LNAT: preparation, format and 2027 dates
The LNAT (Law National Aptitude Test) is the law admissions test required by nine UK universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE and King’s College London. It is run by the LNAT Consortium and taken at Pearson VUE test centres. For 2027 entry, Oxford and Cambridge applicants must book their slot between 1 August and 15 September 2026 and sit the test by 15 October 2026.
The LNAT does not test any legal knowledge. There is nothing to learn, which puzzles most candidates, who are used to exams that assess a syllabus. What it measures is your ability to read an argumentative text under pressure and to build a written argument in English. You can work on these skills, but not by revising.
The LNAT at a glance
- Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes, in two sections.
- Section A: 42 multiple-choice questions in 95 minutes, based on 12 argumentative passages, with 3 or 4 questions per passage.
- Section B: one essay in 40 minutes, chosen from three questions on general topics.
- Watch out: you can review your answers during the 95 minutes of Section A, but you cannot go back to it once Section B has started.
- Scoring: Section A gives a score out of 42, which is sent to universities. Section B is not marked by the consortium: universities read it themselves.
- Attempts: one sitting per cycle. A second sitting invalidates the result. Scores do not carry over from one year to the next.
- Location: Pearson VUE test centres.
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Your Dream School supported me throughout my applications to UK universities. Their help was invaluable in preparing for the LNAT and writing a strong personal statement, with support from law students who were always available and caring. I particularly appreciated how responsive the team was: every question got a clear, quick answer, which was very reassuring. Thanks to this high-quality support, I’m now at Queen Mary University of London.
Alix, admitted to study law at Queen Mary University of London
Which universities require the LNAT?
The LNAT is required of all applicants, whether from the UK, the EU or elsewhere, to undergraduate law programmes at the following universities:
- University of Oxford: Law (M100) and its combined courses, including the Foundation Year in Law
- University of Cambridge: Law (M100)
- University College London: Law and its dual degrees
- London School of Economics: LLB Law (M100)
- King’s College London: all of its LLB programmes
- University of Bristol, University of Durham, University of Glasgow, SOAS
Outside the UK, O.P. Jindal Global University, Singapore University of Social Sciences and IE University accept it under certain conditions.
Deadlines vary by university
| Universities | Latest test date |
|---|---|
| Oxford and Cambridge | 15 October 2026 (booking between 1 August and 15 September 2026) |
| King’s College London, LSE, UCL | 31 December 2026 |
| Bristol and Durham | 13 January 2027 (booking and UCAS application deadline on the same day) |
| Other LNAT universities | 25 January 2027 (book by 20 January; UCAS deadline 13 January 2027 at 6 pm) |
| Foundation Year in Law, Oxford | 13 January 2027 |
Registration for the 2026-27 cycle opens on 1 August 2026, and the first tests take place from 1 September 2026. Don’t sit the LNAT before the summer holidays of 2026: the result would not count for 2027 entry. Fees are set by the consortium and change from one cycle to the next, so check the current fee on the official website before you book.
This staggered calendar has a practical consequence: if your UCAS choices combine Oxbridge and London universities, the earliest deadline is the one that counts. A candidate applying to both Oxford and UCL must sit the test by 15 October 2026, not 31 December. That single score is then used for both applications, since you can only sit the test once per cycle.
How we prepare you for the LNAT
The LNAT is the UK admissions test candidates most often underprepare for, for a simple reason: because there is no syllabus, many conclude there is nothing to do. They are wrong, and the gap between a prepared candidate and one seeing the format for the first time is considerable.
Section A is not a comprehension test. The questions are almost never about what the passage says, but about what it assumes, what would weaken it, or what the author would accept without stating it. A fast, careful reader who answers with “what the text says” will hit a ceiling. The right instinct can be built on about fifteen passages, no more, provided every mistake is reviewed in detail.
The essay is won on structure, not style. Forty minutes, in English, on a social issue: universities are looking for a clear thesis, two or three well-supported arguments, a counterargument taken seriously and a conclusion that takes a side. The classic thesis-antithesis-synthesis essay, which avoids committing to a conclusion, works against you here. This is where our students improve fastest.
Time management is tricky. You cannot go back to Section A once you have started Section B. A candidate who leaves ten questions “to come back to” loses them for good.
Our preparation is one-to-one and online, with tutors who have taken the LNAT and are studying or have studied law at a UK university. The standard format is a 10-hour package at €1,500 incl. VAT, i.e. €150/hour incl. VAT, with lower rates beyond that (€130/hour, then €110/hour for each additional block of ten hours, i.e. €2,800 incl. VAT for 20 hours and €3,900 incl. VAT for 30 hours). It includes a diagnostic mock test, Section A practice with question-by-question review, essay work with written feedback, and two full simulations under real test conditions.
What Section B is really looking for
Section B is the part the consortium does not mark. It is sent as is to the universities, which read it when deciding on interviews or offers. In other words, it is the only place in your application, apart from your personal statement, where UK admissions tutors read your own writing. At Oxford, it is explicitly used as a starting point for discussion at interview.
The three essay questions cover general topics: ethics, society, public policy, education and science. No specialist knowledge is expected, and citing legal references you don’t fully understand always backfires. What is assessed is your ability to defend a position without caricaturing the opposing view.
Three mistakes come up again and again. Giving both sides equal weight and concluding “it depends”, which reads as an absence of thought. Opening with a dictionary definition, which uses up five of the forty minutes and adds nothing. Writing too much: a dense, well-controlled essay of 500 to 600 words is better than a 900-word essay that falls apart. We work on all three using real essay questions, with written feedback that students then use to revise their work.
Free resources
The consortium publishes practice tests, sample essays and a preparation guide, all free of charge. They are the only materials in the exact format of the test.
LNAT FAQs
What is the LNAT?
The LNAT, or Law National Aptitude Test, is the law admissions test required by nine UK universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE and King’s College London. It does not test any legal knowledge: it assesses your critical reading of argumentative texts and your ability to build a written argument in English.
What is the LNAT format?
Two sections, 2 hours 15 minutes in total. Section A has 42 multiple-choice questions in 95 minutes, based on 12 argumentative passages. Section B is a 40-minute essay on a topic chosen from three. Once you start Section B, you cannot go back to Section A.
When should you sit the LNAT for 2027 entry?
Registration opens on 1 August 2026 and testing starts on 1 September 2026. For Oxford and Cambridge, you must book between 1 August and 15 September 2026 and sit the test by 15 October 2026. For King’s, LSE and UCL, the deadline is 31 December 2026. For Bristol and Durham, it is 13 January 2027. For all other universities, it is 25 January 2027.
Can you retake the LNAT?
No, not in the same admissions cycle. If you sit it a second time, the more recent result is automatically voided. Scores do not carry over from one UCAS year to the next either: if you apply again, you must take the test again.
How do you prepare for the LNAT essay?
By practising how to write, in forty minutes and in English, a clear thesis, two or three well-supported arguments and an honestly addressed counterargument, followed by a decisive conclusion. The expected structure differs from the classic thesis-antithesis-synthesis essay: UK universities reward a well-argued position rather than a balance between thesis and antithesis.
How much does LNAT preparation with Your Dream School cost?
Our 10-hour one-to-one preparation package costs €1,500 incl. VAT, or €150/hour incl. VAT, then €130/hour and €110/hour for each additional block of ten hours (€2,800 incl. VAT for 20 hours, €3,900 incl. VAT for 30 hours), with tutors who have taken the LNAT and studied law in the UK. It includes a diagnostic assessment, Section A practice with a question-by-question debrief, essay work with written feedback, and two timed mock tests.