LNAT scores
What is a good LNAT score?
No universal score: Oxford and UCL publish offer-holder averages, not thresholds.
Oxford Law offer-holders for 2026 entry averaged 30.48 out of 42.
UCL reports 23 across 2024/25 test results and 29 among offer-holders. Neither figure is a cut-off. It says “no score that will guarantee an offer”.
What each university publishes
| University | What it publishes |
|---|---|
| Oxford | 2026 entry: all 2,115 applicants averaged 24.94, those shortlisted 29.37, those offered a place 30.48 |
| UCL | 2024/25: test results received averaged 23, candidates offered a place 29, contextual offers 26 |
| Cambridge | Uses both sections; essay marked centrally at Cambridge |
| LSE | Only uses the multiple-choice score for most applicants |
| Bristol | “We do not have a minimum score requirement”; compared with that year’s applicants |
| King’s | No published score; sit by 31 December |
| Glasgow | No published score; results inform entry requirements |
| SOAS | Optional with A levels; strong performance may earn a lower offer |
Durham is the ninth LNAT university. Its page did not load for us on 2 August 2026; we left it out. Check the course page.
The national average is older than it looks
LNAT last published in 2016
Raw scores across its five test forms averaged 22.04 to 24.43 out of 42, from 7,849 candidates. Section A ran 80 minutes then. You get 95 now, so it is background, not a target.
Your mark is equated, not raw
LNAT calibrates every question by Rasch scaling, then equates the forms so “the individual raw scores are translated to a new scale score”. Drawing an easier form does not hand you a higher score.
Neither report contains a percentile table.
How to improve your Section A score
LNAT says the essay “does not contribute to your LNAT score”. Nothing is deducted for a wrong answer, so a blank and a guess cost the same and one of them can be right.
Ten Section A questions are free. The full 83-question bank costs £25 once, with worked solutions and a 30-day refund.
Questions candidates ask
What is a good LNAT score?
There is no universal good LNAT score. Oxford's Law offer-holders for 2026 entry averaged 30.48 out of 42; UCL's offer-holders averaged 29 in 2024/25. Those are averages, not thresholds. UCL states there is “no score that will guarantee an offer”.
What LNAT score do you need for Oxford?
Oxford Law publishes no minimum LNAT score. Its 2025-2026 admissions report gives the averages instead: 24.94 across all 2,115 applicants, 29.37 among those shortlisted for interview, and 30.48 among those who received an offer. The same report describes candidates being ranked on contextualised GCSEs and the two LNAT scores, with 10% on each LNAT score and 80% on the GCSE score where a GCSE score exists.
What is the average LNAT score?
LNAT has published national averages twice, most recently in its 2016 statistical report: raw scores across the five test forms averaged 22.04 to 24.43 out of 42, from 7,849 candidates who sat between 1 September 2015 and 30 June 2016. Both reports describe a Section A of 80 minutes where the test now gives 95, so they are background rather than a target. The current figures worth aiming at are the university ones above.
Is there a pass mark for the LNAT?
There is no LNAT pass mark. LNAT answers it directly: “Is there a pass or fail mark for the LNAT? No. You will receive an LNAT result (a score out of 42) and the university will refer to this when processing your university application.” It adds that there is no fixed weight to the LNAT and that universities use it in different ways.
Does the LNAT essay count towards your score?
The LNAT essay is not part of your score out of 42. Universities use it differently: Oxford marks it internally; UCL says it “carries considerable weight in the selection process”; Cambridge marks it centrally; LSE says it “is not considered for most applicants”. LNAT says the essay “is not marked by the test centre and does not contribute to your LNAT score”.
Sources
LNAT Section A: 42 questions · LNAT Section B: the essay · Which universities require the LNAT? · UniGenius is independent and is not affiliated with universities or test providers.