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:
Ø Offer a uniform platform for
determining the capabilities of
prospective applicants.
Ø Normalize the variations in
educational environment of the
students that could have
impacted their academic
achievement thus far.
Ø 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.
Ø The first section, for 80
minutes, covers general
reasoning and verbal ability. It
is in multiple-choice format.
Ø 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 centres 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.
