club your knowledge with additional books. Here are 5 LNAT preparation books that can be useful for you.
| S. No. | Book Name | Author |
| 1 | Thinking Skills for LNAT | Stella Cottrell |
| 2 | The Law School Admission Test Trainer | Mike Kim |
| 3 | 501 Critical Reading Questions | LearningExpress LLC Editors |
| 4 | How to Write Better Essays | Bryan Greetham |
| 5 | Oxford LNAT Official Guide | LNAT Consortium |
FAQs
Yes, 27 is considered a decent LNAT score. Most of the students score in mid 20’s. Hence, the score of 27 is considered good. Universities like King’s College London (KCL) accept the LNAT score.
No. The LNAT exam is considered a difficult examination because your law knowledge is not what is tested. Instead, your skills, such as critical thinking skills, comprehension, and argumentation skills, are tested.
Yes, 30 is a good score in the LNAT examination. This score can help you get admission to top law schools in the UK, including the Oxford University Law School.
No. LNAT is not an IQ test. It does not test your legal knowledge or your intelligence. Your ability to clear a law course is tested. Mainly, the emphasis is on your skills, like reasoning, logic, and critical thinking, skills are tested.
There is no low LNAT score for the LNAT exam. Universities set their score each year. The University College London’s lowest acceptable score last academic year was 29.8.
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