The LNAT explained: format, score, 2026/27 dates, fees, practice and a study plan

Key takeaways

• →The LNAT is the admissions test for undergraduate law at nine UK universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, LSE and KCL. It lasts 2¼ hours on a computer. You need no law knowledge.
• →Section A is 42 multiple-choice questions on 12 passages in 95 minutes, marked out of 42. Section B is one essay in 40 minutes. The test centre does not mark it, and universities receive it with your score.
• →For 2026/27, the Oxford and Cambridge deadline (15 October) has passed. KCL, LSE and UCL need the test by 31 December 2026, Bristol and Durham by 13 January 2027. The fee page lists £75 at UK and EU centres and £120 outside the EU.
• →Free official practice is on lnat.ac.uk, and the consortium endorses no other materials. The plan below covers both parts over 6 to 8 weeks.

1. What the LNAT is and who needs it

The LNAT is the National Admissions Test for Law. Universities use it to help choose people for undergraduate law courses, alongside your UCAS application and academic results. The LNAT Consortium manages the test content, and Pearson VUE runs the test centres.^[1]

You do not need to have studied law. The consortium says the test does not measure knowledge of law or any other subject.^[1]

Nine UK universities use it: Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Glasgow, King’s College London (KCL), the London School of Economics (LSE), Oxford, SOAS and UCL. For example, SOAS’s M102 LLB Senior Status course does not need the test.^[2]

The “Why join” page names two overseas universities that also use it: IE University in Spain and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).^[3]

The “Do I need to sit the test?” page also lists O.P. Jindal Global University, and is still headed for the 2025/26 cycle. Check your own course with the university.^[2]

Cambridge’s law page says: “All applicants for Law are required to take the National Admissions Test for Law (LNAT)”.^[24]

You must take the LNAT in the UCAS year in which you apply. You can sit it only once in that cycle, and results cannot be carried over to the next year.^[16]

2. The two sections: multiple choice and essay

The LNAT is a 2¼ hour test in two sections. Section A is 42 multiple-choice questions based on 12 argumentative passages, with three or four questions on each passage. You have 95 minutes. Section B is one essay, chosen from three questions on a range of subjects. You have 40 minutes. That is 135 minutes in all.^[4]

In Section A you can skip a question and mark it for review, but you must go back before the section ends. Once you begin the essay, you cannot return to the multiple-choice questions.^[4]

Our own sum: 95 minutes for 42 questions is about 2 minutes 15 seconds a question, or about 8 minutes for each passage with its questions.^[4]

The consortium describes the skills as verbal reasoning (reasoning with words): comprehension, interpretation, analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction.^[22]

3. Your LNAT score, the essay and how universities use them

The FAQs say there is no pass or fail mark. You get a score out of 42 from the multiple-choice section, which the university uses when it processes your application.^[10]

Section B “is not marked by the test centre and does not contribute to your LNAT score”. It is your chance to show you can build an argument and reach a conclusion. Universities receive both your score and your essay.^[1]

You send nothing yourself. Universities collect your score and essay using the UCAS personal ID in your LNAT profile, so enter it correctly.^[10]

Each university decides how to use the essay. Some use it for interview questions, some compare it with your personal statement and school report, and some use it to separate close candidates. There is no fixed weighting, and the LNAT does not replace A-Levels.^[5]

Bristol’s statement for 2026 entry says it considers the score with GCSE and A-Level results, and that its staff read and assess the essay.^[23]

Universities see your score before you do. You then get results by email in batches. The page’s batch dates are last cycle’s, so check lnat.ac.uk for 2026/27.^[5]

The consortium pages we read publish no average or typical scores, so we quote none.

There is no pass mark. Each university decides how much weight the LNAT gets.

4. 2026/27 dates and deadlines

The dates page covers the 2026/27 cycle, for entry in autumn 2027. Registration opened on 1 August 2026 and testing began on 1 September. Do not sit the LNAT before the 2026 summer holiday: the result will not count.^[6]

At 1 November 2026, the Oxford and Cambridge deadline has passed. Next come 31 December for KCL, LSE and UCL, and 13 January 2027 for Bristol, Durham and the Oxford Foundation Year in Law. For KCL, LSE and UCL, also check their UCAS dates.^[6]

Take the test as early in the academic year as possible, the consortium advises, for the widest choice of venues.^[16]

Bristol adds that dates close to the UCAS deadline are usually heavily booked.^[23]

These dates are for 2026/27 only. For a later year, check lnat.ac.uk.

5. Fees, bursaries and extra support

The fee depends on where the test centre is, not where you live. The fees page lists £75 at UK and EU test centres and £120 at centres outside the EU, charged in pounds. It does not clearly say which year the prices are for, so check when you book.^[7]

You pay online when you book, by credit card or a Visa or MasterCard debit card that does not need a PIN. Fees are not refunded if you decide not to sit.^[7]

The booking page says you can reschedule free up to 48 hours before your slot. The fees page gives a different cut-off: 12 noon UK time on the second working day before. Use the earlier. After that you rebook and pay again.^[12]

Bursaries remove the fee for UK and EU applicants who get certain state benefits, at UK and EU test centres only. Examples include the 16-19 Bursary in England, Pupil Premium or free school meals, or living with someone who gets Universal Credit (conditions apply).^[8]

Apply before you book, with a scan or clear photo of your evidence. Bank statements are not accepted. Allow up to ten days. You then get an e-voucher by email. No deadline or year is given, so apply early.^[8]

The consortium calls extra support “exam access requirements”: extra time, a reader recorder (someone who reads questions aloud or types your answers), or breaks (which need advance approval). You need documentary evidence, such as a short report from an educational psychologist or specialist teacher for dyslexia, or a doctor’s note. Register but do not book online, and send the form well in advance. Extra time can usually be checked within a few days, and a reader recorder takes at least three weeks. Nothing can be changed on the day, and paper versions are not available.^[9]

6. Registering, booking and test day

Set up a Pearson VUE account as soon as you can. You, or a parent, teacher or guardian for you, can register, but it is your responsibility. Enter your UCAS personal ID, or ten zeros if you do not have it yet, and update it when you get the real number. Check your email address: results and all messages go there.^[11]

Then log in and book any free slot. If a school or college books for you, the booking is still your responsibility. There are no exceptions for third-party mistakes.^[12]

There are over 500 test centres worldwide, about 150 in the UK. Book online. Do not contact a centre to arrange your slot.^[14]

Arrive at least 15 minutes before your start time with your Pearson VUE confirmation email and one photo ID.^[13]

Accepted ID includes a current signed passport or photocard driving licence. Your name must match it exactly. Without accepted ID you cannot sit the test and must book and pay again.^[15]

Bags, papers, books, pens, sweets and drinks stay in the lockers. Your desk has a portable whiteboard and pen for notes.^[14]

If you miss your test, including through illness, you rebook at your own expense. Scores are not adjusted for illness or distress.^[10]

7. How the LNAT differs from A-Level exams

A-Levels test the subjects you have studied. The consortium calls the LNAT “a test of aptitude rather than educational achievement”.^[1]

It says there are no facts to learn, but strongly recommends practice.^[21]

Section A is on a computer. Each question has exactly one correct answer, and wrong answers carry no penalty, so never leave one blank. The consortium says “there are no trick questions”, but many wrong options are almost right.^[19]

The essay is not a test of facts either. An argument built on stated assumptions can be as strong as one built on information. Examiners care whether you can defend a position, not whether it is your own opinion.^[19]

The ideal essay is 500 to 600 words, with a recommended maximum of 750.^[18]

Treat the passage as true: Use only what the passage says, even if you know it is untrue in real life. The consortium says the answer is always in the passage.

8. Free official practice and a 6 to 8 week plan

The free official materials on lnat.ac.uk include an online tutorial, with some new functionality from 2026, and an online sample test that simulates the screen, with no limit on attempts. There are two downloadable practice papers, with commentary and a marking scheme, labelled 2010. The sample essays page lists nine questions, three with sample answers.^[17]

The same site offers a preparation guide, with examiner answers and reasons for sample questions, and a hints and tips page.^[20]

The consortium suggests reading a quality newspaper daily, including comment pieces, and asking what is assumed and how you would argue the other side.^[21]

It endorses no preparation materials from other people or organisations, paid or free, and advises scepticism toward anyone who says coaching will help you do well.^[21]

This plan is our suggestion. The consortium’s pages set no study time. With 6 weeks, do weeks 2 and 3 as one, and weeks 7 and 8 as one.

9. How Brainhub can help

Brainhub tutors the LNAT one-to-one, live online across the UK, from about £40 an hour, and every family starts with a free 45-minute assessment. A tutor can help you turn the plan above into a weekly routine, talk through why an answer is wrong and give feedback on timed essays. For your exact price, use the price calculator on our Prices page.

1. 1. What are the two parts of the LNAT, and how long is each?

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2. 2. Is the LNAT essay marked?

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3. 3. Do you need to know any law to sit the LNAT?

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Your next steps

1. 01

   Check your universities’ deadlines on the dates and deadlines page of lnat.ac.uk, then register and book early.

2. 02

   Open the free online tutorial and sample test on lnat.ac.uk and try a first set of questions.

3. 03

   Book a free 45-minute assessment to talk through your plan.

Subject guides to go with this

Want one-to-one help? See how our online lessons work.