LNAT 2026: Score in the Top Quartile for Oxford, UCL & Durham Law

LNAT: Two Very Different Skills in One Test

The LNAT (Law National Admissions Test) assesses two distinct abilities: verbal reasoning (Section A) and persuasive writing (Section B). They are scored separately and used differently by admissions tutors.

Section A: Argument Analysis Strategy

Each passage presents an argument. Questions ask you to identify conclusions, assumptions, implications, and flaws. This is not a reading comprehension test — it is a logic test.

• Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph to get the argument structure before reading questions
• "Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument?" — find the main conclusion and pick the answer that most directly undermines its support
• "The author assumes that..." — an assumption is a premise the argument depends on but does not state explicitly
• If two answers seem correct, the one that is most directly supported by the passage alone is correct — never use outside knowledge

Section B: The 40-Minute Law Essay

Questions are typically broad, socially contested arguments: "Should there be a maximum wage?", "Is civil disobedience ever justified?". Admissions tutors look for:

• Structure: Clear thesis in the first paragraph, structured body paragraphs, brief conclusion
• Engagement: Take a clear position and defend it — hedging scores poorly
• Sophistication: Acknowledge and rebut the strongest counter-argument
• Concision: Aim for 500–700 well-chosen words — quality beats quantity

Choose the question where you have the most to say — not necessarily the most "interesting" topic. Depth of argument matters more than breadth of knowledge.