How to stand out in the LNAT

Many of those applying to LNAT universities will be doing so with top grades and so the LNAT exists so as to help the admissions tutors determine which candidates really stand out from their peers. The LNAT is therefore used as a standardised test for law as an undergraduate subject. It is thus exceedingly important that you do your upmost to excel and differentiate yourself from others applying for the same university places as you. Whilst the multiple-choice section of the LNAT is important to show your ability to digest and properly interpret data given to you, the essay is the section that allows you to properly display your ability to construct sound and convincing arguments; a skill important for a future law student. This article will break down the best ways to put yourself a step above the rest of the LNAT candidates and help you to understand how you can complete the test to your upmost ability.

Multiple choice Questions

The multiple choice section of the LNAT requires an ability to quickly read and digest large bodies of text before picking answers for questions based on the text. Whilst the best way to answer these questions is typically through repetition of these style of questions, the verbal reasoning aspect of the multiple choice cannot be readily learnt. Without proper understanding, you may find repetitive practice wont maximise your test score. With this in mind, it is worth considering the skills that the examiners are looking to infer from your completion of this section.

An LNAT examiner will be looking for a number of competencies for you to display in this section. We will now look at each in turn. Firstly, are you able to make accurate and rational deductions about the body of text? It is essential that you can understand how an argument is presented and develops; you should be able to assess what can be implied from the context of what is written, even where it is not always explicitly stated. Leading on from this, you need to be able to identify that material which is relevant to the question you're dealing with and that which is not. You should not always seek to jump to a conclusion and instead consider the material in the text that is directly relevant to what you are being asked; whilst you need to be swift in digesting the material, do not be careless. Often the LNAT questions are phrased in such a way to catch you out so always ensure there is a direct correlation between your answer and the question. Thirdly, you need to be able to readily assess the tone of a passage, determining if the writing is fact, an opinion, or anything in between. Fourthly building on from the third point, you need to be able to understand the limits of a given statement in a body of text: what is implied within reasonable contemplation of the reader? There is no set test for how to determine implied terms, but you should consider what the average person as a reader may think: when reading the text without the pressure of an exam, what is the point the author is trying to get across? Perhaps here you can consider the author's audience and tone of the passage; think to what the core of the text is and whether the scenarios presented by the questions would correlate and whether there is enough written evidence for this implication. Lastly, you should think about the writer's attitudes towards what he or she is talking about. This links to the type of text you're reading (i.e a book/newspaper article/essay) and so you should seek to test if the writing is for example being approving, mocking, jovial, ironic, or even sarcastic in what they're saying.

These competencies are not something that can be easily taught; instead your ability will improve as you meet more of these kinds of material. It can therefore be useful to read a number of long informative texts in the style of LNAT questions so you can hone your ability to glean information in a time efficient manner. Aside from this, there are a number of approaches to be mindful of when taking the exam. The LNAT – unlike other exams - does not rely on previous knowledge; with this in mind you should attempt the following. Try to avoid assuming something not stated. For example, if I said I will take my umbrella to work tomorrow, it does not mean I know that it will rain: I may just like to be overprepared! Look at the nature of absolute/potential language used: if I say I normally eat a biscuit every week, it does not mean I always do this. Thirdly, be mindful of a statement being opinion or fact: just because I say you can always buy better chocolate abroad, that does not make it a verifiable fact. Lastly, make sure to properly read and understand the question. Look to whether it identifies an exact part of the text, or whether it instead is looking for an inferred idea, or even the conclusion of the whole article.

The essay

The second part of the LNAT exam is essay-based. Here, you have a degree of choice as to what you answer as you will need to only respond to one of the questions. The essay is heavily weighted at universities like Oxbridge, so if you are applying you need to ensure you stand out from the crowd in your answer. Many applicants fall into the trap of picking what appears to be the hardest question, believing that will be most impressive to the examiner. Instead, try to pick the question you can answer to the best of your abilities; make sure you can fully comprehend the question and any subjective terms it uses. Sometimes it can be helpful to provide a definition of terms where there is ambiguity. There are some approaches that can be useful in achieving your best for the essay.

The essay section gives you an opportunity to make a convincing, concise, and engaging dialogue for the reader. The nature of the questions can vary hugely so it is useful to be widely read; this allows you to apply external knowledge which may help illustrate or support points you may wish to make. Having awareness of current affairs is an easy but beneficial skill to have in your locker; try reading the WSJ or FT for more business-focused information and reduce watching Youtube (or only watch longer educational/valuable content!) to improve your concertation and attentiveness skills. You do want to be lucid for your exam and beyond. It may be that your GCSE, A-level, or IB modules also touch on topics which may be relevant to some of the LNAT questions and you can pull examples from these for your essay. Do not worry if none of your subjects align with the questions however as again this is not a requirement nor disadvantage in sitting the exam.

Key to the LNAT is the ability to evaluate both the question and any counterarguments to the points you're putting forward. To do so, you need to pick an essay on which you can discuss a number of points of view and have relevant information to both your side - and criticisms of - your argument. It is also worth bearing in mind the length of your essay and the time to be spent on it. You only have 40 minutes and a 750 maximum word limit to show the examiner all that you're capable of. Indeed, the LNAT site also recommends that your essays are 500- 650 words, so writing to the absolute limit is not always advisable; if you do so you risk demonstrating to the examiner that you cannot condense your thoughts and arguments adequately. Brevity is the soul of the wit. It is therefore important that you take some time at the start to plan how your essay is going to pan out. Most importantly, to make your essay stand out you need to avoid writing an essay of 'pros and cons' in response to a question. In the LNAT you should aim to create a thesis and then defend it throughout the body of your answer. Think about what evidence you have to support your argument, making sure it is directly relevant to be of most benefit. Do not put examples in your essay for the sake of it and instead seek to make creative points. Further, don't be afraid to challenge the premise of the question, particularly where there is a statement given to engage with. You will also need to evaluate your argument, acknowledging and dismissing criticisms of it to further your overall point. A number of candidates fail to do this, rendering their answers unconvincing and not of the standard expected. You should also seek to argue your point, rather than just presenting your opinion. Often the questions will be on contentious topics. Put aside what you personally would think and instead construct an argument linked closely to the question; sometimes arguing against what you personally believe can be more effective and then gives you an opportunity to learn by searhcing for authoritative statements on the truths of popular dilemmas.

In summary, the best idea is to prepare thoroughly for the LNAT, both the multiple-choice section and the essay section, and the best idea is to do so with Arbitio LNAT!