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United Kingdom · Admissions test

The LNAT: National Admissions Test for Law

It’s the test nine UK universities ask for when you apply for their undergraduate law degrees, and three universities outside the UK use it too. The National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT), which the LNAT Consortium’s site also calls the Law National Aptitude Test, doesn’t test what you know about law. You read argumentative passages and answer 42 multiple-choice questions, then write one essay, on a computer at a Pearson VUE test centre. You can sit it once in each application cycle.

  • 42Section A questions
  • 95 minutesTime for Section A
  • 1 essay from a choice of 3Section B, in 40 minutes
Where to studyHow the test works

Updated October 2026 · Written from the LNAT Consortium: Your guide to preparing for the National Admissions Test for Law

Key facts

At a glance

Run by
LNAT Consortium Ltd, with Pearson VUE delivering the test
Needed by
9 UK universities and 3 outside the UK, for undergraduate law
Fee
£75 at UK and European Union (EU) test centres, £120 elsewhere
Where
Pearson VUE test centres in 165 countries
Sittings
Once per cycle, on any day with a free slot

How it works

How the National Admissions Test for Law works

  1. The LNAT takes 2 hours 15 minutes on a computer at a test centre, in two sections.
  2. Section A has 12 argumentative passages with 3 or 4 multiple-choice questions on each. It tests reading and reasoning, not knowledge of law.
  3. You can review Section A answers at any time in the 95 minutes, but once you start Section B you can’t go back.
  4. In Section B you write one essay. It isn’t scored, but it’s sent to your universities with your Section A mark out of 42.
  5. You choose the day and the test centre yourself, as long as you sit it by your universities’ deadlines.

Topics

What’s on the test

01

Section A: multiple choice

42 multiple-choice questions on 12 argumentative passages, answered in 95 minutes on a computer at a test centre.

Key points (4)
  • Section A has 42 multiple-choice questions on 12 argumentative passages, with 3 or 4 questions on each, and you get 95 minutes (LNAT: Test format).
  • The questions are always about the passage itself, so treat what it says as true for the test, even if it isn’t (LNAT: Hints and tips).
  • LNAT says the test doesn’t put great emphasis on speed, and you can note key words on the whiteboard you’re given (LNAT: Hints and tips).
  • Each right answer scores a point and wrong answers lose nothing, so LNAT advises against leaving blanks (LNAT: Hints and tips).
02

Section B: the essay

One essay from a choice of three questions, written in 40 minutes. It isn’t scored, but your universities get a copy.

Key points (4)
  • The essay topics aren’t specifically about current affairs, and you aren’t judged on the facts you know (LNAT: How to prepare).
  • LNAT recommends a maximum of 750 words, ideally about 500 to 600 (LNAT: Sample essays).
  • Universities use the essay in different ways, for example as a basis for interview questions or to choose between borderline candidates (LNAT: Results).
  • LNAT says it’s more interested in whether you can defend a position than in your opinions, and warns against sitting on the fence (LNAT: Hints and tips).
03

Scores and results

Your LNAT score is your Section A mark out of 42. There’s no pass mark, and universities see it before you do.

Key points (4)
  • People who sit on different days get different papers, calibrated so that scores can be compared across all of them (LNAT: FAQs).
  • There’s no pass or fail mark, and LNAT says there’s no fixed weight to the test: each university uses it in its own way (LNAT: FAQs; LNAT: Results).
  • Universities can download your score and essay before you get your own result (LNAT: Results).
  • Results aren’t carried over, so if you apply again in a later year you sit the LNAT again (LNAT: When do I take the LNAT?).
04

Universities and deadlines

Nine UK universities require the LNAT for their undergraduate law courses, and each has a deadline for sitting it.

Key points (4)
  • The UK universities on LNAT’s list are Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Glasgow, King’s College London, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Oxford, SOAS and University College London (UCL) (LNAT: Do I need to sit the test?).
  • Each university sets a deadline for sitting the test. Oxford and Cambridge’s is the earliest, 15 October, and the last in the main round is 25 January (LNAT: Dates and deadlines).
  • Three universities outside the UK also use it: O.P. Jindal Global University, Singapore University of Social Sciences and IE University (LNAT: Do I need to sit the test?).
  • There are no general exemptions. Only a university can waive the LNAT, and only in extreme cases (LNAT: When do I take the LNAT?).
05

Registering and booking

Pearson VUE runs LNAT registration: you set up an account, then book and pay for a test slot at the centre you choose.

Key points (4)
  • Registration for 2027 entry opened on 1 August 2026, and testing started on 1 September 2026 (LNAT: Dates and deadlines).
  • You can register with 10 zeros in place of your Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) personal ID, but you must add the real number later so universities can match your result (LNAT: Set up account).
  • If you need extra time or a reader recorder, apply with evidence before you book, because those tests can’t be booked online (LNAT: Exam access requirements).
  • A teacher, parent or guardian can register for you, but making sure you’re registered is your responsibility (LNAT: Set up account).
06

Fees, vouchers and bursaries

The fee depends on where your test centre is. UK and European Union (EU) candidates on certain benefits can have it waived with a bursary.

Key points (4)
  • The fee is set by where your test centre is, not where you live or your nationality, and it’s always charged in pounds sterling (LNAT: Paying for your test).
  • You pay when you book, by credit card, a debit card that doesn’t need a PIN, or an LNAT voucher (LNAT: Dates and deadlines).
  • Bursaries cover the full fee for UK and EU applicants on certain benefits, at UK and EU test centres only, and you apply before you book (LNAT: LNAT bursaries).
  • Fees aren’t refunded if you decide not to sit, and a missed test has to be booked and paid for again (LNAT: Paying for your test).
07

Test centres and test day

You sit the LNAT on a computer at a Pearson VUE test centre, which you choose when you book.

Key points (4)
  • You choose your centre when you book online, and you can’t arrange a slot by contacting a centre (LNAT: Test centres).
  • If you’re more than 15 minutes late, you can be recorded as a no-show and have to book and pay again (LNAT: FAQs).
  • Personal items go in a locker; you get a whiteboard and pen for notes (LNAT: Test centres).
  • If there’s a disruption, get an incident number from the centre before you leave and contact the LNAT Consortium (LNAT: Test day problems).

Test day

What to bring to your LNAT test centre

  • Your confirmation email from Pearson VUE, on your phone or on paper
  • One accepted photo ID, such as a current signed passport, with your name exactly as on your LNAT booking
  • A signed school letter with your photo and the school’s stamp, only if you have no accepted ID and sit in the UK, Australia or New Zealand
  • Any medication you need, which you mention when you check in

Before you go

  1. Check which of your universities need the LNAT, and the deadline for each one.
  2. Set up your LNAT account with Pearson VUE and add your UCAS personal ID when you have it.
  3. If you need exam access arrangements, a voucher or a bursary, apply before you book.
  4. Book a slot well before your deadline, and pay when you book.
  5. Work through LNAT’s online tutorial and sample test so the screens are familiar.
LNAT: Book your test with Pearson VUEPearson VUE runs LNAT registration and booking for the LNAT Consortium. You set up an account first, then book and pay for a slot at the centre you choose.

Study options

Where to study

The LNAT Consortium says the LNAT can’t be revised for, but it strongly advises you to practise so the format is familiar. It doesn’t recommend paying for coaching and doesn’t endorse any outside materials. Its own practice tests, tutorial, sample essays and preparation guide come first in the list, then paid tutoring with the prices on providers’ own sites in October 2026.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official and free
LNAT online tutorial and sample testOfficial on-screen sample testThe LNAT Consortium calls the sample test a simulation of the real LNAT exactly as it appears on screen at the test centre. It advises going through the tutorial first, which also shows new functionality introduced from 2026.
FreeThe tutorial, a Pause the Clock tutorial and the sample test, with no limit on attempts
LNAT Consortium: Practice tests ↗
LNAT practice test papersOfficial practice papers, mark scheme and commentaryTwo sample tests printed as 2010 papers, each with 42 multiple-choice questions on 12 passages and five essay questions. The mark scheme lists answers by passage title, and the commentary explains how to approach the passages.
FreeBoth papers, the mark scheme and the commentary, as PDF or RTF
LNAT Consortium: Practice tests ↗
LNAT preparation guideOfficial guide (PDF)The LNAT Consortium’s own guide, with advice from LNAT examiners and students on both sections, sample questions with answers and rationales, practical tips and a reading list.
FreeThe whole guide
LNAT Consortium: Preparation guide ↗
LNAT sample essays and hintsOfficial essay questions, sample answers and tipsThe sample essays page gives the recommended length, at most 750 words and ideally 500 to 600, and a short reading list on critical thinking. The hints page covers both sections and quotes past candidates.
FreeNine sample essay questions, three sample answers and the hints and tips page
LNAT Consortium: Sample essays ↗LNAT Consortium: Hints and tips ↗
Tutoring and courses
Oxbridge ApplicationsOne-to-one admissions test tuition, onlineCovers the LNAT alongside other Oxford and Cambridge admissions tests, with tutors matched to the test. Its LNAT page describes packages that include test papers marked by its tutors, and it says you’re typically set up with a tutor within five working days.
£595 for 4 hours, £995 for 8 hours, £1,295 for 12 hours, £1,645 for 16 hoursTest guides and revision trackers after you register on its site
Oxbridge Applications: Admissions test tuition ↗Oxbridge Applications: LNAT guide ↗
UniAdmissionsLNAT tutoring and courses within its law programmeUniAdmissions says its LNAT tutoring comes only through its Full-Blue Law Programme, which is aimed at Oxford and Cambridge. Its online LNAT course (7 hours of pre-recorded lectures and 4 mock papers) and its four-day intensive course are both for Law Programme students only, and it lists its Ultimate LNAT Collection among the intensive course’s resources.
Not listed on its siteA 30-minute consultation
UniAdmissions: LNAT tutoring ↗UniAdmissions: Online LNAT courses ↗
Study MindOne-to-one LNAT tutoring, onlineYou pick a tutor from the university of your choice. Its LNAT page shows 1,276 reviews and advertises a money-back guarantee; prices for longer packages aren’t on the page.
£70 for a first 2-hour lessonNot listed
Study Mind: LNAT tuition ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

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FAQ

Common questions

What is the National Admissions Test for Law used for?

Universities use it to help pick students for undergraduate law degrees. They look at it alongside your A levels or equivalent, your UCAS application, your personal statement and, at some universities, an interview. The LNAT Consortium says there’s no fixed weight to it, so each university uses your score and essay in its own way.

Do you need to know any law for the LNAT?

No. The LNAT Consortium says there are no facts to learn. Section A tests how well you read and reason about the passage in front of you, and the essay tests how you build an argument. Its preparation guide says the passages cover areas such as law, philosophy, politics, media, science, ethics and education, with no prior knowledge needed.

Can you take the LNAT online?

No. It’s an on-screen test at a secure Pearson VUE test centre, and the LNAT Consortium says it can’t be offered outside its test centres. You can’t sit it at your school, and paper versions aren’t available under any circumstances, even with access arrangements.

Can you resit the LNAT?

Not in the same cycle. You can sit it once per testing cycle, and if you sit it twice the later result is void. LNAT’s dates page gives the cycle as 1 September to 31 July, while its “When do I take the LNAT?” page says September to June; for 2026/27 the dates page’s last test date is 31 July 2027. If you apply again in a later year, you sit the LNAT again then, because results aren’t carried over.

Is the LNAT only in English?

Yes. The LNAT Consortium says the member law schools teach in English, so the test is only available in English. You can’t take a dictionary or any books into the test room.

Is the LNAT changing for 2027?

The LNAT Consortium hadn’t announced any changes to the test for the 2027/28 cycle by late October 2026. The one recent change it mentions is new on-screen functionality introduced from 2026, which its online tutorial shows. If you’re applying for 2028 entry, check LNAT’s dates and deadlines page for that cycle before you book.

Sources: LNAT Consortium and 9 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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