Successful preparation for the LNAT Section A

It is easy to get worried about LNAT Section A – there are lots of different question types and timing can be pressured. Don’t worry, these 10 tips will calm your nerves and get you hitting top marks in no time. 

This guide will help you learn how to save time, read effectively and efficiently, work out the meaning of complicated words, predict answers, eliminate incorrect options and tackle common question types. It can be easy to get caught up in the difficulty of the test, but this article takes you back to basics, helping you make small changes that will lead to big differences in your marks.

So, keep reading for 10 top tips for great marks and more confidence in the first section of the LNAT exam.

1. Timing is key – 8 minutes per passage, be strict with yourself and move on.

You have 95 minutes in LNAT Section A, 42 multiple choice questions and 12 passages. What does that mean … well, unfortunately, timing is tight!

But, this is good news for someone like you who is preparing before the exam. If you train yourself to spend 8 minutes on each passage, you will be able to get through the whole section putting you in front of other candidates. So, how do you save time?

Here are some of the best time saving tips that you can use in the exam …

• Use the flagging function: if a question is very tricky, take a guess and flag it. This gives you more time to spend on the questions that you have a better chance of getting correct, and you can always go back to it if you find yourself with time left over.
• Skim read: the more you practice reading passages, the quicker you will get at speedily picking out the key info. LNAT Section A passages will be best for this, but newspapers and journals are helpful too. Whilst watching television might be more fun, if you can take a look at a newspaper in the morning, your LNAT Section A score will be grateful!
• Don’t be tempted to dwell – it can be really tempting to think that a few more minutes spent on the passage you are on at the moment will be a mark changer, but the best way to get marks is to stick to the time limit so you get through the whole paper. Be strict with yourself and move on.

2. Effective reading – Once you have read the passage give each paragraph a title summarizing what the paragraph says.

When you are reading the passage, spend 10 seconds writing a summary sentence for the paragraph. Think of the sentence like a tagline for the paragraph. This technique is very effective for two reasons …

1. You will understand the passage better if you take the time to write your own mini summary.
2. You will save time when answering questions because you will only have to search through the paragraph and not the whole text.

Here is an example …

• Paragraph 1: “The advantages of using tech in education” .

• Paragraph 2: “Professor Green’s opinion – positive”.

• Paragraph 3: “ Case study: ipads in maths lessons”.

• Paragraph 4: “Conclusion – more tech should be used in the future of education”.

3. Don’t understand a word in the passage? Use this technique to help you work out its meaning.

The words in the LNAT Section A passages can be long, old and generally confusing! The examiners do this on purpose, so you should not worry if you don’t recognise a word. Often, they are not testing your vocabulary but your ability to work out the meaning of words from the rest of the passage.

So, how can we work out the meaning of words we don’t understand? 

First, read around the word. The sentences before and after the word might give you a clue as to what the word means.

Second, take a guess at what you think the word might mean and try swapping your word for the word in the passage. A word that sounds right in the sentence is likely to mean a similar thing.

Third, does your guess fit with the general argument of the author. For example, if the author’s argument is mostly positive then your guess should be positive too.

4. Watch out for double negatives.

LNAT Section A Question writers can be sneaky! One way they try to catch you out is with double negatives. For example, ‘which of the following is not a negative argument the author makes” is just a complicated way of saying ‘which of the following is a positive argument the author makes”. If you spot a double negative, turn the question into its uncomplicated version to save yourself from unnecessary confusion.

5. Predict the answer to the question before you read through the multiple choice options.

The LNAT Section A multiple choice options can be very similar; sometimes, reading through them actually makes you more confused than you might have been if you just had to write the answer. The best way to get round this is to cover the answer options up and write down what you think the answer is. After that all you need to do is pick the multiple choice option that is most similar to use. This works especially well for ‘main point’ questions.

6. If you don’t know the answer – use the elimination method to improve your chances of picking the right answer.

Each LNAT Section A question has 5 answer options. If you don’t know the correct answer, it is always worth taking a guess. To increase your chances of guessing correctly eliminate any answer options you think might be wrong, here’s some things to look out for …

7. Make good use of the whiteboard.

You will be given a whiteboard in the exam. You can use it to write down paragraph summaries, scribble down thoughts to come back to and to rule out answer options. It can be helpful to draw a little answer grid so you can put crosses next to questions you want to rule out, a little bit like this …

Example

8. Practice, practice, practice.

The more papers you do the better you are going to be in the exam. Every time you do a paper, you are learning more LNAT section A skills and gaining confidence. Always make sure to spend time going over the paper afterwards, note down things you can improve on for next time.

The LNAT website is great for practice tests that are laid out in the same format as the test will be on the day …

Click Here for LNAT practice tests

9. For ‘main point’ questions, take another look at the intro and conclusion.

You don’t want to be reading over the whole passage again to answer a ‘main point’ question. It’s just a waste of time that you don’t have and can cause you to panic.
If you don’t know the main point from memory, don’t worry. A great tip is to skim over the introduction and conclusion, often this gives you a good summary of the main argument of the passage.

10. Confidence – you’ve got this!

The LNAT is a really hard test, especially LNAT Section A, the average usually sits below 50%. So, instead of focussing on the questions you found hard or had to guess, be proud of yourself for every question you think you might have got correct! It might feel a bit strange to do a test with such a low average, it can certainly feel quite frustrating, but a positive mindset is crucial, so keep persevering and you will smash it.

FAQ’s for LNAT Section A

Is the LNAT test computer based?

Yes! The LNAT test is an online test, you will take it using a computer at a local test centre.

What is a good LNAT Section A score?

The LNAT average usually sits around 50%. Different universities will look for different marks, and different universities focus on different aspects of the test (some prefer high marks in section A, some place more emphasis on section B). For a top university, you are probably looking at a mark between 25 and 29, but this will depend on the year and how well you perform in Section B and in any other parts of the application process.

How do I ace my LNAT Section A?

Good Question! You are already off to a good start because the best way to ace your LNAT Section A exam is to practice. Practicing includes looking at online materials like this one, reading up on the paper and taking mock exams. As well as practice, confidence will be key.

Is the LNAT Section A difficult?

It certainly can seem difficult. But, you have to remember that the average is always very low (around 50%), so, you are not looking to get a really high percentage, all you need to do is get a good score relative to other candidates. If you’re really struggling with LNAT Section A, you can check out our 1-1 tutoring for some tips and techniques on our expert LNAT Section A tutors who have scored in the top 5-10% of the exam.

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