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LNAT guide

Cambridge LNAT Guide

Cambridge only returned to the LNAT recently, and it uses the test differently from everyone else — both sections count, and it marks the essay itself. Here is the verified current policy, cycle deadlines, and how to prepare for the earliest test date in the system.

Last reviewed: LNATpractice Editorial Team

Cambridge's current LNAT policy — and why old advice misleads

Cambridge's relationship with the LNAT has reversed twice, which is why so much advice about it online is wrong. The university used the LNAT in the test's early years, then announced in 2008 that it was phasing the test out, and for over a decade assessed Law applicants with its own Cambridge Law Test instead. That test was retired when Cambridge rejoined the LNAT for 2023 entry(applications from autumn 2022), and the Faculty of Law's page now states the requirement explicitly for the current cycle: for 2027 entry, Cambridge requires prospective Law applicants to sit the LNAT as a pre-interview admissions assessment.

The practical warning: any guide, forum thread or tutor note that mentions the “Cambridge Law Test”, or says Cambridge doesn't use the LNAT, predates 2022. Check the date on anything you read about Cambridge Law admissions — including this page, which shows its review date above.

Who must sit it

The published rule is simple: all applicants for BA Law (M100)are required to take the LNAT, and no exemption is published for any applicant group. That includes mature applicants applying to the mature colleges — Cambridge's mature-applicant pages place them inside the LNAT regime. For affiliated (senior-status) applicants taking the two-year BA, no separate rule is published either way; the “all applicants for Law” wording is the only official statement, so senior-status applicants should confirm directly with their college rather than assume an exemption. College-level differences exist only around other requirements — some colleges request written work — not around the LNAT itself.

Deadlines for 2027 entry

Cambridge shares the earliest sit-by date in the LNAT system with Oxford. For 2027 entry: register and book between 1 August and 15 September 2026; submit UCAS by 6pm on 15 October 2026; sit the LNAT by 15 October 2026 — the Faculty suggests sitting in September or early October; and complete the My Cambridge Application form by 6pm on 22 October 2026. Interviews run mostly across the first three weeks of December 2026, with decisions on 27 January 2027.

The test fee for this cycle is £75 at UK/EU centres and £120 elsewhere, with a fee-waiver scheme for eligible UK/EU students — apply for the waiver before booking. How these dates sit alongside the other universities' later deadlines is laid out in the dates and deadlines guide.

How Cambridge says it uses the test

Cambridge's published statements are distinctive on three points, each worth quoting precisely because so many prep resources blur them:

  • Both sections count. The Faculty states that Cambridge will use both sections of the LNAT to assess applicants — and that the essay component is marked centrally at Cambridge. Since Section B receives no mark from the test provider, Cambridge's internal marking is what turns your essay into a grade. If you were tempted to treat the essay as an afterthought, Cambridge is the clearest published reason not to.
  • It deselects as well as selects. The Faculty states the LNAT is used to deselect applicants — determining, with the rest of the application, who is invited to interview — as well as in the final selection. Cambridge interviews a high proportion of applicants by Oxbridge standards, but the LNAT is part of the filter.
  • No pass mark, no published weighting. The central admissions-tests page states there is no pass or fail mark, but that a strong performance is usually needed to get through to interview, and that for shortlisted candidates the score is looked at together with the rest of the application. What Cambridge does notpublish: any numerical threshold, any LNAT-vs-interview weighting, any essay marking rubric, or any score statistics. Where Oxford publishes averages, Cambridge publishes silence — treat any “Cambridge LNAT average” you see elsewhere as unofficial.

What Cambridge does publish: admissions statistics

Cambridge publishes course-level admissions statistics, most recently for the 2025 cycle (published May 2026): Law received 1,654 applications and made 291 offers, with 232 acceptances — a success rate of 14.0%, or roughly 7 applications per place (the university-wide rate was 16.3%). No LNAT score data appears in these statistics. Interviews are college-run, and the Faculty notes that no prior legal knowledge is expected — interviewers assess the ability to form and defend a logical argument, recognise counterarguments, and revise a position under pressure, which is also a fair description of what the LNAT itself rewards.

Preparing on Cambridge's timeline

Cambridge's combination — earliest sit-by date, both sections marked, no published thresholds — points to a specific preparation shape:

  • Treat the essay as half the job. Uniquely among the published policies, Cambridge formally marks Section B. Alternate timed 40-minute essays with your multiple-choice practice from the start, using the structure in the Section B guide, rather than bolting essays on in the final week.
  • Work backwards from early October. Sitting in the last week before 15 October leaves no margin for illness or centre problems, and the one-attempt rule means a bad day cannot be rerun. Build reasoning skills over the summer (the free Warm-Up shows the question types), take a baseline timed mock in early September, book a late-September or early-October slot, and spend the final month alternating full mocks with mistake review.
  • Ignore invented benchmarks. With no published Cambridge score data, the honest calibration is internal: a rising trend across properly timed mocks, and error patterns narrowing to the hardest question types. The published Oxford averages in the score guideare the nearest labelled proxy for what competitive Oxbridge-pool performance looks like — as long as you treat them as another university's data, not Cambridge's.
  • Prepare for December interviews in parallel — practising out-loud argument, not just written reasoning, from November.

Frequently asked questions

Does Cambridge use the LNAT for Law?

Yes. Cambridge has required the LNAT for BA Law (M100) applicants since the 2023-entry cycle, replacing its own Cambridge Law Test, and its official pages confirm the requirement for 2027 entry. Applicants must sit it before Cambridge's mid-October deadline.

Does Cambridge read the LNAT essay?

Yes — and more formally than most LNAT universities. Cambridge states that it uses both sections of the LNAT and that the essay component is marked centrally at Cambridge. Since the test provider does not mark Section B at all, Cambridge's own marking is what gives your essay a grade there.

What LNAT score does Cambridge require?

Cambridge publishes no score requirement and no average scores. Its admissions-tests page states there is no pass or fail mark, while noting that a strong performance is usually needed to get through to interview. Any specific 'Cambridge cut-off' you see quoted elsewhere is not from an official source.

Do individual Cambridge colleges have different LNAT rules?

No college-specific LNAT variations are officially published — the requirement applies to all BA Law applicants. Colleges do differ on other things: some ask for written work (Pembroke, for example, requests two pieces), and interviews are arranged college by college.

When are Cambridge Law interviews and decisions?

For 2027 entry, interviews take place mostly in the first three weeks of December 2026, and decisions are released on 27 January 2027. The LNAT is used both in deciding whom to interview and in the final decision alongside the rest of the application.

Sources

The facts in this guide were checked against the official pages below. If anything here conflicts with an official source, trust the official source — and tell us so we can correct it.