LNAT Section A
42 questions | 95 minutes
Section A is the multiple-choice section.
In the exam, you will be presented with 12 passages and 42 questions, with approximately 3-5 questions per passage. There is a total of 95 minutes for this section and you cannot use any of the time for Section B in Section A – you only have a maximum of 95 minutes.
What do the questions look like?
A Section A question will be a long passage of text (roughly 4 – 8 paragraphs long), then there will be 3-5 questions on it. Each question will have 5 options to choose from, and only one will be correct. If you can’t find the right answer straight away, you can begin a process of elimination to find it. The passage of text will look a little something like this;
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The aim of this section is to test your abilities in;
- Comprehension
- Interpretation
- Deduction
It tests your abilities to understand different parts of a passage. An integral point to understand is what constitutes a good argument. These are;
- Evidence: arguments based on opinions and value judgements are weaker than those based on facts and evidence.
- Logic: argument should flow and the constituent parts should fit well into an overriding view or belief.
- Balance: a good argument should concede that there are other views and beliefs (counter-arguments). Creating a strong argument involves dismantling these ideas and explaining why they are wrong.
What should I know?
You will often be asked to know the differences between ARGUMENTS vs ASSERTIONS vs EXPLANATIONS. Here’s a snippet of our tutor Amy explaining how to differentiate the three;
PREMISE vs CONCLUSION
- A Conclusion is a summary of the arguments being made and is usually explicitly stated or heavily implied.
- A Premise is a statement from which another statement can be inferred or follows as a conclusion.
Hence, a conclusion is shown/implied/proven by a premise. Similarly, a premise shows/indicates/establishes a conclusion.
FACT vs OPINION
Sometimes you will be required to distinguish between a fact and an opinion.
- Fact is something that can be tested to be true or false.
- Opinion cannot be tested to be true or false.
CORRELATION vs CAUSATION
Just because two incidents or events have occurred does not mean that one has caused the other. For example: “French people are known for having a glass of wine with dinner and they have a larger life expectancy than we do. Therefore, we should consume wine to be healthier.”
This argument is flawed. There are 2 events: (i) French people known for having wine and (ii) French people having a larger life expectancy. There is no suggestion in the extract that (i) wine is causally related to (ii) or that having wine actually leads to a longer life. Accordingly, in itself, the premises do not adequately support the conclusion – there could be other reasons such as diet or exercise.
Our top tips for Section A
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Read the questions first
As always, although it sounds counter-intuitive, you should read the question first. You’ll have an idea of what key points and keywords to look out for when reading the passage. This will help you save time.
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Knowledge
There is no prior knowledge required for this section of the LNAT. You will not require any knowledge of the law or current affairs.
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Reading non-fiction
A great way to prepare for the LNAT is to engage in non-fiction reading and considering the following questions; What issues are being raised? What assumptions are made? What is the conclusion? Is there adequate support for the conclusion? How would you create a counter-argument?
The LNAT is a long test that can be difficult to prepare for.
Luckily for you, we have years of experience tutoring for the LNAT, with proven results and many happy pupils with dream offers.
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