How to prepare for the LNAT
There is no syllabus to learn. Practise fresh passage sets, fix each named error, and practise the essay on its own.
The format
| Part | Shape |
|---|---|
| Section A | questions, passages, minutes, options each |
| Section B | One essay from prompts in minutes |
| Essay length | to words ideal, recommended maximum |
Four phases
- Baseline: fresh passage sets. Label every miss.
- Repair: structure and detail first. They are two thirds of the official questions.
- Integrate: mixed passages against the clock.
- Rehearse: a full Section A, then the essay straight after.
Stuck around 20? Break the plateau
A score that stops rising is usually one or two repeated errors, not a lack of practice. Count them before you sit another full test.
- Tally your last misses by cause: qualifier, inference too far, wrong main idea, or time.
- Take the biggest cause and drill only that for a week, untimed at first.
- Re-sit a fresh timed Section A and tally again.
Worked example Read the tally
Over two mocks, Leo scores and . His misses: inference too far, unreached, qualifier, main idea.
Which drill comes first?
Why this works: Inference first: of misses, over a third. Check each answer against the exact sentence that supports it. Pacing comes second.
Why the tempting route fails: Sitting more full mocks repeats all four errors at once and fixes none of them.
Review the cause, not the mark
Worked example Give the next session a job
You get of . One miss changed 'may' to 'will'. The last question went unanswered because you reread a whole passage.
What should the next session target?
- Read a new legal textbook before attempting another set.
- Repeat the same set until the mark rises.
- Run a qualifier drill, then practise a move-on rule.
- Ignore the unreached question because the first nine were attempted.
Why this works: The third option targets both causes: degree words and pacing.
Why the tempting route fails: The others add knowledge or repetition without touching either cause.