The LNAT test format
The LNAT is a computer-based test of about two hours and fifteen minutes, split into a multiple-choice section and an essay. Knowing exactly how each part works is half the battle.
At a glance
| Section | Task | Time | Scored? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section A | 42 multiple-choice questions (four answer options each) across 12 passages | 95 minutes | Yes, out of 42 |
| Section B | One essay chosen from three prompts | 40 minutes | No number; read by universities |
Section A: multiple choice
Section A gives you 12 passages, each making some kind of argument, and roughly three to four questions on each, for 42 questions in total. You have 95 minutes, which works out to a little over two minutes per question once you account for reading. The questions test whether you have understood the passage precisely: what it claims, what it assumes, what follows from it, and what would strengthen or weaken it.
This section is marked by computer and produces your LNAT score out of 42. There is no negative marking, so never leave a question blank. If you are running short on time, make sure every question has an answer, even a guess.
What changed: four answer options and on-screen tools
The LNAT format has recently changed in two ways. From the 2025 test cycle, each Section A question has four answer options instead of five. From 2026 the test screen also has on-screen tools: you can highlight text, strike text through, and search a passage for a word.
Every PrepGenie practice paper has been updated to this format. All questions have four answer options, and the simulator includes highlight, strikethrough and search, so you practise with the same tools you will use on the day.
Section B: the essay
Section B gives you 40 minutes to write one essay from a choice of three prompts. The prompts are general questions of the sort that invite a reasoned argument rather than specialist knowledge. What matters is a clear position, a well-structured case, and disciplined writing. Length is not what is being assessed, so a tight, well-argued essay beats a long, rambling one.
Section B is not given a numerical mark. Instead your essay is passed to the universities you have applied to, where it is read as direct evidence of how you build and express an argument. That makes it just as worth practising as Section A.
What it is really testing
Underneath the two formats, the LNAT is testing the same core skills throughout: reading closely and accurately, following and evaluating arguments, drawing sound inferences, and doing all of it under real time pressure. The pressure is not incidental; it is part of what the test measures, which is why practising against a live clock matters so much more than reading questions at leisure.
The question types you will meet in Section A
Although every Section A question is multiple choice, they fall into a handful of recurring types, and recognising which one you are looking at makes each faster to answer. The most common are: main idea (what is the passage's central claim?), inference (what follows from what is stated, without going beyond it?), assumption (what must be true for the argument to hold?), strengthen or weaken (which option most supports or undermines the argument?), author's attitude or tone, and meaning in context (what does a word or phrase mean as used here?). Every one is answered from the passage itself, not from what you happen to know about the topic, and learning to spot the type is a large part of what timed practice trains.
Managing the clock
Ninety-five minutes for 42 questions across 12 passages is a little over two minutes per question once reading is included, and the time pressure is deliberate. A workable rhythm is to read a passage actively, answer its questions before moving on, and resist re-reading the whole passage for each question. If a question stalls you, flag it, put down your best answer and move on; because there is no negative marking, an educated guess always beats a blank. Aim to reach the final passage with a few minutes spare to revisit anything you flagged.
The on-screen experience
The LNAT is sat on a computer at a Pearson VUE test centre, so it is a screen, not paper: a countdown timer, next and previous navigation, the ability to flag questions to return to, and (from 2026) tools to highlight text, strike it through and search a passage for a word. None of that is difficult, but it is unfamiliar the first time, and unfamiliarity costs minutes you cannot spare. Practising in an interface built to mirror the real one removes that tax before test day, which is why our papers reproduce the layout, timer and flag-and-review behaviour. You can try it on the free practice test.
LNAT format: FAQ
How long is the LNAT?
How many questions are in Section A?
How many answer options does each LNAT question have?
Is there negative marking on the LNAT?
How long is the LNAT essay?
Is Section B scored?
Get used to the format before the day
Every PrepGenie paper mirrors this structure and timing, so nothing is unfamiliar at the test centre.