What to read for the LNAT
LNAT recommends a quality newspaper in English every day, and publishes three questions to ask as you read. Start with the questions.
See the three questionsThe three questions LNAT publishes
Run all three on one comment piece before you open the next one.
| LNAT asks | A usable answer | Drill it here |
|---|---|---|
| What assumptions are being made? | Name one thing the writer needs to be true and never says. | Assumption questions |
| What information is being relied on to draw which conclusion? | Point at the sentence that would sink the piece if it were false. | Evidence questions |
| How would you frame a counterargument? | Write the strongest objection in one sentence, not the easiest one. | Counterargument questions |
Does reading the news raise your LNAT score?
LNAT says there are no facts to learn for the test, that essay topics will not be specifically about current affairs, and that you will not be judged by what facts you know. Reading trains the habit of questioning an argument, not a stock of knowledge.
LNAT poses one more question on the same page, and it is the sharpest thing on it: “What exactly is the difference between news and comment? Is the contrast really apparent in practice?”
Where a reading habit stops
LNAT publishes no per-article time. It does publish the workload: 42 multiple choice questions on 12 argumentative passages in 95 minutes, which is where untimed reading stops being enough.
Margin is independent LNAT practice. LNAT states that the Consortium “does not endorse or recommend any preparatory materials provided by any other individual or organisation”, and this page is not endorsed by it.
Check a draftReading is untimed
Nothing about reading a column at your own pace tells you whether you can answer four questions on an unfamiliar passage in the eight minutes an even split across twelve leaves you. 10 of the 83 questions on the practice page are free. Founder access is £25 for the other 73, each with the passage sentence your answer turned on.