Passing the LNAT

A career in law is not only exciting but gives intellectual satisfaction besides substantial material gains, if you do well. Apart from the traditional areas of practice, new avenues have opened thanks to the immense growth of business and commerce. To enter the profession, you need a law degree, preferably from one of the leading universities. Passing the LNAT is the first step towards entering your legal education.

Every year thousands of students in the UK and from around the world, apply for undergraduate law courses. While the A levels are the standardized scores for ascertaining academic proficiency, there is a need to test the aptitude of prospective candidates to undergo a course in law. The practice of law needs some desirable personality traits such as patience, keen observation, attention to detail, deductive ability and analytical skills. The law courses are academically rigorous in order to hone these traits in the students.

The LNAT is a test designed with the following main objectives:
 Offer a uniform platform for determining the capabilities of prospective applicants.
 Normalize the variations in educational environment of the students that could have impacted their academic achievement thus far.
 Act as the single point threshold for legal education and thereby reduce the financial burden on the students, as otherwise, they would have to take the tests of individual universities.

Presently, there are eleven participating institutions in the LNAT and if you wish to pursue a law course in any of them, you would have to sit for the test. The LNAT has been around from 2004. It is a screen-based test with two sections that take up two hours in all.
 The first section, for 80 minutes, covers general reasoning and verbal ability. It is in multiple-choice format.
 The second section, for 40 minutes, is in essay type format.

Preparing for LNAT needs a long-term approach as it seeks to test one’s fundamental intellectual skills. One cannot acquire them through cramming sessions or snap strategies. You must develop them from a couple of years from the senior year of secondary school. Good practice in writing essays on several topics gives the breadth of knowledge needed in the second section.

The LNAT is offered through a partnership with Pearson VUE. You choose the date on which you wish to sit for the test. Ideally, the test date should lie close to the start of admission process for the next academic year. However, you must keep in mind the deadlines for the specific universities that you wish to apply. You fill in an online registration form, pay the fees and book your slot. There are test centers at several countries around the globe. If there is none near the place you live, you must contact the university for advice. While applying, you must correctly quote your UCAS registration number so that the results would directly reach the chosen universities.

The LNAT is a foolproof system that gives students confidence in the admissions process. It also gives university officials a fair means of judging the potential of the students to do justice to the coursework so that there is no disenchantment or waste of time later.