LNAT
Encyclopedia
The LNAT or National Admissions Test for Law, is an admissions aptitude test that was adopted in 2004 by eight UK
university
law programs as an admissions requirement for home applicants. The test was established at the leading urgency of Oxford University as an answer to the problem facing universities trying to select from an increasingly competitive pool with similarly high A-levels. With effect from its second year the LNAT is required for UK and overseas applicants alike. There are now nine participating law schools and hundreds of test centres worldwide.
The reading section is scored out of 42 and the essays are individually marked by proctors at the respective universities.
The Universities currently using the LNAT are:
report on the scores expressed dissatisfaction with the ability of law candidates to develop "reasoned arguments"
Men and women score approximately equal to each other unlike the distribution of A grades in A-level law which women obtain at a higher percentage. However, though made by the media, this point is irrelevant because A-level law is not a requirement to do law at university.
The LNAT consortium also reported statistically insignificant differences in scores between state and independent students. Research conducted by the University of Bristol concluded: "the impact of the Lnat both in general and on specific supposedly sensitive widening participation
groups has been negligible".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
law programs as an admissions requirement for home applicants. The test was established at the leading urgency of Oxford University as an answer to the problem facing universities trying to select from an increasingly competitive pool with similarly high A-levels. With effect from its second year the LNAT is required for UK and overseas applicants alike. There are now nine participating law schools and hundreds of test centres worldwide.
Format
The test taker is allotted 2 1/4 hours to complete an LNAT essay and 42 multiple choice questions aimed at measuring reading comprehension and logical reasoning skills. The reading portion contains ten sets of between two and five questions based around a respective short reading passage. The questions typically ask for terms and arguments from the reading to be defined by inference. The essay lasts for 40 minutes and involves the candidate answering one of three available essay questions. The questions are open-ended topics typically about student related issues or other well familiar subject matter.The reading section is scored out of 42 and the essays are individually marked by proctors at the respective universities.
The Universities currently using the LNAT are:
- University of BirminghamUniversity of BirminghamThe University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
- University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
- Durham UniversityDurham UniversityThe University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
- NUI Maynooth (mature entry only)
- University of GlasgowUniversity of GlasgowThe University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
- King's College LondonKing's College LondonKing's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
- University of ManchesterUniversity of ManchesterThe University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
(From 2012) - University of NottinghamUniversity of NottinghamThe University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
- University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
- University College LondonUniversity College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
Results
The LNAT was first administered on November 3, 2004. The average score for the reading portion was 13.16 out of 24. A University of BristolUniversity of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
report on the scores expressed dissatisfaction with the ability of law candidates to develop "reasoned arguments"
Men and women score approximately equal to each other unlike the distribution of A grades in A-level law which women obtain at a higher percentage. However, though made by the media, this point is irrelevant because A-level law is not a requirement to do law at university.
The LNAT consortium also reported statistically insignificant differences in scores between state and independent students. Research conducted by the University of Bristol concluded: "the impact of the Lnat both in general and on specific supposedly sensitive widening participation
Widening participation
The widening participation in higher education is a major component of government education policy in the United Kingdom and Europe. It consists of an attempt to increase not only the numbers of young people entering higher education, but also the proportion from so-called "under-represented...
groups has been negligible".
Average scores
The mean average score for 2006/2007 entrants was 16.8 out of 30 for the multiple choice element of the test. The mean average score for 2008/2009 entrants was 16.7 out of 30 for the multiple choice element of the test. The mean average score for 2010/2011 entrants was 17.7 out of 42 for the multiple choice element of the test.External links
- LNAT official website
- List of Universities and Courses requiring LNAT
- Company that sells an LNAT preparation eBook
- Company run by Lawyers that offers LNAT preparation courses
- Company that offers LNAT preparation courses
- BBC article on the introduction of the LNAT
- Sample Lnat questions from the Guardian