LNAT Preparation & Books – Entry 2017
I was wondering whether someone who has done the LNAT can share some valuable tips, regarding how best to prepare for it?
Did you do any tutoring with a teacher, or attended an LNAT course?
Which books did you find particularly beneficial?
I have been looking at some books that seem to be recent editions: "The Ultimate LNAT Guide: 400 Practice Questions," and "How to Pass the Law National Admissions Test" by a publisher How2Become, which seems to have 2 more books regarding LNAT preparation. Does anyone has any experience with those books?
Many have suggested that "Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law" by Mark Shepherd is also good. Any opinions regarding this matter?
To be honest, I am a little skeptical how a book can prepare one for an aptitude test.
Thank you in advance, it is very much appreciated!
Did you do any tutoring with a teacher, or attended an LNAT course?
Which books did you find particularly beneficial?
I have been looking at some books that seem to be recent editions: "The Ultimate LNAT Guide: 400 Practice Questions," and "How to Pass the Law National Admissions Test" by a publisher How2Become, which seems to have 2 more books regarding LNAT preparation. Does anyone has any experience with those books?
Many have suggested that "Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law" by Mark Shepherd is also good. Any opinions regarding this matter?
To be honest, I am a little skeptical how a book can prepare one for an aptitude test.
Thank you in advance, it is very much appreciated!
Scroll to see replies
Original post by Cpt.D
I was wondering whether someone who has done the LNAT can share some valuable tips, regarding how best to prepare for it?
Did you do any tutoring with a teacher, or attended an LNAT course?
Which books did you find particularly beneficial?
I have been looking at some books that seem to be recent editions: "The Ultimate LNAT Guide: 400 Practice Questions," and "How to Pass the Law National Admissions Test" by a publisher How2Become, which seems to have 2 more books regarding LNAT preparation. Does anyone has any experience with those books?
Many have suggested that "Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law" by Mark Shepherd is also good. Any opinions regarding this matter?
To be honest, I am a little skeptical how a book can prepare one for an aptitude test.
Thank you in advance, it is very much appreciated!
Did you do any tutoring with a teacher, or attended an LNAT course?
Which books did you find particularly beneficial?
I have been looking at some books that seem to be recent editions: "The Ultimate LNAT Guide: 400 Practice Questions," and "How to Pass the Law National Admissions Test" by a publisher How2Become, which seems to have 2 more books regarding LNAT preparation. Does anyone has any experience with those books?
Many have suggested that "Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law" by Mark Shepherd is also good. Any opinions regarding this matter?
To be honest, I am a little skeptical how a book can prepare one for an aptitude test.
Thank you in advance, it is very much appreciated!
No tutoring + no courses for me. In fact, I don't think most candidates prepare in either of these ways.
Erm... I believe those books would be all you need - bar reading news sources and keeping up to date on academic debate/current affairs.
The Shepherd book is very good.
The books won't prepare you in terms of aptitude, you're right. But they will help you get your head around the LNAT structure.
I believe there is a mock test programme for the LNAT? Maybe check that to familiarise yourself. I didn't do that because it isn't available for mac systems - or it wasn't the last time I checked.
Original post by Pokémontrainer
No tutoring + no courses for me. In fact, I don't think most candidates prepare in either of these ways.
Erm... I believe those books would be all you need - bar reading news sources and keeping up to date on academic debate/current affairs.
The Shepherd book is very good.
The books won't prepare you in terms of aptitude, you're right. But they will help you get your head around the LNAT structure.
I believe there is a mock test programme for the LNAT? Maybe check that to familiarise yourself. I didn't do that because it isn't available for mac systems - or it wasn't the last time I checked.
Erm... I believe those books would be all you need - bar reading news sources and keeping up to date on academic debate/current affairs.
The Shepherd book is very good.
The books won't prepare you in terms of aptitude, you're right. But they will help you get your head around the LNAT structure.
I believe there is a mock test programme for the LNAT? Maybe check that to familiarise yourself. I didn't do that because it isn't available for mac systems - or it wasn't the last time I checked.
Thank you for the reply.
What is the best advice that you can give someone who is preparing for the LNAT, and is there anything that you found out about after the LNAT that would have helped you if you knew it before taking it?
(edited 7 years ago)
Mastering the National Admissions Test for Law by Mark Shepherd is in my opinion, all you need. A breadth of knowledge and essay writing skills will also help, but I think once you get a feel of the LNAT structure you'll be so much more confident. The LNAT isn't designed to be easy, but for me before I used the book I was averaging 20, and after around 32-34. I scored 29 on my real test, which was above average (23.3) and I gained offers from King's Bristol and Nottingham for M100 Law. Best of luck!
What is your opinion regarding the critical thinking books that are recommended on the official LNAT website:
"A. Fisher, Critical Thinking: An Introduction ISBN 0521009847.
R. van den Brink-Budgen, Critical Thinking for Students ISBN 1857036344N.
Warburton, Thinking From A to Z ISBN 0415222818P.
Gardner, New Directions: Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking ISBN 0521541727."
"A. Fisher, Critical Thinking: An Introduction ISBN 0521009847.
R. van den Brink-Budgen, Critical Thinking for Students ISBN 1857036344N.
Warburton, Thinking From A to Z ISBN 0415222818P.
Gardner, New Directions: Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking ISBN 0521541727."
(edited 7 years ago)
https://lnathelp.wordpress.com/ FOR FREE ADVICE BY MY FREIND
I took my LNAT this year, but I'm yet to receive my results, but I got into the two LNAT schools I applied to. These are just some few tips for you to consider. What worked for me may not work for you, but you can always give it a try.
I didn't do any tutoring or enrol in any LNAT course. It isn't even advisable on the website that you don't do this because it doesn't really help. It's like IELTS; there's no way to study for it, you can only take practice tests.
I used only one book called "Passing the National Admissions Test for Law" by Rosalie Hutton and two others. I can't say it helped, because all I used it for were the practice tests. Regarding the Critical Thinking books you mentioned, I took Critical Thinking during my foundation year and the first two books were on our reading list. They didn't even help with my Critical Thinking module, not to talk of the LNAT. Use it if you wish, but I wouldn't recommend it. I also used Prepgenie LNAT past questions but they were quite outdated, because they had 14 passages each, instead of the normal 12.
For extra tips, I would say check the deadline for LNAT among the schools you wish to apply to, then fix a date when you'll be emotionally and mentally stable to write it, then start preparing towards that date. Don't feel pressured to take it too early or too late and try not to panic on the test day, or the day before, although I did. If it helps, form a study group so you can all encourage and educate each other.
You can start practising without setting a time limit, just to see how long you spend and how well you can think, then you can go on to take the test under the real exam conditions. Try reading the passage before the question, and then vice versa, to see which one helps you understand better and work faster.
Always read the questions carefully for words like "not" or "except" and read between the lines because the questions can be really tricky. Know the difference between "imply" and "infer" because they're very common in questions. If you're not sure of an answer, just choose the one you think is best, then flag it and come back if you have extra time, but don't leave any question unanswered hoping to come back to it.
Read the news for current affairs and try to be selective with what you read. Read sample essays and practise writing yours. If you aren't already fast at typing, try and improve your skills before the day.
Goodluck!
I didn't do any tutoring or enrol in any LNAT course. It isn't even advisable on the website that you don't do this because it doesn't really help. It's like IELTS; there's no way to study for it, you can only take practice tests.
I used only one book called "Passing the National Admissions Test for Law" by Rosalie Hutton and two others. I can't say it helped, because all I used it for were the practice tests. Regarding the Critical Thinking books you mentioned, I took Critical Thinking during my foundation year and the first two books were on our reading list. They didn't even help with my Critical Thinking module, not to talk of the LNAT. Use it if you wish, but I wouldn't recommend it. I also used Prepgenie LNAT past questions but they were quite outdated, because they had 14 passages each, instead of the normal 12.
For extra tips, I would say check the deadline for LNAT among the schools you wish to apply to, then fix a date when you'll be emotionally and mentally stable to write it, then start preparing towards that date. Don't feel pressured to take it too early or too late and try not to panic on the test day, or the day before, although I did. If it helps, form a study group so you can all encourage and educate each other.
You can start practising without setting a time limit, just to see how long you spend and how well you can think, then you can go on to take the test under the real exam conditions. Try reading the passage before the question, and then vice versa, to see which one helps you understand better and work faster.
Always read the questions carefully for words like "not" or "except" and read between the lines because the questions can be really tricky. Know the difference between "imply" and "infer" because they're very common in questions. If you're not sure of an answer, just choose the one you think is best, then flag it and come back if you have extra time, but don't leave any question unanswered hoping to come back to it.
Read the news for current affairs and try to be selective with what you read. Read sample essays and practise writing yours. If you aren't already fast at typing, try and improve your skills before the day.
Goodluck!
Relax a bit. Just get a book mastering the lnat and don't take it too serious don't study it like 6 hours a day. Read it make not of the points do the tests in their and don't stress in the room. Read the questions and use all the time available if you want/need. I got 25 which isn't bad, you can certainly do better if you look at the subtle differences between the question type
Original post by amy102
I took my LNAT this year, but I'm yet to receive my results, but I got into the two LNAT schools I applied to. These are just some few tips for you to consider. What worked for me may not work for you, but you can always give it a try.
I didn't do any tutoring or enrol in any LNAT course. It isn't even advisable on the website that you don't do this because it doesn't really help. It's like IELTS; there's no way to study for it, you can only take practice tests.
I used only one book called "Passing the National Admissions Test for Law" by Rosalie Hutton and two others. I can't say it helped, because all I used it for were the practice tests. Regarding the Critical Thinking books you mentioned, I took Critical Thinking during my foundation year and the first two books were on our reading list. They didn't even help with my Critical Thinking module, not to talk of the LNAT. Use it if you wish, but I wouldn't recommend it. I also used Prepgenie LNAT past questions but they were quite outdated, because they had 14 passages each, instead of the normal 12.
For extra tips, I would say check the deadline for LNAT among the schools you wish to apply to, then fix a date when you'll be emotionally and mentally stable to write it, then start preparing towards that date. Don't feel pressured to take it too early or too late and try not to panic on the test day, or the day before, although I did. If it helps, form a study group so you can all encourage and educate each other.
You can start practising without setting a time limit, just to see how long you spend and how well you can think, then you can go on to take the test under the real exam conditions. Try reading the passage before the question, and then vice versa, to see which one helps you understand better and work faster.
Always read the questions carefully for words like "not" or "except" and read between the lines because the questions can be really tricky. Know the difference between "imply" and "infer" because they're very common in questions. If you're not sure of an answer, just choose the one you think is best, then flag it and come back if you have extra time, but don't leave any question unanswered hoping to come back to it.
Read the news for current affairs and try to be selective with what you read. Read sample essays and practise writing yours. If you aren't already fast at typing, try and improve your skills before the day.
Goodluck!
I didn't do any tutoring or enrol in any LNAT course. It isn't even advisable on the website that you don't do this because it doesn't really help. It's like IELTS; there's no way to study for it, you can only take practice tests.
I used only one book called "Passing the National Admissions Test for Law" by Rosalie Hutton and two others. I can't say it helped, because all I used it for were the practice tests. Regarding the Critical Thinking books you mentioned, I took Critical Thinking during my foundation year and the first two books were on our reading list. They didn't even help with my Critical Thinking module, not to talk of the LNAT. Use it if you wish, but I wouldn't recommend it. I also used Prepgenie LNAT past questions but they were quite outdated, because they had 14 passages each, instead of the normal 12.
For extra tips, I would say check the deadline for LNAT among the schools you wish to apply to, then fix a date when you'll be emotionally and mentally stable to write it, then start preparing towards that date. Don't feel pressured to take it too early or too late and try not to panic on the test day, or the day before, although I did. If it helps, form a study group so you can all encourage and educate each other.
You can start practising without setting a time limit, just to see how long you spend and how well you can think, then you can go on to take the test under the real exam conditions. Try reading the passage before the question, and then vice versa, to see which one helps you understand better and work faster.
Always read the questions carefully for words like "not" or "except" and read between the lines because the questions can be really tricky. Know the difference between "imply" and "infer" because they're very common in questions. If you're not sure of an answer, just choose the one you think is best, then flag it and come back if you have extra time, but don't leave any question unanswered hoping to come back to it.
Read the news for current affairs and try to be selective with what you read. Read sample essays and practise writing yours. If you aren't already fast at typing, try and improve your skills before the day.
Goodluck!
Original post by neal95
Relax a bit. Just get a book mastering the lnat and don't take it too serious don't study it like 6 hours a day. Read it make not of the points do the tests in their and don't stress in the room. Read the questions and use all the time available if you want/need. I got 25 which isn't bad, you can certainly do better if you look at the subtle differences between the question type
Thank you for the replies! I appreciate the advice that you shared.
Likewise, I have a question regarding the essay section of the LNAT. I read once that it is widely discouraged to use previously known information when writing the essay, because it is graded purely on a demonstration of logical thinking. Does this imply that you can write a brilliant essay without prior knowledge of the topic?
Original post by Cpt.D
Thank you for the replies! I appreciate the advice that you shared.
Likewise, I have a question regarding the essay section of the LNAT. I read once that it is widely discouraged to use previously known information when writing the essay, because it is graded purely on a demonstration of logical thinking. Does this imply that you can write a brilliant essay without prior knowledge of the topic?
Likewise, I have a question regarding the essay section of the LNAT. I read once that it is widely discouraged to use previously known information when writing the essay, because it is graded purely on a demonstration of logical thinking. Does this imply that you can write a brilliant essay without prior knowledge of the topic?
Hello Cpt.D,
Firstly, congratulations on choosing Law and getting started early with LNAT preparation. As others have mentioned above, there are lots of LNAT books on the market although several of them are pretty out-dated now.
We've copied an excerpt from one of our expert LNAT tutors blog which discusses how to prepare for the LNAT below:
"1. Start preparing early
During the summer vacation after your 1st year at college/sixth form, take a look at the official LNAT website. It has a whole array of advice and information about the LNAT, what its designed to test, as well as sample exams which you can do to test yourself. Its important to familiarise yourself with the website and the sample papers early on so you don’t find yourself panicking in September.
2. You CAN revise for the LNAT
You can put yourself in the best position possible before you sit the test. Often you will hear people saying ‘don’t bother preparing anything for the LNAT, you can’t revise for it.’ That is kind of true, in that you won’t know what the content will be, but you CAN hone the skills you need to do well on the test. And in order to do this, after doing the sample tests, I would suggest buying a couple of LNAT books from Amazon (the more questions, the better), and using them to continuously practice before you sit your test.
3. Stay up to date with current affairs
This is especially important for the essay section of the test. By staying abreast of what is happening in the world you’ll increase your chances of being able to answer an essay question very well. One of the things I found really helpful was downloading the BBC News App on my iPod, because it would notify me when there were any breaking news stories, or I’d just flick through it during my commute to sixth form. And this would keep me up to date with what’s happening in the world, but then I would do my own research about the different debates that were happening about these world affairs. Its all well and good for you to know the facts, but you need to also know the opinions surrounding those facts, because your essay will not only be assessing your writing skills but also how you put an argument across in paper- a VERY important skill for aspiring law students."
Regarding prior knowledge in essays - it's advisable to avoid regurgitating a list of facts and masquerading it as an argument. Instead, you'll score much better if you use small bits of information to build a cogent, rational and logical argument. Thus, it's better to not think of knowledge + arguments as being mutually exclusive but as two entities that should build upon each other.
Hope this helps! You can find out more LNAT related information here.
UniAdmissions
Personally I'd say books and tutors aren't necessary. As long as you keep up with the current news in the world that would probably be enough for the essay section. With the questions, use the practice tests on the LNAT website. Worked for me anyway but i get that different people prefer different methods
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I'm practising at the minute too- I've just scored 26 on my first paper. (Took about an extra 10 mins than the time) Is that above average? Is that below average? Please be honest!!
I want to get into Nottingham/ Leeds/ York/ Warwick and potentially Oxford if I can pull it off- but I know it's highly unlikely!
I think with practice, your logic when answering multiple choice questions get better. l really struggled when I read the first couple of questions and often scored 0/1 when I was marking it, And this was quite a slap in the face for someone who gets A's! But I found as I got through it, my technique got gradually got better and started scoring 3/4
What should I be aiming for?
What are the best (and affordable) books with practice questions in that I can go over in the summer? Thanks
I want to get into Nottingham/ Leeds/ York/ Warwick and potentially Oxford if I can pull it off- but I know it's highly unlikely!
I think with practice, your logic when answering multiple choice questions get better. l really struggled when I read the first couple of questions and often scored 0/1 when I was marking it, And this was quite a slap in the face for someone who gets A's! But I found as I got through it, my technique got gradually got better and started scoring 3/4
What should I be aiming for?
What are the best (and affordable) books with practice questions in that I can go over in the summer? Thanks
Original post by Bella_1
What are the best (and affordable) books with practice questions in that I can go over in the summer? Thanks
Hello Bella,
I hope your LNAT preparation is going well - you're certainly doing the correct thing by starting early and attempting practice questions etc.
As you say, it can sometimes come as quite a surprise for even good candidates and although it can appear quite difficult at the start, it does get much easier with practice.
In terms of resources, I am obviously biased but I really do think our LNAT book is quite good - it has the most amount of practice questions (400) and has fully worked answers to them. It's £14.99 on amazon and published earlier this year. You can find out more about it here.
The other thing you should do is to keep up-to-date with current affairs as these will make a major difference for your LNAT essay.
In addition, you should have a look through the official LNAT practice papers on the LNAT site (if you haven't done so already).
I hope that helps - please do get in touch if you have any more questions.
UniAdmissions
I likewise wanted to ask how one can best prepare for the essay section of the LNAT? Does anyone have any tips on how best one can manage his time for the different parts of the essay, in order to produce a qualitative piece of writing? Also, would you recommend any particular books regarding the LNAT essay?
Do you know what universities you will apply to?
I find that throughout the test I did better and better as it goes along. I did my first full practice paper and I got 29/42
TBH even though they say you can't practive for aptitude, the fact that I got stronger as I went through shows that you need to ease in if you haven't had enough practice, so I guess practice really is the way.
What I don't understand about the LNAT score is, what is the point of the essay if they don't count it? Has anyone ever taken the LNAT and gotten lower than expected, but still was given offers by universities because of the essay?
TBH even though they say you can't practive for aptitude, the fact that I got stronger as I went through shows that you need to ease in if you haven't had enough practice, so I guess practice really is the way.
What I don't understand about the LNAT score is, what is the point of the essay if they don't count it? Has anyone ever taken the LNAT and gotten lower than expected, but still was given offers by universities because of the essay?
Original post by Cicilaw
I find that throughout the test I did better and better as it goes along. I did my first full practice paper and I got 29/42
TBH even though they say you can't practive for aptitude, the fact that I got stronger as I went through shows that you need to ease in if you haven't had enough practice, so I guess practice really is the way.
What I don't understand about the LNAT score is, what is the point of the essay if they don't count it? Has anyone ever taken the LNAT and gotten lower than expected, but still was given offers by universities because of the essay?
TBH even though they say you can't practive for aptitude, the fact that I got stronger as I went through shows that you need to ease in if you haven't had enough practice, so I guess practice really is the way.
What I don't understand about the LNAT score is, what is the point of the essay if they don't count it? Has anyone ever taken the LNAT and gotten lower than expected, but still was given offers by universities because of the essay?
Hi they do count the essay because it goes off to the universities and they mark it themselves. So in a way it does count. Also you need both a good multiple choice score and a good essay score for LNAT universities.
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