LNAT 2026-27: Sit-By Dates by University, Format, Scores and Essay Prep

Written for the 2026-27 LNAT cycle (2027 university entry), after the Oxford and Cambridge cut-off on 15 October 2026. Applying for law at King's College London, LSE or UCL? You must sit the LNAT by Thursday 31 December 2026. For Bristol and Durham, register and sit by Wednesday 13 January 2027. For Glasgow and SOAS, register by Wednesday 20 January and sit by Monday 25 January 2027. You get one sitting per cycle, and that one result goes to every LNAT university you choose.

This guide is also for Year 12s planning ahead: the format, how the test is scored, what Oxford's published numbers say about a strong score, and how to prepare - especially for the essay, the half that improves most with feedback.

Which universities require the LNAT, and their 2026-27 deadlines

LNAT lists nine UK universities for undergraduate law; Nottingham is not one of them. IE University, O.P. Jindal Global University and the Singapore University of Social Sciences use it abroad. Sitting the LNAT is not an application: you still apply through UCAS, where the deadline for most courses is 18:00 on Wednesday 13 January 2027.

For Glasgow and SOAS the test deadline falls after the UCAS deadline, so you can apply on 13 January and still sit up to 25 January. For Bristol and Durham the two deadlines land on the same day, so aim to sit well before. Testing continues to 31 July 2027 for late international applications.

For Oxbridge applicants, our Oxbridge applications and interviews guide covers what comes next.

Format and timings

The LNAT is taken on computer at a Pearson VUE test centre and lasts 2 hours 15 minutes.

Three rules catch candidates out. Once you move on to Section B you cannot go back to Section A. There is no paper - you get a small whiteboard and pen for notes. And a wrong answer costs nothing, so never leave a question blank. If you need to move your slot, rescheduling is free up to 12 noon UK time two working days before.

How the LNAT is scored, and what counts as a good score

Section A is marked by computer, and your mark out of 42 is your LNAT score. The essay is not marked by LNAT, but it goes to your universities with the score, and each uses it differently - some mark it, some use it as the basis for interview questions. There is no pass mark.

Oxford publishes the clearest numbers. In its 2025-26 cycle, for 2026 entry:

Two caveats. These are Oxford applicants, a self-selected group, not every LNAT candidate. And for applicants with contextualised GCSE data, Oxford's first shortlisting rank weighted the LNAT score at 10%, the essay at 10% and GCSEs at 80%. Roughly, a score around 30 put an applicant in Oxford's shortlist-to-offer range last cycle.

Your universities can download your score and essay within 24 hours of the test. You get your own score by email in mid-February if you sit by late January.

How to prepare for Section A

Section A tests close reading, not law. LNAT's own advice is to take each passage at face value and bring in no outside knowledge - the answer is in the text - and to watch for options that are almost right.

• Map the argument. For each passage, write the conclusion in one line, then the reasons, then any unstated assumption.
• Pace by passage. 95 minutes across 12 passages is just under eight minutes each. If one passage is eating time, mark the question for review and move on.
• Read argument every day. LNAT recommends quality newspapers; comment and opinion pages are closest to the passages.
• Use the official material. LNAT provides two practice papers with a commentary and marking scheme, plus an on-screen simulation that looks exactly like the test-centre screen. Save the simulation for a timed dress rehearsal.

How to prepare for the essay

LNAT says its ideal essay is 500-600 words: much shorter is too thin to judge, and a very long one counts against you. In 40 minutes, a workable split is about eight minutes planning, 27 writing and five checking (our suggestion, not an official rule).

LNAT's guidance rewards a clear position, assumptions stated openly, the strongest opposing point answered, and plain, economical English. It warns specifically against sitting on the fence and concluding that both sides have equal merit.

This is the half that improves with feedback: someone marking a timed essay each week and showing you where the argument slipped. That is what a tutor adds. No tutor can give you the real questions or promise a score. All our LNAT tutoring is online, whether you are in London or anywhere else in the UK.

Two practical points before booking. If you need extra time or a reader recorder, apply to LNAT with evidence and get approval before you book: extra time can be confirmed within a few days, a reader recorder takes at least three weeks. This is separate from the JCQ arrangements your school uses for A-levels (see our access arrangements guide). LNAT lists the fee as £75 at UK and EU test centres and £120 elsewhere, waived for UK and EU students receiving certain state benefits; allow at least a week for a bursary application.

Year 12: planning for the 2027-28 cycle

A Year 12 applying for 2028 entry cannot usefully sit now, because results do not carry over between cycles. Based on this cycle's pattern, expect registration to open on 1 August 2027 and testing to start on 1 September 2027, with an Oxford and Cambridge sit-by date in mid-October (expected - LNAT confirms dates each summer).

If subject choices are still open, our guide to A-level combinations universities want covers how admissions tutors read them.

Frequently asked questions

Can you resit the LNAT in the same cycle?

No. You may sit it once per cycle, and a second sitting is automatically invalidated. If you reapply through UCAS the following year, you must sit the LNAT again in that year's cycle.

Is the LNAT essay scored?

Not by LNAT. It does not affect your score out of 42, but every university you choose receives it and judges it in its own way. Oxford, for example, marks essays itself and counts the mark in shortlisting.

What LNAT score do you need for Oxford?

There is no published cut-off. In the 2025-26 cycle shortlisted applicants averaged 29.37 and offer-holders 30.48, but for applicants with contextualised GCSE data, GCSEs carried more weight in the first ranking than the LNAT did.

When should a Year 12 sit the LNAT?

In Year 13, in the cycle for the year you apply. For 2028 entry that means from September 2027 (expected), sitting early in the autumn if Oxford or Cambridge is on the list.

Sources: LNAT (lnat.ac.uk) - Dates and deadlines 2026-27 cycle (registration from 1 August 2026, testing 1 September 2026 to 31 July 2027, per-university register and sit-by dates); Do I need to sit the test?; What is LNAT?; Test format; Results; Hints and tips; Practice test; Exam access requirements; Paying for your test; FAQs (one sitting per cycle, no carry-over, rescheduling, whiteboard). University of Oxford Law Admissions Report 2025-26, as published by Oriel College (applicant numbers, average LNAT and essay marks, shortlisting weights). UCAS 2027 entry deadlines (15 October 2026 and 13 January 2027, 18:00).