Published on: March 27, 2025

LNAT practice tests might not be delivering the results you expect, despite your dedicated preparation. Many aspiring law students spend hours taking practice exams, only to see their scores plateau or unexpectedly drop.

Unfortunately, certain subtle mistakes during practice sessions can undermine your performance. These errors, which range from misunderstanding the test format to poor time management, significantly impact your final scores. This article specifically identifies these hidden pitfalls and shows you how to correct them before your actual LNAT. Consequently, you’ll develop more effective practice habits that actually translate to higher scores on test day.

Misunderstanding the LNAT Format

One of the fundamental reasons students struggle with LNAT practice tests stems from misinterpreting the exam’s format. The structure, timing, and skills assessment of the LNAT are often poorly understood, leading to misdirected preparation efforts.

Not knowing the two-section structure

The LNAT consists of two distinct sections, each requiring different preparation approaches. The exam lasts for 2 hours and 15 minutes in total ¹, with very specific time allocations for each component.

Section A comprises 42 multiple-choice questions based on 12 passages of text ², with 3-4 questions per passage ³. You have 95 minutes to complete this portion ⁴, which might seem generous at first glance. However, many test-takers fail to recognize that once they proceed to Section B, they cannot return to Section A ⁴. This irreversible progression catches unprepared students off-guard.

In contrast, Section B requires you to write an essay on one topic chosen from three options ⁵, with a strict 40-minute time limit ⁴. The maximum word count is 750 words ⁶, although experts suggest aiming for 500-600 words ⁷ to ensure quality over quantity.

Furthermore, many students incorrectly assume both sections contribute equally to their final score. In reality, only Section A receives a numerical score out of 42 ⁸, while Section B is evaluated differently.

Underestimating the essay component

Although Section B doesn’t contribute to your numerical LNAT score, disregarding its importance is a serious mistake. The essay component serves as a critical evaluation tool for many universities.

Different institutions weigh the essay component uniquely. Some universities disregard Section B entirely, while others create their own grading systems ⁵. Oxford University, for instance, places considerable emphasis on the essay, using a percentage-based scoring system ⁵.

Moreover, admissions tutors frequently use Section B as a tiebreaker when choosing between candidates with similar qualifications and Section A scores ⁹. The essay provides insight into your ability to construct persuasive arguments and reach well-reasoned conclusions ⁴.

Many students also overlook the essay’s structural requirements. Without a clear thesis, logical paragraph transitions, and evidence-based claims, even knowledgeable students can perform poorly. The ideal essay demonstrates clear thinking, topic understanding, persuasive argumentation, and excellent structure ⁹.

Ignoring the skills being tested

Perhaps the most damaging misconception about LNAT practice tests is assuming they evaluate legal knowledge. In fact, the LNAT doesn’t test your understanding of law or any specific subject matter ¹.

Instead, Section A evaluates critical reading skills including:

• Comprehension and interpretation of complex texts
• Analysis and evaluation of arguments
• Ability to extract key information
• Reasoning and drawing logical conclusions ³

Section B assesses entirely different abilities:

• Argumentative writing capabilities
• Critical thinking and analytical skills
• Clear communication in written form
• Ability to present balanced perspectives while maintaining a definitive stance ⁵

Additionally, many students prepare by focusing solely on content knowledge rather than developing the verbal reasoning, information interpretation, and analytical abilities the test actually measures ¹. Without addressing these specific skill requirements, practice tests become ineffective preparation tools.

By thoroughly understanding the LNAT’s format, appreciating the significance of both sections, and focusing on the actual skills being tested, you can structure your practice more effectively and avoid the common pitfalls that undermine performance on test day.

Poor Time Management During Practice Tests

Time constraints represent one of the biggest challenges when taking LNAT practice tests. Many students find their scores suffering not because they lack knowledge, but because they haven’t mastered the clock.

Spending too long on one question

The multiple-choice section gives you 95 minutes to answer 42 questions, which amounts to approximately 2¼ minutes per question ¹⁰. This tight timing often leads test-takers to become fixated on difficult questions, creating a dangerous domino effect.

One of the most common errors is getting stuck on a challenging question while the seconds tick away. As the official LNAT advice notes, “It’s better to have time to consider and answer all of the questions, than taking too long at the start and not having the time to properly consider the later questions” ¹.

Remember, once you move to Section B, you cannot return to Section A ⁶. Therefore, spending excessive time on early questions often results in rushed answers or complete omissions toward the end. According to LNAT examiners, many students report having to guess the final few questions because they ran out of time ¹¹.

To overcome this issue, try allocating specific time blocks for each passage. Since Section A contains 12 passages, spending roughly 8 minutes per passage ensures you’ll complete the entire section ¹². Accordingly, if you feel stuck after a reasonable attempt, make an educated guess and continue forward.

Not allocating time for essay planning

Section B provides only 40 minutes to write your essay ¹³, yet many students dive straight into writing without adequate planning. This oversight typically leads to poorly structured arguments and disorganized thoughts.

Planning is essential for creating a coherent essay under time pressure. As recommended by preparation experts, you should dedicate 5-10 minutes to planning your essay structure ¹⁰. Subsequently, this investment pays dividends by helping you:

• Write faster once you have a clear direction
• Organize your thoughts more effectively
• Ensure you address the question directly
• Develop stronger arguments with logical flow

Notably, poor time management during essay planning often manifests as imbalanced writing, where students spend too much time crafting an elaborate introduction but rush through their main arguments ¹. Undoubtedly, this reduces the overall quality and persuasiveness of your essay.

Skipping questions without marking guesses

When faced with difficult questions, many test-takers simply skip them, intending to return later if time permits. However, a critical mistake is failing to record an initial guess before moving on.

The LNAT scoring system does not penalize incorrect answers ¹⁰. Therefore, leaving questions blank is always worse than making an educated guess. As Oxford preparation materials emphasize, “You don’t lose marks for wrong answers so any answer still has a 1 in 4 chance of being right” ⁶.

The exam platform provides a flagging tool specifically for this purpose ⁶. Use it to mark questions you’re uncertain about, but always input your best guess first. Later, if time allows, you can revisit these flagged questions for reconsideration.

Time management skills improve primarily through consistent practice under test conditions. Regular timed practice helps you develop an intuitive sense of pacing ¹⁴. Likewise, post-practice review helps identify which question types consistently consume too much of your time, allowing you to develop specific strategies for those challenges.

By addressing these time management pitfalls in your LNAT practice tests, you’ll gradually build the skills needed to complete both sections efficiently without sacrificing accuracy.

Reading Questions Too Quickly

Rushed reading of LNAT questions is a silent score-killer that many students overlook when taking practice tests. Even with perfect knowledge and excellent time management, misreading what the questions actually ask can devastate your performance.

Misinterpreting what is being asked

The LNAT doesn’t just test your comprehension of passages; it evaluates your ability to accurately decipher what each question demands. Many students misinterpret questions because they don’t take time to understand their structure. Particularly challenging are questions with double negatives such as “What cannot be inferred from the text about the writer’s argument?” These require you to identify both what the writer is suggesting and then determine what is not being suggested ³.

Beyond that, many questions use specific terminology that requires precise understanding. Words like “stated,” “inferred,” “implied,” and “concluded” have distinct meanings in the context of the LNAT ³. Misinterpreting these terms leads to selecting answers that don’t address what the question is actually asking.

One effective approach is to cover the answer options initially and write down what you believe is the answer before looking at the choices. This works especially well for “main point” questions and prevents the multiple options from confusing your understanding ¹².

Missing keywords or qualifiers

Critical qualifiers in both questions and answer choices can completely change meaning. Words such as:

• Typically/usually
• Could/sometimes/often
• Likely/unlikely
• Always/never

These modifiers transform absolute statements into qualified ones. For instance, “ice melts above 0°C” is different from “typically, ice melts above 0°C” – the latter acknowledges exceptions ³.

Primarily, test-takers rush through and miss these crucial qualifiers, leading them to select incorrect answers that are too absolute or too qualified compared to what the passage actually states. Remember that even a single qualifier can dramatically alter the accuracy of a statement.

Failing to identify the argument structure

Understanding how arguments are constructed is essential for correct interpretation. An argument consists of premises (evidence) and a conclusion (the claim being supported). Failure to distinguish between these elements makes it impossible to answer questions about the argument’s structure or strength ¹⁵.

Evidently, many students struggle to interpret complex arguments or identify underlying assumptions. Without solid understanding of logical reasoning and argumentation, providing accurate answers becomes extremely difficult ⁸.

To strengthen your ability to identify argument structure:

1. Separate the text into its component parts (premises and conclusions)
2. Assess each premise independently
3. Determine whether reasoning follows logically
4. Look for argument indicator words like “therefore,” “thus,” “because,” or “since” ¹⁵

The solution to these problems lies in adopting a deliberate reading strategy. As official LNAT guidance recommends: “Read the passage carefully and thoroughly before attempting questions. Identify keywords in the question and search for them in the passage” ¹⁶. Chiefly, remember that the answer is always present in the passage – you don’t need to rely on outside knowledge ¹¹.

Weak Essay Structure and Argumentation

The essay component of LNAT practice tests frequently reveals structural weaknesses that undermine otherwise knowledgeable students. Even candidates with solid legal understanding often fail to achieve high scores due to fundamental problems in how they construct and present their arguments.

Lack of clear thesis or stance

One of the most damaging mistakes in LNAT essays is fence-sitting. Admissions tutors specifically look for your ability to defend a position—which may not necessarily be your personal view. Indeed, sometimes defending a position you disagree with can make your argument tighter. Many students mistakenly believe that acknowledging both sides without taking a definitive stance demonstrates balanced thinking. Nevertheless, this approach appears indecisive and weakens your essay.

A strong thesis statement should:

• Clearly indicate your position on the topic
• Provide a brief outline of what you will discuss
• Set the foundation for your entire argument

As preparation experts note, “Don’t sit on the fence. Don’t say that each side in an argument has a point unless you go on to say which point each side has.”

Poor paragraph transitions

Essay quality suffers dramatically when paragraphs feel disconnected from each other. Without clear transitions, your arguments appear fragmented rather than flowing logically from one point to the next. In essence, transitions serve as the glue that binds together the components of your argument into a coherent, persuasive whole.

For this reason, admissions tutors evaluate how well you structure your essay and maintain a logical progression. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea or argument and connect smoothly to surrounding paragraphs. At this point, many students underestimate how much these connections matter for demonstrating critical thinking ability.

Not supporting claims with logic

Presenting opinions without supporting evidence is perhaps the most common weakness in LNAT essays. Even though you have limited time, your arguments must be backed by logical reasoning or concrete examples. The essay is not looking for your personal assertions but rather how effectively you can build a case.

Furthermore, admissions tutors are specifically evaluating your ability to “present arguments in a logical and persuasive manner.” Unsupported claims, regardless of how passionately stated, fail to demonstrate the analytical thinking universities seek.

Ultimately, the ideal LNAT essay ranges from 500-600 words, provides balanced consideration of different perspectives, and maintains a clear stance throughout. Fortunately, these structural problems can be addressed through consistent practice and careful attention to how you organize your thoughts before writing.

Skipping Post-Test Review and Feedback

Many LNAT candidates make the critical error of completing practice tests but then overlooking the essential post-test review process. This oversight represents a missed opportunity to significantly improve future performance.

Not analyzing incorrect answers

Merely tallying your score after completing a practice test provides minimal value. Unfortunately, numerous students “simply tot up their score and move on” rather than examining their errors in depth ¹⁷. This superficial approach prevents you from understanding where your reasoning went astray.

For each incorrect answer, you should identify why you selected the wrong option and what led you away from the correct one. The answer choices in LNAT don’t follow any predictable pattern ⁴, so guessing strategies based on answer distribution won’t help. Meanwhile, understanding your specific reasoning failures will build critical thinking skills that transfer to the actual exam.

Ignoring patterns in mistakes

Beyond individual errors, identifying recurring mistake patterns yields even greater benefits. Yet many students fail to connect the dots between different errors across multiple practice tests.

After completing several practice sessions, look for trends such as:

• Consistently misinterpreting certain question types
• Struggling with specific passage subjects
• Making errors when questions contain qualifiers or negatives
• Repeatedly running out of time in particular sections

As one preparation expert notes, “The key to development is to examine errors and comprehend the causes of them” ⁸. Ultimately, recognizing these patterns allows you to prioritize which weaknesses need the most attention.

Failing to adjust strategy for next test

Prior to taking another practice test, many students neglect to modify their approach based on previous feedback. This creates a cycle of repeating the same mistakes rather than strategic improvement.

In turn, your practice regimen should evolve after each test. When evaluating challenging questions, using the process of elimination becomes essential – “carefully read the possible answers and use the information in the passage to eliminate wrong answers” ⁶. Furthermore, you might discover that solving certain questions helps with subsequent ones “not least for the purposes of elimination as well as general understanding” ⁴.

Remember that consistent score improvement comes through thoughtful analysis and strategic adjustments, not merely through taking more practice tests.

Conclusion

Mastering the LNAT requires more than just completing practice tests. Indeed, recognizing and correcting these hidden mistakes dramatically improves your performance. Above all, understanding the test format establishes a critical foundation – knowing exactly what each section demands and how universities evaluate your responses prevents misguided preparation efforts.

Time management likewise plays a pivotal role in your success. Accordingly, practicing with strategic time blocks, planning your essay properly, and never leaving questions blank will help maximize your score. When approaching questions, take sufficient time to comprehend what’s being asked, identify key qualifiers, and understand argument structures before selecting answers.

For the essay component, maintaining a clear stance throughout, creating smooth paragraph transitions, and supporting claims with solid reasoning significantly strengthens your work. Therefore, dedicating time to analyze your practice performance becomes equally important. Identifying patterns in your mistakes and adjusting your strategy accordingly creates a cycle of continuous improvement rather than repeated errors.

Ultimately, effective LNAT preparation depends not just on how many practice tests you complete, but on how thoughtfully you approach each one. These seemingly minor adjustments to your practice routine consequently translate to major score improvements when test day arrives – giving you the competitive edge needed for admission to prestigious law programs.